Economic viability of different skeleton pruning-based management approaches in coffee (Coffea arabica L)

Coffee is one of the most valuable commodities on the international market, and its cultivation is among the most important agricultural activities in Brazil. Skeleton pruning is used in coffee crops to maintain production capacity by promoting the recovery of weakened plants and correcting problems related to plant architecture. This study evaluated the effects of different coffee skeleton-pruning management approaches on operating cost, productivity, and profitability. The experiment was conducted in a 22-year-old field of the cultivar Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144, spaced at 2.8×1.0 m. The treatments were obtained by combining two types of skeletonization and four types of regrowth management, totaling eight treatments plus a control without skeletonization. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with six replications, totaling 54 experimental plots. Operational cost was estimated from the time required for each management practice and the corresponding fuel consumption. The results showed that skeletonization restricted to branches between rows stimulated the growth of plagiotropic branches between plants, whereas total skeletonization promoted the greatest vegetative recovery and the highest productivity. Although total skeletonization resulted in higher crop cost, the treatment combining total skeletonization with sprout control showed the best economic performance, with an increase in profitability of up to USD 6,300.00 ha⁻¹ compared with the control.