Diagnosis of leaf bacterial diseases of coffee reveals the prevalence of halo blight

ABSTRACT The diagnosis of foliar bacterial diseases in coffee (Coffea arabica), such as halo blight (Pseudomonas syringae pv. garcae), bacterial leaf spot (P. syringae pv. tabaci), bacterial blight (P. cichorii), and dark leaf spot (Robbsia andropogonis), is considered a challenge for plant pathologists. The misidentification has been occurring when the diagnosis is solely based on symptoms and biochemical properties. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify and differentiate species and pathovars of Pseudomonas pathogenic to coffee plants, enabling a survey of the occurrence of these bacteria in the main producing regions of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Firstly, the pathogenicity of the isolates was confirmed by inoculation in C. arabica cv. Catuaí Vermelho IAC 99. Then, biochemical analyses, combined with, repetitive element-polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) and phylogeny based on rpoD gene sequences were used to characterize 84 Pseudomonas isolates from coffee crops and nurseries. Based on rpoD-phylogeny, 73 isolates were identified as P. syringae pv. garcae, five as P. syringae pv. tabaci and six as P. cichorii. The rep-PCR results suggest a high genetic variability in populations of Pseudomonas syringae pv. garcae and P. cichorii. This is the first report of the occurrence of bacterial leaf spot (P. syringae pv. tabaci) in the coffee-producing filed in Minas Gerais State. The findings confirmed the prevalence of P. syringae pv. garcae in coffee production fields in the State and the generated knowledge will contribute for the development of species-specific primers for the identification and detection of this pathogen.