COFFEE QUALITY (Coffea arabica L.) IN TWO AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN CENTRAL VERACRUZ, MEXICO

Abstract

Veracruz is the second coffee producing state in Mexico, only after
Chiapas. In central Veracruz, the management of coffee plantations
by small producers is carried out with numerous varieties and under an
agroforestry system using diverse shading. At present, producers are
innovating in their coffee plantations seeking to increase productivity
and quality. On the one hand, they are looking for varieties resistant to
rust (Hemileia vastatrix) to replace the traditional varieties, which are
more appreciated in the market for their high quality. They also change
the shade layer of the coffee plantation for timber species that generate
additional economic resources. However, the effect of these factors on
the quality of the grain and the cup is also concerning. In this sense, the
study consisted in determining the effect of shading on coffee quality
in coffee plantations with the presence of traditional and improved
varieties, grown in two agroforestry systems. Six coffee plantations with
diverse traditional shading and pink cedar (Acrocarpus fraxinifolius)
were evaluated. Twelve samples of cherry coffee were taken, wet
processed, and coffee quality was determined in the laboratory of the
Autonomous University of Chapingo (UACh) in Huatusco, Veracruz,
based on the international standards of the SCAA (Specialty Coffee
Association of America). It was found that in the two agroforestry
systems evaluated there were no significant differences in relation to
the physical quality of the grain and in the cup, since scores higher
than 80 were obtained in both systems. On the other hand, the results
show that it is possible to combine pink cedar trees with coffee growing
without quality being affected.