Comparison of the Performance of Grafted and Ungrafted Coffee Trees

Abstract

The performance of grafted and ungrafted coffee trees was compared in three large field trials for up to 6 years. The data and general observations as to rootstock and scion incompatibility, incidence of the root rot disease, growth characters of trees, coffee yield, and bean characters, indicated that, of the six rootstocks tested, Excelsa seems to be the best for Puerto Rican and Bourbon varieties. In a replicated field trial during which four crops were harvested, Bourbon trees grafted on Excelsa produced annually 31.98 percent more market coffee than ungrafted trees of the Bourbon variety. This difference did not attain the 5-percent level of significance.