Dissertations
Pruning
Pruning balances growth and yield in coffee cultivation, promoting plant health, enhancing fruit production, and preventing disease, making it vital for long-term productivity.
Induced Shading
Induced Shade. This method uses a fine spray of kaolin clay on coffee trees to reduce leaf temperatures, ease heat stress, and boost photosynthesis—leading to stronger plants, earlier production, and higher yields.
Pollination Experiment
Pollination doesn’t just impact yield—it can also shape coffee quality. While Arabica is mostly self-pollinating, cross-pollination between varieties allows for genetic exchange that may influence the cup. Yet, this potential remains largely unstudied under controlled conditions.
Foliar Nutrition
This experiment tests how leaf-applied nutrients help coffee plants thrive when soil fertilization falls short—especially for hard-to-move micronutrients like boron and zinc.
Rootstock Trial
Rootstocks are widely employed in perennial crops such as grapevine and apple to improve plant vigor, resilience, productivity and fruit quality. In coffee, however, rootstock use remains uncommon.
Potassium Experiment
Potassium (K) is one of the most influential macronutrients in coffee cultivation, influencing processes from photosynthesis and carbohydrate transport to seed filling and aroma formation.
Multi-Year Thinning
The Benefits of Thinning Coffee Trees
Learn how thinning at the seed maturation stage boosts yields, stabilizes quality, and supports sustainable coffee production.
Fruit Pigmentation
This study aimed to isolate pigmentation as a variable by growing both clones of the same variety ‘Caturra’ under identical conditions.
Why Boron and Zinc Can Make or Break Your Coffee Harvest
There's a common frustration among coffee farmers and agronomists. Trees look healthy, flowering is abundant, and yet the harvest disappoints.
Thinning
In this experiment we are investigating the impact of microclimate on coffee physiology and quality.
Microclimate
In this experiment, we are studying the effects of different fruit loads on Caturra coffee trees grown in a controlled environment at our research station.
Journals
Importance of Roasting Uniformity
How Roasting Uniformity Impacts Coffee Quality and Research Outcomes
New Variety Testing in Phytotrons
Exploring Plant Science: How Climate-Controlled Greenhouses Enhance Research
Practical Research at Volcán Azul
Launching New Research Projects in Costa Rica: Partnering with Alejo Castro at Volcán Azul to Test and Expand Innovative Techniques
The Coffee Research Station
POMA Coffee Research Station. A climate-controlled greenhouse in Fyn, Denmark.
Understanding the Impact of Soil Balances
Soil fertility, or the soil's ability to supply essential nutrients for plant growth, relies on a delicate balance of macronutrients.
Implementation at Volcán Azul
POMA focuses on experiments in coffee farming, particularly crop load management, growth regulation, water and fertilizer optimization, and the effects of climate on quality and tree health.
