ABSTRACT
Coffee grows throughout the year, but maximum growth occurs after flowering in the spring and 4 to 6 months later when the coffee berries are developing at a fast rate. About half of the N and K in coffee berries accumulates over only a 2-month period. There are about 15 billion coffee trees in the world planted on 10 million hectares yielding an average of about 600 kg of market coffee/ha. Coffeaarabica is a deciduous evergreen, and lost leaves are never replaced. Generally, several main roots penetrate to a depth of up to 1 m, and over 80% of the coffee roots are found in the upper 40 cm of soil, extending to over 1.5 m from the trunks. Leaf analysis may be used to diagnose nutrient deficiencies, although nutrient content of the leaves varies with season of the year, age and other factors.
