Coffee leaf rust, caused by the biotrophic fungus Hemileia vastatrix (Hv), is the most important disease of Coffea arabica. This project aims to apply an integrative approach to explore a potential new source of coffee resistance to Hv, dissect host resistance mechanisms and provide tools for rapid and easy selection of resistant genotypes. The Kawisari hybrid (C. arabica x C. liberica) derivative (CIFC 644/18), recently used as a resistant donor in breeding programs in India, was selected to characterize its resistance by integrating cytology, next-generation sequencing by Illumina, and RT-qPCR gene expression analysis. Combining all data, we expect, as an ultimate goal, to identify biomarkers putatively linked to coffee resistance, which will be tested on other coffee genotypes with large spectra of resistance to Hv, as a future useful tool for marker-assisted selection. Sequence information will be made publicly available for future projects on coffee and other crops.

Principal investigator (PI) - Maria do Céu Silva

Co-principal investigator (Co-PI) -  Dora Batista

The project CoffeeRES has finished, and what better way to celebrate three years of research in coffee-H. vastatrix research, then promoting a seminar and coffee tasting open to all. The seminar was an excellent opportunity to present and discuss all the topics related to CoffeeRES with the research team, the academic community and Phillippe Lashermes, the project consultant from IRD (France). During the coffee break, the attendants had the unique opportunity to learn more about coffee beverages by attending the Starbucks coffee-tasting demonstration.