In this paper is proposed a detailed phenological scale to identify and characterize the reproductive cycle of Coffea arabica. The study was carried out under field conditions using IAPAR 59 cultivar, from May 2004 to May 2005 in Londrina, state of Parana, Brazil (23º23' S, 50º11' W, 610 m). Periodically measurements of growth and evolution of the external morphology of the floral buds, flowers and fruits of the plagiotropic branches were taken. In the proposed scale, the reproductive development of coffee was divided in four main phases: Floral bud development (G), Flowering (FL), Fructification (F), and Maturation (M). The phases G and F were subdivided based on bud and fruit size, varying from G1 to G6 and F1 to F6. To describe maturation, the fruits were classified according to external color: M1 - green, M2 - yellowish, M3 - light red (cherry), M4 - dark red, and M5 - black (dry). The proposed scale could subsidize studies of growth, productivity and management of the coffee crop.
Flower bud; flowering; fructification; phenological scale
