Sustainable use of water resources: exploring the variability among Conilon coffee genotypes based on crop yield

The high phenotypic and genotypic variabilities increases the chances of success in selection of genotypes based on efficiencies for using the available water resources. The objective was to evaluate the productive efficiency of 27 genotypes of Coffea canephora regarding the amount of water made available over the first four reproductive cycles. The experiment followed a split plot scheme, with 27 genotypes and four reproductive cycles, in a randomized block design. Genotypes 108 and 201 stand out for the highest productive efficiencies, using, on average, 2.85 liters of water for each gram of coffee. Less productive genotypes, as 203 and 307, present the lowest efficiencies, using up to 11.24 liters per gram of coffee. Efficient genotypes can save up to 75% of the water required per gram of coffee produced. Genotype 102 have not shown a significant variation in its productive efficiency throughout the harvests, electing it as the most stable among the genotypes. Studying the behavior of genotypes of Conilon coffee for productive efficiency emerges as a tool that can contribute to the selection of genotypes in specific conditions of water use, which can assist in the rational use and conservation of water resources.