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. . In Puerto Rico, spp. were identified as pathogens of coffee fruits. The coffee berry borer (CBB) was shown to be a dispersal agent of these fungi, and interaction of with affecting coffee fruits was suggested. In this study, we demonstrated that spp. also cause CFR in Puerto Rico. spp. are part of the CBB mycobiota, and this insect is responsible for spreading the pathogens in coffee fields. We identified nine spp. (, and ) belonging to six species complexes isolated from CBBs and from rotten coffee fruits. Pathogenicity tests showed that , and were pathogens causing CFR on green coffee fruits. was the predominant species isolated from the CBB mycobiota and coffee fruits with symptoms of CFR, suggesting a close relationship between and the CBB. To our knowledge, this is the first report of , and causing CFR worldwide and the first report of causing CFR in Puerto Rico. Understanding the CFR disease complex and how the CBB contributes to dispersing different spp. on coffee farms is important to implement disease management practices in Puerto Rico and in other coffee-producing countries.