Australian coffee being grown at Mt Tambourine
Careful planning is essential in establishing a coffee plantation suitable for machine-harvesting.
Plantation Layout:
Hedgerows and plant spacing;
Coffee trees are planted close together in hedgerows for ease of machine harvesting. Weed control, fertilising, spraying and irrigation are more effective and easier to manage with hedgerow plantings.
Initial plant spacings of 4 x 1 metres were based on Brazilian recommendations. Research and experience has shown higher populations are necessary for higher yields. Current spacing recommendations are shown in TABLE 3:1.
The wider row spacings in northern New South Wales are for very tall cultivars such as Mundo Novo and Blue Mountain Kenya. Where growth is vigorous, 3.25 metre row spacing for semi-dwarf types may be too close.
Spacings are based on machinery and shading considerations. At recommended spacings, the lateral fruiting branches are forced into the inter-row where there is better exposure to harvester fingers and hence better cherry removal.
Branches developing parallel with the row are less exposed to fingers of the harvester, resulting in poorer cherry removal. Planting closer within the row encourages trees to become excessively tall and lower limbs become shaded and unproductive.
TABLE 3:1
Plant spacing is important for maximum cherry yield
The terrain and slope of the site usually determine the direction in which rows are planted rather than a north-south or east-west alignment for sunlight interception. In northern New South Wales; Cherry matures earlier on the northern and eastern sides of trees.
In North Queensland; this effect is much less pronounced. Costly double travel of the machine or collection vehicle up and down rows can be minimised by matching row length and anticipated yield per metre of row.
The harvester cannot reverse in the coffee row. A row length of about 200 metres is ideal for the current harvester, allowing for a yield of four kilograms of cherry per tree and a harvester bin capacity of one tonne. A break of five metres in the row should be made at this point to facilitate emptying of harvester and movement of the collection vehicle.
Slope:
If most of your ground has slopes greater than 5%, plant rows up and down the slope and mound them to improve harvesting and drainage. The steeper the slope the more critical it is to run rows directly up and down the hill to gain maximum harvesting efficiency.
Headland:
The current Austoft harvester requires an eight metre headland for turning.
Source: David Peasley
