Alterations in antioxidant metabolism in coffee leaves infected by Cercospora coffeicola

Abstract

Brown eye spot (BE) caused by Cercospora coffeicola is the main disease of coffee crop. A variation in symptoms of BE has been reported in the field, raising suspicion of occurrence of new species. However, information about coffee- C. coffeicola interaction is still limited. This research aimed to determine the difference between antioxidant metabolism of coffee plants cultivar Mundo Novo inoculated with a strain isolated from a common BE lesion (CML 2984) and a strain isolated from a black BE lesion (CML 2985). The enzyme activity of peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) were determined. Activities of POX, APX, and PAL increased in plants inoculated with both strains compared to non-inoculated plants at 12 and 24 hours post inoculation (hpi). CAT activity increased in inoculated plants with black BE strain at 24 hpi and both strains at 48 hpi. The SOD activity only increased in inoculated plants with both strains at 48 hpi. These results show that an elevated antioxidant response was observed when the plants were challenged with both strains of C. coffeicola. Both strains produced lesions of the common type, suggesting that other factors lead to the development of black BE lesion type under field conditions and further investigation is needed.