Avaliação de tolerância de cafeeiros ao calor e à seca, pelo método da condutibilidade elétrica

Abstract

A method for measuring drought and heat tolerance, using electric conductivity as a parameter, has been tested on two coffee types: Coffea arábica L. cv. Mundo Novo and C. racemosa Lour. The 50% injury level was determined by application of a series of temperatures during one hour. The 50% injury level was reached between 53 and 54°C for both coffee types, however the results were less consistent for C. racemosa. The results might indicate that the drought resistance of C. racemosa could be due to other factors than tolerance.