Foliar applications with Dripsol® NKS increased the coffee producer's gross income by 13.7%

The main objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of one and two foliar applications of Dripsol® NKS on grain filling, a critical stage in determining the final yield of the crop.

The study sought to evaluate whether one or two applications of Dripsol® NKS improve:

Grain filling (weight and volume)
The efficiency of foliar nutrient use
Final crop yield

Experimental design

Product applied: Dripsol® NKS at 2% (equivalent to 10 kg/ha per application)
Statistical design: Completely randomized blocks

Treatments:

• T0: Control without application
• T1: One foliar application
• T2: Two foliar applications

Repetitions: 8 per treatment
Crop stage: Grain filling

Application details

• First application: April 19th, 2012 (see Fig. 1)
• Second application: May 18th 2012 (see Fig. 2)
• Method: 50-liter manual backpack sprayer
• Application volume: 500 L/ha of solution, simulating commercial conditions

The trial was conducted by Agronomist Engineer J.B. Matiello from Fundação Procafé at the São Domingos das Dores farm (780 meters above sea level) in the Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, using the Catuai Vermelho 44 coffee variety at a spacing of 2 m x 0.7 m.
The grain filling phase in coffee fruits demands higher potassium levels to increase both yield and quality.

Harvest was performed on June 16th, 2012 (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4). Fruits from each treatment were collected and sun-dried until they reached a moisture content of 12%.

Subsequently, yield, weight, and bean size were determined using a multi-sized sieve (or grader). The data were subjected to statistical analysis applying the Scott-Knott test.

It was observed that foliar applications with Dripsol® NKS improved grain filling in both yield and size, and increased the coffee grower’s gross income by 13.7% (Table 1).

There were significant differences between yield with one application (+8%) and with two applications (+13%) of Dripsol® NKS (Table 2).
Regarding the sieve above 17, there was also an increase between 11% and 13% compared to the control group, with a tendency toward a larger caliber in the case of two applications of Dripsol® NKS at 2%.

Table 1. Economic Analysis of the Trial

Table 2. Coffee yield in liters per 60-kg sack (sacks fill faster when the proportion of large, heavy beans is higher) and percentage of sieve above 17.