Mapping Coffee Tree Fertilizer Requirements in Côte d’Ivoire

Coffee production in Côte d'Ivoire has been declining sharply for more than twenty years due to degradation in soil fertility status. The objective of this study was to map the mineral requirements of coffee trees in different production regions and to recommend immediate and long-term intervention strategies for soil management. In this study, the diagnosis of the chemical needs of 156 soil samples from major coffee production areas was used. We used a soil diagnostic model specific to coffee fertilization combined with geographic information systems (GIS). The combination of fertilizer formulas from the coffee soil diagnostic model, recent climatic data and soil units of the coffee growing areas allowed the elaboration of a thematic map showing a total of five basic formulas (N-P2O5-K2O-CaO-MgO) adapted to the real nutritional needs of coffee trees according to their agropedoclimatic environments. Two of these formulas cover 90% of the area studied. This study will enable appropriate soil management for the sustainable productivity of coffee trees in Côte d'Ivoire.