Search for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmonella</Emphasis> spp. in ostrich productive chain of Brazilian southeast region

We analyzed ostriches from an equipped farm located in the Brazilian southeast region for the presence of Salmonella spp. This bacterium was investigated in 80 samples of ostrich droppings, 90 eggs, 30 samples of feed and 30 samples of droppings from rodents. Additionally, at slaughter-house this bacterium was investigated in droppings, caecal content, spleen, liver and carcasses from 90 slaughtered ostriches from the studied farm. Also, blood serum of those animals were harvested and submitted to serum plate agglutination using commercial Salmonella Pullorum antigen. No Salmonella spp. was detected in any eggs, caecal content, liver, spleen, carcass and droppings from ostriches and rodents. However, Salmonella Javiana and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica 4, 12: i:- were isolated from some samples of feed. The serologic test was negative for all samples. Good sanitary farming management and the application of HACCP principles and GMP during the slaughtering process could explain the absence of Salmonella spp. in the tested samples.     

Antixenosis resistance to leaf miner Leucoptera coffeella in Coffea species

The coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella, is the most important pest of Coffea arabica plantations in Brazil, and all cultivars are susceptible to the insect. However, distinct reactions have been observed in other species, such as C. congensis and C. canephora. In this work, the occurrence of antixenotic response was surveyed in individuals of Coffea species, selected for resistance to the leaf miner at both field and laboratory conditions. Tests performed on young plants from C. arabica cultivars Icatu Precoce IAC 3282, Mundo Novo IAC 515-20, Tupi IAC 1669-33 and Catuaí Amarelo IAC 62 demonstrated that these were preferred for oviposition when pooled with seedlings from C. canephora cv. Apoat? IAC 2258. Apoat? was also preferred over C. racemosa for oviposition. Similar results were observed in tests using detached leaves, and higher amount of eggs was counted in the cv Obat? IAC 1669-20 and Catuaí Vermelho IAC 81, and lower oviposition frequency was observed in C. canephora cv. Guarini IAC 1598. C. congensis showed an oviposition frequency between C. arabica and C. canephora. Also, the results suggest that the frequency of oviposition is co-related with the plant resistance level, during larvae infection.     

Inheritance and heritability of resistance to citrus leprosis

ABSTRACT The genetic inheritance of resistance to leprosis, the most important viral disease of citrus in Brazil, was characterized through the phenotypic assessment of 143 hybrids resulting from crosses between tangor 'Murcott' (Citrus sinensis x C. reticulata) and sweet orange 'Pêra' (C. sinensis), considered to be resistant and susceptible to the disease, respectively. All plants were grafted onto Rangpur lime (C. limonia) and inoculated with Citrus leprosis virus, cytoplasmic type through the infestation with viruliferous mites, Brevipalpus phoenicis. The experiments were arranged in a completely randomized block design with 10 replicates. Incidence and severity of the disease in leaves and stems as well as plant growth parameters (plant height and stem diameter) were recorded for 3 years after the infestation with the viruliferous mites. The average values of all variables were analyzed using principal component analysis, discriminant factorial analysis, estimation of the clonal repeatability coefficients, and frequency of the distributions of the average values for each measured variable. The principal component analysis resulted in the identification of at least two groups with resistance and susceptibility to leprosis, respectively. About 99% of all hybrids were correctly classified according to the discriminant factorial analysis. The broad-sense heritability coefficients for characteristics associated with incidence and severity of leprosis ranged from 0.88 to 0.96. The data suggest that the inheritance of resistance to leprosis may be controlled by only a few genes.     

Expression and mode of inheritance of resistance in coffee to leaf miner Perileucoptera coffeella

The coffee leaf miner (Perileucoptera coffeella, Guérin-Méneville), is the most serious pest on coffee in Brazil. Coffee varieties with resistance to this pest have been developed in Brazil using genes from the Coffea racemosa Lour. species. Resistance to P. coffeella was studied in C. racemosa and in advanced breeding populations derived from BC3 and BC4 generations through artificial infestation of coffee leaves (laboratory) and natural infestation (greenhouse). Based on an analysis of variance carried out with notes attributed to lesions, two weeks after egg hatching, C. racemosa plants and BC4 progenies were classified in 3 groups according to their degree of resistance to the insect. The age of the leaves seemed to play a role in the expression of resistance of C. racemosa and of BC4 progenies to P. coffeella. The data seemed to show that resistance to P. coffeella derived from C. racemosa can be best explained by two complementary dominant genes. Segregations for resistance assessed in families obtained by selfing or open pollination or by back-crossing with a susceptible variety were similar to the expected segregation of 9 resistant: 7 susceptible or 1 resistant: 3 susceptible, respectively. The symbols Lm1, lm1, Lm2 and lm2 are proposed for the alleles. Consequences for breeding coffee varieties with resistance are discussed.     

Genetic diversity and structure of Ethiopian,Yemen and Brazilian C<Emphasis Type="Italic">offea arabica</Emphasis> L. accessions using microsatellites markers

Genetic diversity among 115 coffee accessions from the Coffea Germplasm Collection of IAC was assessed using SSR markers. The germplasm represents 73 accessions of Coffea arabica derived from spontaneous and subspontaneous plants in Ethiopia and Eritrea, species center of origin and diversity, 13 commercial cultivars of C. arabica developed by the Breeding Program of IAC, 1 accession of C. arabica cv. ‘Geisha’, 13 accessions of C. arabica from Yemen, 5 accessions of C. eugenioides, 4 accessions of C. racemosa and 6 accessions of C. canephora. Genetic analysis was performed using average number of alleles per locus (A), proportion of polymorphic loci (P), Shannon’s genetic index (H′ and G′_ST) and clustering analysis. All evaluated species were distinguished by a cluster analysis based on Jaccard’s coefficient. Differentiation between the cultivated plants of C. arabica and accessions derived from spontaneous and subspontaneous plants was observed. Spontaneous and subspontaneous accessions from Ethiopia were separated according to the geographical origin: east and west of the Great Rift Valley. Cultivated plants showed a low genetic diversity with a division in two groups: accessions from Yemen (H′=0,028) and Brazilian commercial cultivars (H′=0,030). The results agreed with previously reported narrow genetic basis of cultivated plants of C. arabica and supported the hypotheses about domestication of the species. This study also showed a significant genetic diversity among accessions from Ethiopia and Eritrea present in the Germplasm Collection of IAC. This diversity is specially observed in accessions from Sidamo (H′=0,143), Kaffa (H′=0,142) and Illubabor (H′=0,147) indicating their importance as source of genetic variability for coffee breeding programs.     

Wild <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coffea arabica</Emphasis> resistant to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Meloidogyne paranaensis</Emphasis> and genetic parameters for resistance

Arabica coffee production is based on highly productive cultivars; however, these cultivars are susceptible to infestation by several biotic agents, including root-knot nematodes. Collections of wild Coffea arabica germplasm represent an important source of genetic variability for resistant cultivar development. In this study, 1046 plants derived from 71 wild coffee trees were evaluated with respect to Meloidogyne paranaensis resistance. In addition to information on plants reactions, we also evaluated the genetic parameters related to resistance. Progenies from the five most promising plants were also evaluated regarding resistance to M. incognita and M. exigua. The yield potential of selected plants was estimated through analysis of data for fruits harvested in 4 different years. Forty-seven plants were considered resistant based on reproduction factor values. The estimated heritability was high for all analyzed variables leading to substantial selection gain, mainly at the progeny mean level. On the basis of heritabilities and genetic correlations, we conclude that selection could be performed based on values of the gall and egg mass index. However, higher genetic gain could be obtained based on nematode count variables. A second experiment confirmed the reactions of the selected five plants to M. paranaensis, and multiple resistance was detected in three of them. The resistant accessions also have yield potential.     

Caffeine and resistance of coffee to the berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

The role of caffeine as a chemical defense of coffee against the berry borer Hypothenemus hampei was investigated. No positive correlation was observed between resistance and caffeine content in experiments in which seeds from several coffee species presenting genetic variability for the alkaloid were exposed to adult insects. The same was observed in an experiment with coffee seeds that had their caffeine content doubled by imbibition with caffeine aqueous solutions. Other experiments showed that the attractiveness to insects was not related to the caffeine content of mature fruits. These results indicate that H. hampei has evolved an adaptation to handle the toxic effects of caffeine.     

Genetic diversity of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coffea</Emphasis> Germplasm Collection assessed by RAPD markers

Genetic diversity and relationships within and among nine species of Coffea, one species of Psilanthus and the Piatã hybrid from the Coffee Germplasm Collection of Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC), Brazil were assessed using RAPD markers. Genetic diversity and relationships were evaluated by proportion of polymorphic loci (P), Shannon’s genetic index (H′ and G′_ST) and clustering analysis. The overall RAPD variation among all accessions was mostly partitioned between rather than within species. However, C. canephora and C. liberica showed a high genetic diversity within the species (\({\underline{\hbox{H}'}} \) _sp = 0.414 and \({\underline{\hbox{H}'}} \) _sp = 0.380, respectively) and this was highly structured (high \({\underline{\hbox{G}'}} \) _ST). Genetic diversity from C. congensis and C. arabica was also structured, but with lower levels of genetic diversity (\({\underline{\hbox{H}'}} \) _sp = 0.218 and \({\underline{\hbox{H}'}} \) _sp = 0.126, respectively). The results were consistent with agronomic and molecular studies and demonstrated that the IAC Coffea Collection is representative of the phylogenetic structure observed in the genera. This study devises sampling strategies for coffee germplasm collections and provides genetic diversity parameters for future comparisons among them.