Agronomic and morphological traits of 'Catuaí Vermelho' coffee plant propagated by somatic embryogenesis

The objective of this work was to assess agronomical and morphological traits of Coffea arabica plants, cultivar Catuaí Vermelho IAC 44, propagated by somatic embryogenesis. The experiment was established in January 2005 in a randomized complete block design, with 10 replicates. Plants were evaluated monthly for vegetative development, from June 2005 to January 2006, and agronomical evaluations were carried out two years and a half after the beginning of the experiment. Grain yield was evaluated during the first four harvests. Coffee plants derived from somatic embryogenesis show faster initial growth than those obtained from seeds, and had greater canopy diameter than plants with seminal origin 30 months after planting in field. The agronomic performace of C. arabica plants produced by somatic embryogenesis is similar to that of plants derived from seeds, and there are no agronomic restrictions for their use.