Empirical models to predict LAI and aboveground biomass of Coffea arabica under full sun and shaded plantation: a case study of South of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

International audienceLeaf area index (LAI) and above ground biomass (AGB) are two parameters that are difficult to measure but very useful. In this paper we investigated the relationship between coffee biophysical properties and LAI and AGB in two coffee production systems: full sun (FS) and shaded with macadamia nuts (SH). The paper proposes an empirical relationship for calculating coffee AGB and coffee LAI which avoids destructive methods, using simple field measurements and agrometeorological data. Here, we reported that LAI is related to canopy structure but subject to strong seasonal variations, which can be identified using water requirements satisfaction index (WRSI). Coffee LAI answers to the decreased WRSI with 1 month lag (WRSI-1) and LAI values decreases more for FS systems than for SH systems during dry periods. The best empirical model to predict LAI for FS coffee production system was based on canopy height (ch) and WRSI-1 value. For SH systems, the best model used ch, WRSI-1 and the height of the first pair of branches. Coffee AGB values were measured using destructive analyses and an empirical equation was developed. Both coffee production systems stocked carbon, whereas the SH system stocked an increased carbon amount provided by the macadamia trees that contributed with 15 % of the total carbon above ground. Both systems can be considered mitigation techniques since they are able to remove atmospheric carbon and stock it in the biomass, which has been largely proposed as a compensation mechanism for greenhouse gas emissions