The Muscodor-Coffee Plant Interaction Promotes Vegetative Growth and Increases Coffee Plant Resistance to Leucoptera coffeella
摘要
Endophytic fungi live harmoniously-associated with plants tissues, and usually offers benefits to the host. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 12 Muscodor isolates on Coffea arabica plants responses under coffee leaf miner (Leucoptera coffeella) infestation. Seeds of C. arabica, Catuaí Vermelho (IAC 144), and Topázio (MG 1190) cultivars were inoculated with the endophytic fungi, and were sown in pots with substrate and kept in a greenhouse. Six months after sowing, the greenhouse was infested with L. coffeella, and at 24 months the leaves enzymatic antioxidant activity and vegetative growth were evaluated. Plants inoculated with Muscodor showed less damage caused by the insect when compared to non-inoculated plants, due to the lowest activity of all enzymes in the control plants compared to inoculated plants, reflecting in lower lipid peroxidation. The highest activity of the enzyme superoxide dismutase was observed in the cultivars Catuaí Vermelho and Topázio when inoculated with Muscodor coffeanum (CML 4011 and CML 4020), respectively. Catuaí Vermelho cultivar inoculated with M. coffeanum (CML 4014) and Muscodor sp. (CML 4015) showed the highest values for plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, main root length, main root diameter, and total dry biomass; whilst the Topázio cultivar inoculated with M. coffeanum (CML 4018) showed highest values for stem diameter, number of plagiotropic pairs, number of leaves, leaf area, main root diameter, and total dry biomass. The Muscodor-Coffee plant interaction increased coffee plant resistance to the leaf miner and promoted vegetative growth.