Abstract:
To investigate the impact of overlapping drought and the flowering period in Yunnan's spring on coffee blossoming and fruit quality, two-year-old coffee trees were used as experimental materials. During the flowering period, drought stress experiments were conducted with treatments including mild drought (LD, 55%−60% of field capacity), moderate drought (MD, 40%−45% of field capacity), severe drought (SD, 25%−30% of field capacity), and normal watering (CK, 75%−80% of field capacity). By measuring growth indicators, yield, and quality indicators, the effects of drought stress during the flowering period on
Coffea arabica L. were analyzed. The results showed that compared to CK, there were no significant differences in the number of flowers, number of fruits, and per plant yield under LD treatment, while MD and SD treatments significantly inhibited plant growth. Among these, the SD treatment reduced the number of coffee buds and flowers by 50% and 44%, respectively. Additionally, MD and SD treatments significantly decreased the transverse and longitudinal diameters of fresh fruits and green beans, hundred-grain weight, fresh-dry ratio, and yield, and affected the chemical composition of green beans. In conclusion, moderate drought (field capacity ≥55%) during the flowering period does not reduce coffee yield and quality. This study provides an experimental basis for flowering period planting management.