Plant-Pathogen Interaction: Analysis of the Relationship between Café conilon and Fusarium solani

• Grant number: 24/19385-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: March 31, 2025
• End date: May 11, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Taicia Pacheco Fill
• Grantee: Anna Julia de Oliveira Lucas Mendes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Conilon coffee cultivation plays an essential role in the economy of Espírito Santo, being the leading state in Brazilian production of this variety, with a production of 10.16 million bags. However, the presence of phytopathogens, such as Fusarium solani, represents a significant threat to machine productivity. Understanding the interaction between Conilon coffee and this pathogen is essential to developing management strategies that are more efficient and sustainable, ensuring plant health, and reducing environmental impacts. This project seeks to understand the interaction mechanisms between Conilon coffee and Fusarium solani, with the aim of creating more precise and sustainable agricultural solutions. Through this understanding, it will be possible to identify pathogen vulnerabilities and plant defense mechanisms, allowing the use of biological control agents and chemical pesticides as prevention tools, now commercially available. The research will be divided into stages that include both in vitro and in vivo experiments. The second phase of the project involves a metabolomic analysis of healthy plants and plants treated with microbiological and chemical fungicides, using UHPLC-MS/MS (High Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry) to analyze the chemical profile of the extracts and the metabolic profile of the treated plants. Data will be processed with the GNPS platform's Molecular Network tool and SIRIUS software to facilitate metabolite annotation and identification. After data collection and analysis, the study will seek to interpret the information obtained to understand the role of microbial metabolites and the metabolic response of Conilon coffee to the pathogen. The identification of defense metabolites is crucial to understanding natural plant resistance mechanisms. The study aims to create significant advances in the management of Conilon coffee cultivation, providing the basis for sustainable strategies that maximize efficiency in combating Fusarium solani and minimize the use of chemical pesticides. A detailed understanding of plant-pathogen interactions will enable the application of precise and sustainable control measures.