Potential Biocontrol Agents Diversity for Coffee Leaf Rust Hemileiavastatrix from Southwesten Ethiopia

Abstract

Coffee leaf rust (CLR), caused by Hemileiavastatrixis the main coffee disease, occurring in the main coffee producing countries worldwide. Effective management of CL Rintegrated approch including the development of resistant varieties, cultural management, biocontrol and chemicals. Considering both the potential source of potential bioagents by this ecological niche and the possibility of practical uses as a tool to be deployed against coffee leaf rust. White colourmycoparasitic growth is often observed on H. vastatrixpustules. The common report is a complex of “white colony forming-taxa” which has been promptly labeled as Verticilliumsp., Lecanicilliumsp. or, at a supposedly more precise level, as Verticilliumlecanii. Taxonomic information about such potential biocontrol fungi is lacking in Ethiopia. In order to investigate the identity of mycoparasites of H. vastatrixand to obtain potential biocontrol agents for the pathogen of coffee, a survey of fungicolous associated with coffee leaf rust was conducted at major coffee producing areas of Ethiopia. One hundred and ten different mycoparasite isolates from H. vastatrixpustules have been captured and characterized. The identified isolates belonging to twelve genera: Akanthomyces, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Gonatophragmium, Lecanicillium, Ochroconis, Paraphaeosphaeria, Phoma, Pleurodesmospora, Sarcopodiumand Simplicillium. Biological control of CLR with mycoparasites remains promising possibility for the future. Nevertheless, without firm taxonomic knowledge and the aid of modern tools, the rapid and precise identification of potential biocontrol agents remain a bottleneck. Therefore, morphological and cultural characterization of these mycoparasites should be supported with appropriate molecular tools and the phylogenic tree approach. Although very little is known about mycoparasites, this work provide piece of informationaboutpotential biocontrolagents deserving more attention by plant pathologists and related scientists for exploiting their service in fight against CLR.