Genetic Variability of Leaf Mineral Concentrations in Coffea canephora Clones Cultivated in the Western Amazon

Coffee cultivation in the Western Amazon is based on Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner clones with limited nutritional characterization. This study aimed to quantify the genetic variability in leaf mineral concentrations among 64 widely cultivated genotypes. The experiment was conducted at the Embrapa experimental field station in Ouro Preto do Oeste, Rondônia, using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Leaf concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Na, and Al were evaluated. Significant genotype effects were observed for all evaluated elements (p ≤ 0.01), with high heritability estimates for K, Cu, Mn, N, and S. The decreasing order of leaf macronutrient concentrations was N > K > Ca > Mg > S > P. Among the evaluated elements, Fe, Mn, Zn, Na, and Al showed the greatest variation, with clones LB33, N8G8, BRS1216, and GJ30 standing out for their higher concentrations of Zn/Na, Al, N, and K, respectively. Multivariate analyses indicated that variation in foliar mineral concentrations was predominantly continuous, although the clones were partitioned into two groups with contrasting profiles. Group 1 was associated with higher concentrations of P, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Al, whereas Group 2 showed higher relative concentrations of N, K, Ca, Mg, S, Na, and Zn. These findings reveal distinct foliar mineral profiles among the evaluated clones and provide a basis for selecting contrasting genotypes for future studies on clone-specific nutritional responses.