Coffee is the most important agricultural commodity in the world. It is grown in more than 11 million hectares in over 70 countries and has an annual estimated retail value of over $70 billion. Approximately 20 million families depend on coffee for their subsistence, and total annual production is around 115 million 60-kg bags. The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari); Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is the most damaging insect pest of coffee throughout the world, and has been reported in most coffee producing countries.
Our research program is aimed at developing new biological control methods aimed at the coffee berry borer. The main focus of our research is to incorporate entomopathogenic fungi as fungal endophytes in coffee plants. As part of a three year survey, we have identified hundreds of fungal endophytes isolated from various tissues of the coffee plant in several countries. Among these, we have isolated several genera of entomopathogenic fungi including Acremonium, Beauveria, Cladosporium, Clonostachys, and Paecilomyces. We have successfully inoculated coffee seedlings with Beauveria bassiana, and in our next phase we will be moving to the field, where we plan to test various entomopathogenic fungi as possible fungal endophytes.
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