Abstract

ALBORES FLORES, V. J.; GOMEZ RODRIGUEZ, L.; LOPEZ GARCIA, J.A.  and  GRAJALES CONESA, J.. Mechanisms of endogenous infection in cocoa fruits with Moniliophthora roreri. Polibotánica [online]. 2022, n.53, pp.197-209.  Epub Apr 04, 2022. ISSN 1405-2768.  https://doi.org/10.18387/polibotanica.53.13.

Moniliasis, produced by the fungus Moniliophthora roreri, affects cocoa fruits in any stage of phenological development, the newly formed ones being the most susceptible to infection, which are called the infant stage. The presence of diseased cocoa fruits in the first four weeks of development suggests that the infection process is carried out in the fruit setting stage. The objective of the present study was to determine the mechanism of formation of diseased fruits by infection of the flower ovaries of Theobroma cacao fruits endogenously by the pathogen and to evaluate the antifungal effect of the extract of mature and immature cocoa flower pollen. The research was carried out in a Trinitarian-type cocoa plantation of the Costa Rica variety. Ovaries of cocoa flowers were inoculated (with a solution of 1x106 conidia mL-1) before pollinating manually. After the fruit set, the evaluations were every third day (fruit of a week) after being infected, for a period of 30 days (10 observations). Fruits were collected every week from the second week after infection. An alcoholic extraction of mature and immature pollen was carried out and bioassays against M. roreri were carried out. The presence of symptoms was found at the third week of development of the infected fruits. The antimicrobial effect was observed more in the alcoholic extract corresponding to beige pollen than yellow. This study provides information to understand the presence of diseased fruits in the first three weeks of the infant stage and to elucidate the infection process of M. roreri in cocoa flowers.

Keywords : Moniliophthora roreri; Theobroma cacao; Moniliasis; infection pattern; pollination.

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