Protection of coffee plants against brown eye spot by acibenzolar-S-methyl and harpin protein

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the protective effect of harpin protein and acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) against brown eye spot, in coffee plants, and its effect on in vitro conidial germination and mycelial growth of Cercospora coffeicola. In the first assay, plants treated with ASM (25, 50, 100, 200 µg mL^-1) received the inoculum of a C. coffeicola conidial suspension, and the disease severity was evaluated 30 and 60 days after inoculation. In the second assay, plants were sprayed with harpin (7.5, 15, 30, 60, 120 µg mL^-1) following the same procedure. In a third trial, plants previously sprayed with ASM (200 µg mL^-1) or harpin (15 µg mL^-1) were treated again with these products 30 days after pathogen inoculation. ASM and harpin protected the coffe plants against brown eye spot 30 days after inoculation with C. coffeicola. However, 60 days after inoculation, only ASM (200 µg mL^-1), with one or two applications, conferred protection to plants against C. coffeicola. Coffee plants were protected against cercosporiosis, when harpin was reapplied on plants 30 days after a previous treatment with this protein. Harpin and acibenzolar-S-methyl did not inhibit the in vitro conidial germination and the mycelial growth of the pathogen.