Coffee Fruit Rot: The Previously Unrecognized Role of and Its Interactions with the Coffee Berry Borer ().

Coffee fruit rot (CFR) is a well-known disease worldwide, mainly caused by spp., the most important species being subsp. .

Establishing an Integrated Pest Management Program for Coffee Berry Borer () in Hawaii and Puerto Rico Coffee Agroecosystems: Achievements and Challenges.

Coffee berry borer (CBB) is the most serious insect pest of coffee worldwide, causing significant reductions in yield and quality. Following the introduction of CBB to Puerto Rico (2007) and Hawaii (2010), researchers, extension agents, industry representatives, and coffee growers have worked together to develop an integrated pest management (IPM) program that is both effective and economically feasible for each island. Since the introduction of the IPM program in Hawaii, research efforts have led to a better understanding of CBB population dynamics, as well as optimized monitoring, cultural practices, and commercial applications.

Morphological and Physio-Chemical Responses to PEG-Induced Water Stress in and Hybrids.

is an orchid of cultural and economic value. However, its cultivation in many tropical countries is threatened by water stress. In contrast, is a species that is tolerant of prolonged periods of drought.

Demography and perturbation analyses of the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Implications for management.

The coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari is the most serious pest of coffee worldwide. Management of the CBB is extremely difficult because its entire life cycle occurs inside the fruit, where it is well protected. Knowing which life stages contribute most to population growth, would shed light on the population dynamics of this pest and help to improve CBB management programs.

A one-dimensional map to study multi-seasonal coffee infestation by the coffee berry borer.

The coffee berry borer (CBB, Hypothenemus hampei) is the most serious insect pest of coffee worldwide; understanding the dynamics of its reproduction is essential for pest management. The female CBB penetrates the coffee berry, eats the seed, and reproduces inside it. A mathematical model of the infestation progress of the coffee berry by the CBB during several coffee seasons is formulated.

Pathogens Causing Anthracnose and Fruit Rots of Coffee Associated with the Coffee Berry Borer and the Entomopathogenic Fungus in Puerto Rico.

Fruit rots reduce coffee production worldwide. Eight species have been reported to cause coffee fruit rots; the most important is , the cause of coffee berry disease (CBD) in Africa. It is unknown whether these fruit rot pathogens can be dispersed by the coffee berry borer (CBB, ) or whether (a natural enemy of CBB) might reduce coffee fruit rots.

Gene expression on the fly: A transcriptome-level view of Drosophila's immune response to the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus flavus.

Aspergilloses are opportunistic infections in animals and humans caused by several Aspergillus species, including Aspergillus flavus. Although the immune system of Drosophila melanogaster is extensively studied, little is known about the fly's specific responses to infection by A. flavus.

Differential Microbial Diversity in : Are Fruit Flies Potential Vectors of Opportunistic Pathogens?

has become a model system to study interactions between innate immunity and microbial pathogens, yet many aspects regarding its microbial community and interactions with pathogens remain unclear. In this study wild were collected from tropical fruits in Puerto Rico to test how the microbiota is distributed and to compare the culturable diversity of fungi and bacteria. Additionally, we investigated whether flies are potential vectors of human and plant pathogens.

Integrated Pest Management of Coffee Berry Borer in Hawaii and Puerto Rico: Current Status and Prospects.

The coffee berry borer (CBB), , is the most significant insect pest of coffee worldwide. Since CBB was detected in Puerto Rico in 2007 and Hawaii in 2010, coffee growers from these islands are facing increased costs, reduced coffee quality, and increased pest management challenges. Here, we outline the CBB situation, and summarize the findings of growers, researchers, and extension professionals working with CBB in Hawaii.

The Coffee Berry Borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Puerto Rico: Distribution, Infestation, and Population per Fruit.

The coffee berry borer (CBB) (Hypothenemus hampei: Ferrar) was first detected in Puerto Rico in 2007. Its distribution since then has been extensive, but not extensively documented. An island-wide survey was carried out from August to November 2014 (the coffee production season) to assess CBB distribution, infestation, and population per fruit.

Wolbachia Affects Reproduction and Population Dynamics of the Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei): Implications for Biological Control.

are widely distributed endosymbiotic bacteria that influence the reproduction and fitness of their hosts. In recent years the manipulation of infection has been considered as a potential tool for biological control. The coffee berry borer (CBB), , is the most devastating coffee pest worldwide.

Age-dependent mycorrhizal specificity in an invasive orchid, Oeceoclades maculata.

Premise Of The Study: Oeceoclades maculata is a naturalized, invasive, terrestrial orchid in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the neotropics. We asked whether its success might be partly explained by its mycorrhizal associations, hypothesizing a relationship with many fungal partners or with one widely distributed partner.

Methods: Oeceoclades maculata roots were collected throughout Puerto Rico, and the degree of mycorrhizal colonization was measured.

Forensic Phytopathology: a Critical Review.

Forensic phytopathology is the application of plant pathology to legal or criminal matters. It is an emerging field. The existing literature focuses mainly on potential agricultural bioterrorism threats to the United States.

An assessment of natural product discovery from marine () and marine-derived fungi.

The natural products community has been investigating secondary metabolites from marine fungi for several decades, but when one attempts to search for validated reports of new natural products from marine fungi, one encounters a literature saturated with reports from 'marine-derived' fungi. Of the 1000+ metabolites that have been characterized to date, only approximately 80 of these have been isolated from species from exclusively marine lineages. These metabolites are summarized here along with the lifestyle and habitats of their producing organisms.

An opportunistic human pathogen on the fly: strains of Aspergillus flavus vary in virulence in Drosophila melanogaster.

Aspergilloses are fungal diseases in humans and animals that is caused by members of the genus Aspergillus. Aspergillus flavus is an important opportunistic pathogen, second only to A. fumigatus as a cause of human aspergillosis.

Sociomicrobiome of wood decay in a tropical rain forest: unraveling complexity.

Given that microbial interactions in nature are very complex, we propose that quorum-sensing, as well as quorum-quenching, phenazine and secondary metabolite production, resistance and toxin-antitoxin systems within a microbial community should all comprise the battery of processes involving the study of what we would define as the "sociomicrobiome". In the present study the genes/molecules, subsystems and taxonomic breakup of the mentioned processes were identified in decaying tropical wood from the El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico, and soil using a shotgun metagenomic approach. The rapid decomposition of wood and litter in tropical regions suggests that processes in these settings are governed by unexplored microbes with the potential of being further studied and exploited for various purposes.

The double life of Ceratobasidium: orchid mycorrhizal fungi and their potential for biocontrol of Rhizoctonia solani sheath blight of rice.

Ceratobasidium includes orchid mycorrhizal symbionts, plant pathogens and biocontrol agents of soilborne plant pathogens. It is not known to what extent members of the first guild also can participate in the others. Ceratobasidium spp.

Phylogeography of the cosmopolitan fungus Aspergillus flavus: is everything everywhere?

Aspergillus flavus is one of the most common fungal eukaryotes on the planet. It is notorious for production of aflatoxins, for causing aspergillosis in humans and animals, and as an opportunistic pathogen of animals and plants. Its role in marine habitats is unclear.

Marine isolates of Aspergillus flavus: denizens of the deep or lost at sea?

Most fungal species from marine environments also live on land. It is not clear whether these fungi reach the sea from terrestrial sources as spores or other propagules, or if there are separate ecotypes that live and reproduce in the sea. The emergence of marine diseases has created an urgency to understand the distribution of these fungi.

Hidden fungi, emergent properties: endophytes and microbiomes.

Endophytes are microorganisms that live within plant tissues without causing symptoms of disease. They are important components of plant microbiomes. Endophytes interact with, and overlap in function with, other core microbial groups that colonize plant tissues, e.

Mycorrhizal fungi of Vanilla: diversity, specificity and effects on seed germination and plant growth.

Mycorrhizal fungi are essential for the germination of orchid seeds. However, the specificity of orchids for their mycorrhizal fungi and the effects of the fungi on orchid growth are controversial. Mycorrhizal fungi have been studied in some temperate and tropical, epiphytic orchids, but the symbionts of tropical, terrestrial orchids are still unknown.

Widespread mycorrhizal specificity correlates to mycorrhizal function in the neotropical, epiphytic orchid Ionopsis utricularioides (Orchidaceae).

Tropical orchids constitute the greater part of orchid diversity, but little is known about their obligate mycorrhizal relationships. The specificity of these interactions and associated fungal distributions could influence orchid distributions and diversity. We investigated the mycorrhizal specificity of the tropical epiphytic orchid Ionopsis utricularioides across an extensive geographical range.

Ochratoxins: a global perspective.

Ochratoxins have been overshadowed by better-known mycotoxins, but they are gaining importance. Here we consider ochratoxins in the context of aflatoxins, which are better understood than ochratoxins on many levels. We review recent work on taxonomic distribution, contamination of commodities, biosynthesis, toxicity and regulatory aspects of ochratoxins.

Fungal epiphytes and endophytes of coffee leaves (Coffea arabica).

Plants harbor diverse communities of fungi and other microorganisms. Fungi are known to occur both on plant surfaces (epiphytes) and inside plant tissues (endophytes), but the two communities have rarely been compared. We compared epiphytic and endophytic fungal communities associated with leaves of coffee (Coffea arabica) in Puerto Rico.

Differences in mycorrhizal preferences between two tropical orchids.

Orchids parasitize their mycorrhizal fungi and are dependent on them for seed germination. Controversy reigns over how specific the mycorrhizal association is in tropical species. Although there is little experimental evidence to support any viewpoint, some variation is known to exist.