Genetic diversity in Coffea canephora genotypes for leaf nutrient concentration

This study analyzed the genetic diversity in Coffea canephora genotypes by univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, based on concentrations of macro- and micronutrients in coffee leaves in the stages of pre-flowering and grain filling. The experiment was arranged in randomized blocks with three replications, in a 42x2 factorial design, in which factor one represented the evaluated genotypes and factor two the periods of leaf sampling, i.e., pre-flowering and grain filling. The data of leaf nutrient concentrations were subjected to analysis of variance by the F test (p <0.01), and genetic parameters were estimated. For the study of genetic diversity, the genotypes were grouped by the hierarchical unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA). The relative importance of a trait to predict genetic diversity was also studied. There is genetic divergence for leaf nutrient concentration in C. canephora genotypes. With a maximum limit of 60% of dissimilarity between genotypes, four groups were also formed by UPGMA. For the 42 evaluated genotypes, leaf S concentration was the most important trait for genetic diversity; this genotypic variability should be investigated to enhance the efficiency of nutritional diagnosis. Highlights There is genetic variability for leaf nutrient concentration in Coffea canephora The leaf concentration of nutrients in the phenological stage of pre-anthesis is different from the leaf concentration of nutrients in the coffee bean filling period. Leaf concentration of sulfur was the characteristic that contributed most to the genetic diversity among the 42 genotypes, followed by the concentration of copper, boron and magnesium. Genotypic variability for leaf nutrient concentration should be considered for better nutritional management.