Coffee production of the castillo® variety at high planting densities with one and two stems per site Producción de café variedad Castillo® en altas densidades de siembra con uno y dos tallos por sitio

Planting density, among all other coffee cultivation management practices, is the most determinant factor for productivity, followed by nutrition and plant age. Under the current conditions of coffee cultivation in Colombia, to increase the average number of plants per hectare to promote higher productivity is a national goal. However, some coffee farmers have exceeded the maximum density of 10,000 plants per hectare. In order to know the response to this practice, at La Catalina Experiment Station, located in the Pereira municipality (Risaralda department), between 2015 and 2019, six stem population densities (treatments) were evaluated in Castillo® variety plants, under three spatial arrangements with one and two stems per site, in a completely randomized design. The analysis of yield of the first harvest and the aggregate of two, three and four harvests did not show statistical differences, according to the F test at 5%, when comparing one and two stems per site, comparing populations of 7,407 and 14,815 stems/ha, 10,000 and 20,000 stems/ha, and 11,111 and 22,000 stems/ha, respectively. According to these results when coffee plantations of the Castillo® variety exceed 10,000 plants or stems per hectare, intraspecific competition caused by an excessive population compromises yield stability and makes crop management difficult. Consequently, the highest planting density recommended for the Castillo® variety should not exceed 10,000 plants or stems/ha.