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Epicatechin and catechin may prevent coffee berry disease by inhibition of appressorial melanization of Colletotrichum kahawae

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Abstract

Colletotrichum kahawae is the causal agent of coffee berry disease. Appressorial melanization is essential for the fungal penetration of plant cuticle. Epicatechin is abundant in green coffee berry pericarp. Inoculation of C. kahawae conidial suspension containing 1.2 mg epicatechin or catechin/ml did not affect conidial germination or appressorial formation but appressorial melanization was completely inhibited and infection by the treated conidia was less than 30% of the untreated control. Epicatechin and catechin may, therefore, prevent coffee berry disease by inhibition of the appressorial melanization of C. kahawae.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigação das Ferrugens do Cafeeiro, IICT, Quinta do Marquês, 2784-505, Oeiras, Portugal

    Zhenjia Chen, Jingsi Liang & Carlos J. Rodrigues Jr

  2. Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agriculture Sciences, Hainan, China

    Zhenjia Chen & Jingsi Liang

  3. Instituto Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal

    Zhenjia Chen, Jingsi Liang & Changhe Zhang

Authors
  1. Zhenjia Chen
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  2. Jingsi Liang
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  3. Changhe Zhang
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  4. Carlos J. Rodrigues Jr
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Correspondence to Zhenjia Chen.

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Chen, Z., Liang, J., Zhang, C. et al. Epicatechin and catechin may prevent coffee berry disease by inhibition of appressorial melanization of Colletotrichum kahawae . Biotechnol Lett 28, 1637–1640 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-006-9135-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-006-9135-2

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