L'amelioration des techniques culturales en cafeiculture: recherche et vulgarisation
When improved cultural techniques developed by research workers are extended to the plantations, socio-economic and management problems arise for the growers. The need for close liaison between the research and extension services is quite evident when the differences between coffee production on stations and in the rural environment are known. In addition to the agricultural credibility of the recommendations of research work, the research workers must also realize that their suggestions must economically credible and feasible, without damaging the environment. Three topics are examined: selected plant material, planting rates and mineral fertilizing. Improved plant material is generally welcomed by the growers. For Robusta coffee, cuttings are in great demand. For Arabica coffee, there may be problems with dwarf hybrids bred from crosses with the Caturra cultivar. These problems are however mostly connected with the planting rates, since the dwarf varieties which are planted at very dense rates require greater investment which is beyond the means of ordinary growers. Subsidies are necessary. Furthermore, to get a return on the extra investment, intensive cultivation becomes essential. The socio-economic context and the small planters' ability to manage their plantations rationally are not always adequate. Mineral fertilizing is approved of by the farmers. It must however be adapted to the chemistry of the soil and the requirements of the coffee plants for it to be sufficiently profitable. Fertilizer dressings that are not consumed by the plants and removed by the crops are likely to cause imbalances in the soil and have very undesirable secondary effects. Thus, useless or superfluous liming may produce boron deficiencies; build-up of phosphorus causes zinc deficiencies; excessive potassium dressings cause magnesium deficiencies. Repeated nitrogen dressings also displace the exchangeable bases, acidify the soil and cause manganese toxicity
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | biblioteca |
| Published: |
París (Francia)
1988
|
| Subjects: | COFFEA ARABICA, COFFEA CANEPHORA, CULTIVO, INVESTIGACION, EXTENSION, ESPACIAMIENTO, FERTILIZACION, MATERIALES DE PROPAGACION, |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|