The objective of this study was to verify the relationship between quantitative traits related with the vegetative growth in cultivars of short height of arabic coffee. The experiment was carried out in the Experimental Station of IPA (Research Institute of the State of Pernambuco), located in the town of Brejão, during in the agricultural year of 2004/2005. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, with four replications and twelve treatments, with each replications composed by 24 plants, disposed in three arrays, with useful area formed by the central array. The spacing used was 2.0 m between rows and 1.0 m among plants. The characters were appraised through the variance analysis, estimate of the genetic determinism and the coefficients of correlations. The results detected in the population studied differences among cultivars for height of plants and length of plagiotropic branches. The cultivars Topázio MG 1189, Catuaí Amarelo, Obatã IAC 1669-20 and Topázio MG 1190 were better in growing at 12 months. The stem diameter is strong and positively correlated with length of plagiotropic branches for growth rate. When evaluated at 12 months, it was correlated and negative and highly with the canopy diameter and the length of plagiotropic branches was correlated negatively to number of secondary branches and positively with number of nodes of plagiotropic branches.
Coffea arabica; genetic variability; correlated traits; juvenile pre-selection
