Pre-germination strengthens coffee seedlings

Pre-germination of coffee seeds is a fundamental process to ensure the uniformity and vigor of seedlings, decisive points for the establishment of productive and healthy crops. According to Mozambican agronomist Gilberto Estacha, this practice has become a strategic step to reduce losses and optimize results in coffee cultivation. The main objective of pre-germination is to break the physiological dormancy of the seeds, accelerating and uniformizing the emergence of seedlings. Additionally, it helps to minimize germination failures and reduce fungal attacks, factors that compromise the initial development of the crop. For this, the process begins with the careful selection of mature seeds, from cherry fruits and without defects, followed by the removal of mucilage by washing and a partial drying, until reaching 30% to 35% humidity. Among the most used techniques in Mozambique are the "pre-germination in boxes," where the seeds are placed between layers of moist sand in a shaded ...