Evaluación de hongos endófitos para el control de la roya (Hemileia vastatrix) en el café (Coffea arabica)

Abstract

Abstract:Coffee is a crop of great economic importance in production, however, it is affected by fungal phytopathogens, especially rust Hemileia vastatrix. The present work is aimed at investigating the ecological role of endophytic fungi as biological controllers of coffee rust (H. vastatrix), through trials. For this purpose, inoculations with endophytes were carried out under greenhouse conditions, using coffee plants of the varieties: Caturra, Colombia and Típica of 9 months of age. The results began to be evident after 50 days after the inoculation, showing positive results, reducing the frequency of infection, and the number of spores produced in 75%, in the three varieties used. As for the treatments, a better result was evidenced by first inoculating the endophyte and then the pathogen, endophyte and pathogen applied at the same time; only in the Typical varieties the endophyte Xylaria adscendens and in the Colombia C. boninense variety managed to reduce the frequency of infection (IF) by 80% when inoculated 72 hours after the pathogen.