Phialomyces macrosporus decreases anthracnose severity on coffee seedlings by competition for nutrients and induced resistance

Publication date: Available online 26 August 2016 Source:Biological Control Author(s): Gabriel Alfonso Alvarez Rodríguez, Mario Sobral de Abreu, Felipe Augusto Moretti Fereira Pinto, Ana Cristina Andrade Monteiro, Ándres Mauricio Pinzón Núñez, Mario Lucio Vilela de Resende, Jorge Teodoro de Souza, Flavio Henrique Vasconcelos de Medeiros Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is a phytopathogenic fungus that gradually weakens both coffee seedlings and adult plants and reduce the quality of the berries. There are no commercial products in the market to control this disease, and therefore, the prospection of different biocontrol agents is a viable option. Phialomyces macrosporus was selected among 10 saprophytic fungi for its higher activity against C. gloeosporioides on coffee seedlings. Foliar application of P. macrosporus to coffee seedlings seven days before the inoculation of C. gloeosporioides reduced disease severity by 32 to 41%. Phialomyces macrosporus grew on the surface of coffee leaves and increased the permeability of the cuticle followed by increased activities of guaiacol peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and the buildup in total phenol content and lignin deposition, consistent with the induced resistance phenomenon. No evidence of mycoparasitism either in vivo or in vitro was observed. However, this fungus reduced the sporulation of the pathogen both in culture medium and on necrotic leaf lesions by competition for nutr...

Source: Biological Control - August 25, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: research