RESUMOSubmitted on 07/20/2014 and aproved on 11/30/2014. 1 Universidade Federal de Lavras, Departamento de Fitopatologia, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brasil. edsonpozza@gmail.com; deilamagna@hotmail.com 2 Universidade Federal de Lavras, Departamento de Ciência do Solo, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brasil. adelia.pozza@dcs.ufla.br *Autor para correspondência: edsonpozza@gmail.com Revisão de Literatura Silicon in plant disease controlAll essential nutrients can affect the incidence and severity of plant diseases. Although silicon (Si) is not considered as an essential nutrient for plants, it stands out for its potential to decrease disease intensity in many crops. The mechanism of Si action in plant resistance is still unclear. Si deposition in plant cell walls raised the hypothesis of a possible physical barrier to pathogen penetration. However, the increased activity of phenolic compounds, polyphenol oxidases and peroxidases in plants treated with Si demonstrates the involvement of this element in the induction of plant defense responses. The studies examined in this review address the role of Si in disease control and the possible mechanisms involved in the mode of Si action in disease resistance in plants.Key words: Management, plant diseases, resistance barriers, soil fertility, resistyance inducers. O Silício no controle de doenças de plantasTodos os nutrientes essenciais podem influenciar a incidência e a severidade das doenças de plantas. O silício (Si), embora não seja considerado nutriente essencial para plantas, destaca-se por seu potencial para diminuir a intensidade de doenças em várias culturas. O mecanismo de ação do Si na resistência de plantas ainda não está totalmente esclarecido. A forma de deposição do Si na parede celular de plantas gerou a hipótese de uma possível barreira física, dificultando a penetração do patógeno. No entanto, o aumento da atividade de compostos fenólicos, polifenoloxidases e peroxidases em plantas tratadas com Si demonstra o envolvimento deste elemento na indução de reações de defesa da planta. A presente revisão visa abordar o papel do Si no controle de doenças e os possíveis mecanismos envolvidos no modo de ação do Si na resistência de plantas às doenças.Palavras-chave: Manejo, doenças de plantas, barreiras de resistência, fertilidade do solo, indutores de resistência. 324Edson Ampélio Pozza et al.

Abstract:The antifungal activity of essential oils of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Apiaceae), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Zingiberaceae), mint (Mentha piperita L., Lamiaceae) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L., Lamiaceae) was evaluated against mycotoxin producers Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. High Resolution Gas Chromatography was applied to analyze chemical constituents of essential oils. The effect of different concentrations of essential oils was determined by solid medium diffusion assay. Mycelial growth and sporulation were determined for each essential oil at the concentrations established by solid medium diffusion assay. At the fifth, seventh and ninth days the mycelial diameter (Ø mm) and spore production were also determined. FUN-1 staining was performed to assess cell viability after broth macrodilution assay. Trans-anethole, zingiberene, menthol and thymol are the major component of essential oils of fennel, ginger, mint and thyme, respectively. The effective concentrations for fennel, ginger, mint and thyme were 50, 80, 50 and 50% (oil/DMSO; v/v), respectively. The four essential oils analysed in this study showed antifungal effect. Additionally, FUN-1 staining showed to be a suitable method to evaluate cell viability of potential mycotoxigenic fungi A. flavus and A. parasiticus after treatment with essential oils.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of potassium phosphites for the control of anthracnose and the mode of action of these products on common bean plants against Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, comparing it with the standard resistance inducer acibenzolar‐S‐methyl. The protection of plants against anthracnose was evaluated in greenhouse after treatment with potassium phosphites (Phosphite A and B, 5.0 ml/L), acibenzolar‐S‐methyl (0.25 g/L), or no treatment (control). Two sprayings of the treatments were performed, respectively, at V4 stage (three trifoliate leaves) and at the R5 stage (flower buds present). The inoculation with C. lindemuthianum was performed 5 days after the first spraying. Phosphite formulations A and B reduced the severity of anthracnose by 68.7% and 55.6%, respectively, and the presence of phosphites in the leaf tissues were detected at concentrations between 1 and 3 mm by 7 days after spraying. These same concentrations of phosphites reduced the mycelial growth of C. lindemuthianum in vitro by 15.0% to 25.7%. In addition, the activities of defence enzymes and the levels of phenolic compounds and lignin were assessed. Phosphite treatments enhanced the activity of various enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, chitinase, and β‐1,3‐glucanase, and increased the lignin and a small increase in the levels of soluble phenolics. This study provides evidence that phosphite treatments control anthracnose by acting directly on C. lindemuthianum and by inducing the production of defence responses.

In this review of coffee leaf rust (CLR) in Brazil, we report: (i) the historical introduction of CLR in Brazil and the first control measures; (ii) favorable environmental conditions and times of year for the disease; (iii) breeding methods and strategies used for developing CLR-resistant cultivars; (iv) the levels, sources, and types of CLR resistance; (v) the development of Brazilian resistant cultivars; and (vi) chemical and cultural control methods. Most plantations are cultivated with susceptible cultivars, such as those of the Catuaí and Mundo Novo groups. Brazilian research institutes have developed dozens of cultivars with different levels of resistance, and significantly increased the planting of new resistant cultivars. The main sources of CLR resistance are genotypes from Híbrido de Timor, Icatu, BA series carrying the SH3 gene, and Ethiopian wild coffees. High CLR resistance is still observed in Sarchimor and SH3-carrying genotypes. Intermediate CLR resistance is observed in Ethiopian wild coffees and in Sarchimor and Icatu derivatives, where qualitative resistance has been supplanted by races of Hemileia vastatrix. Contact, mesostemic, and systemic fungicides are used for chemical control in Brazil. CLR incidence in Brazil begins to increase after the rainy season onset in November, reaches a peak in June, and remains high until August. Thus, chemical control is typically applied from December to April.

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Coffea arabica is the most economically important coffee species worldwide. However, its production is severely limited by diseases such as rust. The mechanisms underlying constitutive defense responses in coffee are still poorly understood, compared with induced defense mechanisms. We aimed to characterize constitutive defense responses of thirteen cultivars of C. arabica. Cultivars were classified under field conditions according to the level of resistance to rust: resistant (R), moderately resistant (MR), and susceptible (S). Based on this classification, the stability of eight reference genes (RGs) was evaluated. The most stable RGs were EF1α, APT1, and 24S. We also evaluated the expression of CaWRKY1, CaPAL1, CaCAD1, and CaPOX1, and activities of PAL, CAD, and POX, which are involved in lignin biosynthesis, and leaf content of total phenolic compounds and lignin. Gene expression and enzymatic activity were not correlated with defense metabolites in the R cultivar group but showed a negative correlation with phenolic compounds in MR cultivars. Cultivar S showed positive correlations of gene expression and enzyme activity with phenolic compounds. These results may assist coffee breeding programs regarding selection of genotypes and in optimization of rust resistance.

This study considers the influence of temperature, incubation time and virulence in the production of the toxin cercosporin by Cercospora coffeicola, the causal agent of brown eye spot in coffee. The area under the progress curve of cercosporin production (AUPCCP) was also evaluated. A pathogenicity test was performed in a group with 58 isolates of C. coffeicola, which allowed the selection of four isolates, two representing the highest (LFP 12 and LFP 59) and two the lowest (LFP 24 and LFP 43) severity groups. The four isolates were cultivated in potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated in growth chambers at different temperatures (15, 20, 25 and 30°C) for 20 days. The experiments were conducted in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The cercosporin production decreased in all tested isolates at 30°C, resulting in a lower AUPCCP. The higher values of cercosporin were obtained at 20 and 25°C between 8 and 12 days of incubation. The isolates that produced the highest and lowest cercosporin concentrations were LFP 12 and LFP 43, respectively. After 15 days of incubation, toxin production is practically null in all isolates independently of the incubation temperature. Thus, the hypothesis for quantification of cercosporin production as a variability parameter within the species is suggested.

Cellular immobilization represents an alternativefor the bioprocess conduction, in which the cells are kept in a matrix and can be used over long periods. The objective of this work was to test a new fungi immobilization methodology with reduced cost to evaluate the viability of these fungi when submitted to the new encapsulation method, and to determine the ideal temperature to store the immobilized fungi. The mycelium of the fungi Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium cladosporioides and Penicillium solitum were mixed with 15 g of titrated rice and 3 g of sodium alginate, which was dripped in a 0.25 M calcium chloride solution for the formation of pellets. After drying in an oven at 26ºC, the granules were stored at three temperatures: room, refrigerator and freezer. The platings were carried out every 15 days in culture medium. The evaluations of the colony size and sporulation were carried out 7, 14 and 12 days after plating, for 195 days for A. niger, 225 days for C. cladosporioides, and 210 days for P. solitum. Storage temperature did not affect the mycelial development of A. niger and P. solitum. However, sporulation was reduced for the granules stored in the freezer. The mycelial development of C. cladosporioides was influenced by temperature. The granules conserved at room temperature had lower viability than those stored in the refrigerator and freezer. In the Scanning Electronic Microscopy analysis, it was observed that the immobilization is a safe method in which the fungus mycelium remains inside the granule, facilitating transport, storage and application of micro-organisms. KEYWORDS: cellular immobilization; encapsulation of fungi; sodium alginate; granulated formulation. RESUMO:A imobilização celular representa uma alternativa para a condução de bioprocessos. As células ficam retidas em matrizes e podem ser utilizadas por longos períodos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi testar uma nova metodologia de imobilização de fungos com custo reduzido, avaliar a viabilidade e segurança dos fungos submetidos ao novo método de encapsulamento e determinar a temperatura ideal para armazenar os fungos imobilizados. Os micé-lios dos fungos Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium cladosporioides e Penicillium solitum foram misturados com 15 g de arroz triturado e 3 g de alginato de sódio, que gotejava em uma solução de cloreto de cálcio a 0,25 M para a formação dos grânulos. Após a secagem em estufa a 26ºC, os grânulos foram armazenados em temperaturas ambiente, geladeira e freezer. Os plaqueamentos foram realizados a cada 15 dias em meio de cultura. As avaliações do tamanho das colônias e esporulação foram realizadas 7, 14 e 21 dias após o plaqueamento, durante 195 dias para A. niger, 225 dias para C. cladosporioides e 210 dias para P. solitum. A temperatura de armazenamento não afetou o desenvolvimento micelial de A. niger e P. solitum. Porém, a esporulação foi reduzida para os grânulos armazenados no freezer. O desenvolvimento micelial de C. cladosporioides foi influenciado pela temperatura. Os grânulos conservados ...