Grafts of Coffea arabica L. onto C. canephora Pierre have been routinely used in regions infested with nematodes, due to the resistance of C. canephora to these pathogens. In the present work, growth, mineral nutrition and yield of two C. arabica cultivars grafted on C. canephora and C. congensis were evaluated in fields free from nematodes, in three coffee growing regions of São Paulo State, Brazil. Catuaí Vermelho IAC H 2077-2-5-81 and Mundo Novo IAC 515-20 (two cultivars of C. arabica) were grafted on nematode resistant lines Apoatã IAC 2258 and IAC 2286 of C. canephora and on IAC Bangelan colection 5 of C. congensis. Plants not grafted were used as controls, and plants grafted onto their own roots were also evaluated. Grafted cultivars after five years grew better and had higher yield than the ungrafted ones, specially the Catuaí cultivar. Seasonal growth (plant height) was faster during spring and summer, for all treatmentes. In general, grafting increased height throughout the year, mainly during fall and winter seasons. Leaves of grafted plants had higher potassium and lower manganese content than ungrafted ones. Levels of other nutrients were not consistently affected by grafting.
grafting; growth; crop yield; mineral nutrition; coffee; Coffea arabica; C. canephora; C. congensis
