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.