Identification of a new race of Hemileia vastatrix in Brazil

Abstract

In this study, a survey of physiological races of Hemileia vastatrix was carried out on 34 coffee leaf rust populations collected at several coffee genotypes in Brazil. After the inoculation on leaf disc of coffee differential clones, the races I, II, III, XIII, XVII and XXXVII were characterised. This is the first report of race XXXVII on Coffea arabica in Brazil, which shows the evolutionary potential of H. vastatrix. The emergence of complex races like XXXVII represents a challenge for breeders in the development of resistant cultivars. © 2009 Australasian Plant Pathology Society.