Williams Pinto Marques Ferreira

Mapping the potential beverage quality of coffee produced in the Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais, Brazil

BACKGROUND Detailed knowledge of coffee production systems enables optimization of crop management, harvesting and post-harvest techniques. In this study, coffee quality is mapped as a function of coffee variety, altitude and terrain aspect attributes. The work was performed in the Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais, Brazil. RESULTS A large range of coffee quality grades was observed for the Red Catuai variety. For the Yellow Catuai variety, no quality grades lower than 70 were observed. Regarding the terrain aspect, samples from the southeast-facing slope (SEFS) and the northwest-facing slope (NWFS) exhibited distinct behaviors. The SEFS samples had a greater range of quality grades than did the NWFS samples. The highest grade was obtained from an NWFS point. The lowest quality values and the largest range of grades were observed at lower altitudes. The extracts from the highest-altitude samples did not produce any low-quality coffee. CONCLUSIONS The production sites position and altitude are the primary variables that influenced the coffee quality. The study area has micro-regions with grades ranging from 80 to 94. These areas have the potential for producing specialty coffees.

Environmental variables influencing the expression of morphological characteristics in clones of the forage cactus

The environmental factors that affect the morphological characteristics of different genera of cacti are little known. The aim of this study therefore was to analyse the contribution of environmental variables to growth in cladodes and plant of forage cactus clones of the genera Nopalea and Opuntia. The data used in this study were obtained from an experiment conducted in Serra Talhada, Pernambuco, Brazil, between 2012 and 2013, where the clones ‘IPA Sertânia’ (Nopalea), ‘Miuda’ (Nopalea) and ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ (Opuntia) were submitted to different irrigation depths (2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 mm) and fixed irrigation intervals (7, 14 and 28 days). Morphological characteristics of the cladodes and plants and weather variables were obtained over time. Pearson’s correlation, followed by multicollinearity, canonical and path analysis were applied. The minimum temperature, maximum and minimum relative humidity, wind speed and solar radiation were the variables that most affected growth in the cactus. The genus Opuntia showed less sensitivity to variations in air temperature compared to the genus Nopalea. The higher intensities of global solar radiation affected clones of the genus Nopalea more than the genus Opuntia. It can be concluded that there are different environmental requirements between forage cacti of the genera Nopalea and Opuntia.

Climate change does not impacts on Coffea arabica yield in Brazil

BACKGROUND Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world. Studies on climate change estimate large impacts on production of Coffea arabica (C. arabica). In this context, it is necessary to know the quantitative production values to provide evidence for policy makers to target the prompt answer. RESULTS Using data from 18 municipalities located in five Brazilian States that produce more coffee in Brazil, in an unprecedented way, in this work it is shown that although the minimum temperature is the most important climatic variable for the production, its effect, although positive, and its degree of explanation, were technically too small to explain the volume of production in Brazilian conditions. According to the model of non-stationary time series ARIMA (1, 1, 0) the coffee production in the future may reach almost four million tons, and the productivity almost 2,500 kg ha-1 on average, being the advancement of technology the main factor that should promote the simultaneous increases in production and productivity. However, despite the natural climate variations, which make it the most responsible for the variability of annual coffee production, the producer must increase the use of the technologies to support the Brazilian coffee agribusiness. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study reveal that the coffee production in Brazil is much more due to productivity than to the minimum ambient temperature change over the long term, despite this climate variable be considered the most influential on the production and productivity of coffee.

Ambiente e variedades influenciam a qualidade de cafés das matas de minas

Coffee is an agricultural product that has its adjusted market value according to the final quality of the drink, which can be influenced by many factors, such as environmental factors and variety. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of the mountain side orientation and coffee variety on the potential quality of the coffee produced in the region of “Matas de Minas” (within altitudes ranging from 600 to 1200 m above the sea level). Coffee fruits of “Catuai Vermelho” and “Catuai Amarelo” (Coffea arabica) varieties from 14 municipalities in the region were hand harvested at physiological maturity phase, which were processed and then stored. Then qualitative descriptive analyzes were made by official graders by cup test according to the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association criteria. Through the sensorial analysis, the coffee drink quality attributes were graded according to the influence of environmental factors and the variety. The highest average score was obtained by a combination of factors, “Catuai Amarelo” variety, altitude extract below 700 m and slope of the mountain Norway, showing great potential for expression of the sensory quality of the beverage.

'Sensory analysis of specialty coffee from different environmental conditions in the region of Matas de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Specialty coffees can be differentiated in various ways, including the environmental conditions in which they are produced and the sensory composition of the drink. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of altitude, slope exposure and fruit color on the sensory attributes of cafes of the region of ​​Matas de Minas. Sampling points were georeferenced in four altitude ranges (< 700 m; 700 ≤ x ≤ 825 m, 825 < x < 950 m and ≥ 950 m) of the coffee crop; two fruit colors of var. Catuai (yellow and red); and two slope exposures (North-facing and South-facing). Coffee fruit at the cherry stage were processed and submitted to sensory analysis. The sensory attributes evaluated were overall perception, clean cup, balance, aftertaste, sweetness, acidity, body and flavor, which made up the final score. The scores were examined by ANOVA and means were compared by the Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05). From the sensory standpoint, coffee fruits of both colors are similar, as well as the coffees from both slope exposures when these factors were analyzed separately. However, at higher altitudes, Yellow Catuai produces coffees with better sensory quality. Similarly, coffees from North-facing slopes, at higher altitudes produce better quality cup. The altitude is the main factor that interferes with coffee quality in the area. All factors together contribute to the final quality of the beverage produced in the region of Matas de Minas.

EFEITOS DA NEBULOSIDADE NA ABSORÇÃO DE CARBONO EM UMA CULTURA DE MILHO EM CRUZ ALTA, RS

Foram realizadas medicoes no periodo de 11 de novembro de 2010 a 19 de fevereiro de 2011 de variaveis meteorologicas e fluxo de dioxido de carbono (CO 2 ), atraves da tecnica de covariância dos vortices turbulentos, com o intuito de analisar a influencia da nebulosidade na absorcao do C em uma cultura de milho em Cruz Alta, RS. Observou-se maior absorcao de C a niveis intermediarios de cobertura de nuvens.