Controlled irrigation during the dry period associated with adequate nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) fertilization led to the accumulation of biochemical compounds in coffee beans considered as positive precursors of beverage quality. Adult plants of coffee (Coffea arabica 'Rubi') were cultivated using different water regimes (WR) and fertilization conditions under the dry climate of the Brazilian Cerrado. Coffee-bean physical characteristics were evaluated as well as biochemical composition by near-infrared analysis. The K treatment mostly affected bean biochemistry, lipid and chlorogenic acid (CGA) contents, which increased with increasing amounts of fertilizer. Caffeine contents increased with higher amounts of N, but no significant effects of P treatment on bean biochemical composition were observed. Sucrose and total lipid contents always appeared higher in beans of non-irrigated plants than those beans from plants grown with continuous irrigation. In contrast, caffeine and CGA contents were higher in beans of irrigated as compared with non-irrigated plants. For the first time, the current results showed that controlled management of irrigation during the dry period associated with reasonable NPK fertilization led to the accumulation of biochemical compounds in coffee beans considered as positive precursors of beverage quality. (Résumé d'auteur

ResumoO trabalho objetivou estudar os crescimentos vegetativo e reprodutivo e a produtividade de cafeeiro sob três regimes hídricos e quatro doses de adubação fosfatada, no segundo ano após a poda, em solo de Cerrado. A cultivar utilizada foi a Catuaí Rubi MG 1192, Coffea arabica L., com 7.143 plantas ha -1. Os regimes hídricos aplicados foram: sem suspensão da irrigação, feita o ano todo (I); e a partir de 24/6/07, com suspensão da irrigação por 70 dias (SI 70 ); e com suspensão da irrigação por 109 dias (SI 109 ). Os tratamentos SI 70 e SI 109 foram interrompidos por uma chuva de 12 mm (1. o /10/07), que visualmente induziu a floração. As quatro doses anuais de adubação fosfatada foram: 0 (P 0 ), 100 (P 100 ), 200 (P 200 ) e 400 (P 400 ) kg de P 2 O 5 ha -1 . O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos completos ao acaso com o regime hídrico na parcela e a dose de fósforo na subparcela, com três repetições. As doses de fósforo (P 200 ) e (P 400 ) proporcionaram aumento no comprimento e área foliar de ramos, número de frutos e na produtividade de grãos. Os regimes hídricos SI 70 e SI 109 proporcionaram as maiores porcentagens de frutos cereja e a maior e menor produtividade de grãos respectivamente.Palavras-chave: crescimento, déficit hídrico, irrigação, nutrição, produtividade. . The experiment was arranged in randomized complete block design for water regime with phosphorus doses as split plot and three replications. The highest doses of phosphorus (P 200 ) and (P 400 ) provided increases in branch length, leaf area, number of fruits and grain yield. Water regimes SI 70 and SI 109 provided higher cherry fruit percentage and the highest and lowest grain yield, respectively. Water regimes and phosphorus levels on coffee plants