title: Epicatechin and catechin may prevent coffee berry disease by inhibition of appressorial melanization of Colletotrichum kahawae.
abstract: Colletotrichum kahawae is the causal agent of coffee berry disease. Appressorial melanization is essential for the fungal penetration of plant cuticle. Epicatechin is abundant in green coffee berry pericarp. Inoculation of C. kahawae conidial suspension containing 1.2 mg epicatechin or catechin/ml did not affect conidial germination or appressorial formation but appressorial melanization was completely inhibited and infection by the treated conidia was less than 30% of the untreated control. Epicatechin and catechin may, therefore, prevent coffee berry disease by inhibition of the appressorial melanization of C. kahawae.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação das Ferrugens do Cafeeiro, IICT, Quinta do Marquês, 2784-505, Oeiras, Portugal. Chenzhenjia@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Zhenjia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jingsi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Changhe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Carlos J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
mesh_terms: D002392:Catechin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003069:Coffee / Q000382:microbiology*; D020231:Colletotrichum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005638:Fruit / Q000382:microbiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D003069:Coffee; D002392:Catechin