Does Shade Impact Coffee Yield, Tree Trunk, and Soil Moisture on <i>Coffea canephora</i> Plantations in Mondulkiri, Cambodia?

Shade is a natural condition for coffee plants; however, unshaded plantations currently predominate in Asia. The benefits of shading increase as the environment becomes less favorable for coffee cultivation, e.g., because of climate change. It is necessary to determine the effects of shade on the yield of Coffea canephora and on the soil water availability. Therefore, three coffee plantations (of 3, 6, and 9 ha) in the province of Mondulkiri, Cambodia, were selected to evaluate the effect of shade on Coffea canephora yields, coffee bush trunk changes, and soil moisture. Our study shows that shade-grown coffee delivers the same yields as coffee that is grown without shading in terms of coffee bean weight or size (comparing average values and bean variability), the total weight of coffee fruits per coffee shrub and the total weight of 100 fruits (fresh and dry). Additionally, fruit ripeness was not influenced by shade in terms of variability nor in terms of a possible delay in ripening. There was no difference in the coffee stem diameter changes between shaded and sunny sites, although the soil moisture was shown to be higher throughout the shaded sites