The use of Mucuna aterrima, Dolichos lab lab, Crotalaria mucronata, Arachis hypogaea, Mucuna deeringiana, C. spectabilis, and C. breviflora, intercropped with coffee plants, was evaluated as green manures in the management of Cercospora coffeicola under field conditions in Carlópolis and Jacarezinho counties in the state of Paraná in the crop seasons of 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. The main plot was comprised by treatments with green manures and urea, whereas subplots by the application or not of the poultry litter. There were two controls without green manure and urea: one with and another one without application of Beauveria bassiana, which was used to control Hypothenemus hampei. Similar founds were obtained at both municipalities. The percentage of diseased leaves (DL) was lower for most of the green manures and urea treatments. However, all the treatments reduced the DL in 2009/2010. Although A. hypogaea did not differ statistically from the controls in most of the experiments, the number of lesions per leaf was lower in the other treatments. Similarly, the percentage of healthy coffee berries was higher in the treatments than the controls in most of the experiments in both years. In general, there was no synergistic effect between green manures and urea with the poultry litter, and the efficiency of most green manures was similar to urea in the management of Cercospora leaf spot.

A field experiment was conducted for ten years in a sandy soil in the north part of the Paraná State, Brazil. The soil samples were collected at 0-10 cm depth, both under the coffee canopy and in the inter row space between the coffee plants, in the following treatments: Control, Leucaena leucocephala, Crotalaria spectabilis, Crotalaria breviflora, Mucuna pruriens, Mucuna deeringiana, Arachis hypogaea and Vigna unguiculata. The legume crops influenced the microbial activity, both under the coffee canopy and in the inter row space. The cultivation of Leucaena leucocephala increased the microbial biomass C, N and P. Although L. leucocephala and Arachis hypogaea provided higher microbial biomass, the qCO2 decreased by up to 50% under the coffee canopy and by about 25% in the inter row space. The soil microbial biomass was enriched in N and P due to green manure residue addition.

Existe grande preocupação sobre a degradação dos solos agrícolas. Tem sido sugerido que o cultivo de plantas intercalares no cafeeiro aumenta a diversidade microbiana e a sustentabilidade do solo. No presente trabalho foi avaliada a alteração na atividade de enzimas do solo (urease, arilsulfatase e fosfatase) e na mineralização do C e N devido ao cultivo intercalar de diferentes leguminosas de verão na cultura do cafeeiro. Foram feitas amostragens em um experimento de campo de longa duração instalado em Latossolo Vermelho distrófico em Miraselva, PR, na profundidade de 0-10 cm, na projeção da copa e na entrelinha, nos seguintes tratamentos: testemunha, leucena (Leucaena leucocephala), Crotalaria spectabilis, Crotalaria breviflora, amendoim-cavalo (Arachis hypogaea tipo virginia), mucuna-cinza (Mucuna pruriens), mucuna-anã (Mucuna deeringiana) e caupi (Vigna unguiculata). As amostragens de solo foram feitas em quatros estádios de desenvolvimento dos adubos verdes: pré-plantio (setembro), pós-plantio (novembro), florescimento (fevereiro) e pós-incorporação (abril), de 1997 a 1999. O cultivo de adubos verdes influenciou a atividade das enzimas do solo (urease, arilsulfatase e fosfatase) e a mineralização do C e N tanto na projeção da copa como na entrelinha. O cultivo da leucena aumentou a atividade da fosfatase ácida e da arilsulfatase e a mineralização de C e N na projeção da copa e na entrelinha do cafeeiro. O cultivo de leucena aumentou a atividade da urease na projeção da copa, enquanto C. breviflora incrementou a atividade da urease na entrelinha.

There are great concerns about degradation of agricultural soils. It has been suggested that cultivating different plant species intercropped with coffee plants can increase microbial diversity and enhance soil sustainability. The objective of this study was to evaluate enzyme activity (urease, arylsulfatase and phosphatase) and alterations in C and N mineralization rates as related to different legume cover crops planted between rows of coffee plants. Soil samples were collected in a field experiment conducted for 10 years in a sandy soil in the North of Paraná State, Brazil. Samples were collected from the 0-10 cm layer, both from under the tree canopy and in-between rows in the following treatments: control, Leucaena leucocephala, Crotalaria spectabilis, Crotalaria breviflora, Mucuna pruriens, Mucuna deeringiana, Arachis hypogaea and Vigna unguiculata. The soil was sampled in four stages of legume cover crops: pre-planting (September), after planting (November), flowering stage (February) and after plant residue incorporation (April), from 1997 to 1999. The green manure species influenced soil enzyme activity (urease, arylsulfatase and phosphatase) and C and N mineralization rates, both under the tree canopy and in-between rows. Cultivation of Leucaena leucocephala increased acid phosphatase and arilsulfatase activity and C and N mineralization both under the tree canopy and in-between rows. Intercropped L. leucocephala increased urease activity under the tree canopy while C. breviflora increased urease activity in-between rows.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar os efeitos de diferentes densidades de população de cafeeiros (Coffea arabica L.) nas propriedades químicas, físicas e microbiológicas do solo. Amostras de um Latossolo foram coletadas na profundidade 0-20 cm em um experimento de campo onde estavam sendo avaliadas diferentes populações de cafeeiros. Os tratamentos foram 7.143, 3.571, 2.381, 1.786, 1.429, 1.190, 1.020 e 893 covas/ha. Os resultados demonstraram que o aumento da população de plantas por unidade de área aumentou o pH, o Ca, o Mg e o K trocáveis, o P disponível, o carbono orgânico, o teor de umidade e a colonização radicular por micorrizas, e diminuiu o Al trocável e a biomassa microbiana. Foram considerados como causas da melhoria da fertilidade do solo, sob cafeeiros adensados, o adequado controle da erosão, o correto manejo dos resíduos vegetais e a baixa lixiviação dos íons. O manejo da população de cafeeiros pode constituir uma estratégia importante para a recuperação da fertilidade dos solos ácidos do Paraná.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) population densities on the chemical and microbiological properties of an Oxisol. The work was carried out on soil samples of 0-20 cm depth originated from an experimental site which had been used for coffee tree spacing studies during 15 years, in Paraná State, Brazil. Eight coffee tree populations were evaluated: 7143, 3571, 2381, 1786, 1429, 1190, 1020, and 893 trees/ha. Increasing plant population increased soil pH, exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, extractable P, organic carbon, moisture content and coffee root colonization by vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and decreased exchangeable Al and microbial biomass. Such results were attributed to better erosion control, improved plant residue management and nutrient cycling, and decreased leaching losses. Increasing coffee tree population per unit of area has shown to be an important reclamation recuperation strategy for improving fertility of the acid soils in Paraná, Brazil.