Use of beneficial fungi in the formation of Coffea arabica seedlings intended for planting in soils infested with Meloidogyne paranaensis

• Grant number: 22/12705-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2022
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Harakava
• Grantee: Larissa de Brito Caixeta Vasconcelos
• Host Institution: Instituto Biológico (IB). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/50334-3 - Institutional research development plan (PDIp): modernization and adequacy of strategic multi-user units of the Instituto Biológico, AP.PDIP

Abstract

The root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., are among the main causal agents of diseases that affect Brazilian coffee (Carneiro et al. 2005; Salgado and Terra, 2021). Among the most frequent species, M. paranaensis stands out, due to its high aggressiveness and expanding occurrence in the main coffee producing regions of the country (Salgado et al., 2011; Oliveira & Rosa, 2018). Due to the perennial nature of the Cefe tree, management tactics must be applied in the field in an assertive way, in order to obtain an efficient control in the soil, since the emission of new roots is an attraction for the population increase of nematodes. Studies using biocontrol agents such as Pochonia chlamydosporia, Trichoderma spp. and Metarhizium anisopliae have shown promising results in reducing nematode populations in infested soils (Zhang et al., 2015; Hidalgo-Díaz et al., 2017; Karaborklu et al., 2022); in addition, these microorganisms have the ability to colonize roots endophytically, acting as plant growth promoters, providing previously inaccessible nutrients and even activating the plant's defense mechanisms (Hermosa et al., 2013). The candidate for this PD scholarship must, within one year, carry out tests to enable the inoculation of biocontrol agents in different substrates for the production of coffee seedlings, as well as evaluate the effect of biocontrol agents in reducing population levels of M. paranaensis and the ability to stimulate the growth of C. arabica seedlings. (AU)