Genetic diversity of Pratylenchus brachyurus populations and interactions with coffee trees

• Grant number: 22/09654-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Oliveiro Guerreiro Filho
• Grantee: Rhayane Resende Pillat
• Host Institution: Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazilian coffee production is one of the main activities of national agribusiness. However, its yield is, as a rule, compromised due to the incidence of biotic agents of different nature, including phytonematodes. The lesion nematode, Pratylenchus brachyurus, does not multiply well in coffee plants, but it still causes significant damage to production, due to the plant's intolerance to infection. Little is known about the intraspecific variability in P. brachyurus, even more when dealing with populations parasitizing the coffee tree. The present work aims to elucidate the nature of the genetic variability of P. brachyurus populations present in coffee plantations in the state of São Paulo. Greenhouse studies will be carried out in order to differentiate three populations of P. brachyurus in terms of pathogenicity in relation to different coffee genotypes. Morphological, morphometric and molecular studies will also be developed, focusing on the ITS-1 and D2/D3 regions of the rDNA of these organisms.