Distribution of roots in the Castillo® coffee variety under two spatial arrangements. Distribución de raíces en café variedad castillo® bajo dos arreglos espaciales

Roots are important organs for plants to anchor, absorb and transport water and minerals from the soil solution. In order to determine the distribution of roots in five-year-old Castillo® coffee variety plantations, under two spatial arrangements at 1.0 m x 1.0 m and 1.0 m x 2.0 m with 10,000 stems/ha, the roots of the area of land occupied by the plant, 1.0 and 2.0 m2 , respectively, were extracted. The samples were taken at two depths 0 to 25 cm and 25 to 50 cm and horizontal distances every 25 cm from the base of the stem, 50 cm and 100 cm, for the spatial arrangements 1.0 m x 1.0 m and 1.0 m x 2.0 , respectively, in four trees. Through a completely randomized design in factorial arrangement, the interaction distance by depth was evaluated for the response variable (total root density). In the first 25 cm of horizontal distance measured from the base of the stem and at a depth of 25 cm the highest density of fine and total roots was found in both spatial arrangements, according to a 5% contrast test. The proportion of total roots up  to 25 cm of depth was 86.3% and 86.4% m in the spatial arrangements of 1.0 m x 1.0 m and 1.0 m x 2.0 respectively. A distance of 25 cm from the base of the stem could be specified as a suitable site for fertilizer application.