First Description of Simplicillium lanosoniveum, a Potential Antagonist of the Coffee Leaf Rust from Cuba

BARÓ ROBAINA, YAMILÉ; GONZÁLEZ MARRERO, ISEL; LORENZO NICAO, MARÍA ELENA; CASTAÑEDA RUIZ, RAFAEL F.; LI, DE-WEI; PONCE DE LA CAL, AMAIA; BEN GHARSA, HAIFA; MANFRINO, ROMINA G.; SCHUSTER, CHRISTINA; LECLERQUE, ANDREAS

Applied Microbiology

Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute

Año: 2024 vol. 4 p. 275 - 283

Abstract: (1) The fungal genus Simplicillium (Cordycipitaceae: Hypocreales) has an extensive distribution and a broad spectrum of hosts and substrates. The species Simplicillium lanosoniveum is a mycoparasite with potential for biological control of coffee leaf rust, Hemileia vastatrix. Morphologically, Simplicillium closely resembles mycoparasitic and entomopathogenic Lecanicillium fungi, often resulting in misidentification. A fungal isolate was obtained from leaf-rust-infested coffee plants from Cienfuegos Province, Cuba. (2) Combined analyses of morphology and molecular markers (ITS, LSU, EF-1alpha) were used for fungal identification. (3) In the NJ, ML, and BI phylogenies which were reconstructed, the isolate LBSim-01 was located in the Simplicillium lanosoniveum clade. This species-level identification was supported by morphological features. (4) The isolate LBSim-01 was assigned to the species Simplicillium lanosoniveum. This is the first description of a Simplicillium fungus associated with coffee leaf rust in Cuba. The presented results hold implications for the biological control of this economically relevant plant disease.