Caffeine and Resistance of Coffee to the Berry Borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera:  Scolytidae)

The role of caffeine as a chemical defense of coffee against the berry borer Hypothenemus hampei was investigated. No positive correlation was observed between resistance and caffeine content in experiments in which seeds from several coffee species presenting genetic variability for the alkaloid we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2003-11, Vol.51 (24), p.6987-6991
Main Authors: Guerreiro Filho, Oliveiro, Mazzafera, Paulo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
caffeine
Caffeine - analysis
Caffeine - genetics
Caffeine - pharmacology
Coffea
Coffea - chemistry
Coffea - genetics
Coffea arabica
Coffea canephora
Coleoptera - physiology
defense mechanisms
fruits (plant anatomy)
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genetics and breeding of economic plants
Hypothenemus hampei
insect pests
Insecticides - analysis
Pest animals
Pest resistance
Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection
Plant Diseases
Protozoa. Invertebrates
Records, symptoms, damages, economic importance, population surveys
Scolytidae
seeds
Seeds - chemistry
Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims
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Summary:The role of caffeine as a chemical defense of coffee against the berry borer Hypothenemus hampei was investigated. No positive correlation was observed between resistance and caffeine content in experiments in which seeds from several coffee species presenting genetic variability for the alkaloid were exposed to adult insects. The same was observed in an experiment with coffee seeds that had their caffeine content doubled by imbibition with caffeine aqueous solutions. Other experiments showed that the attractiveness to insects was not related to the caffeine content of mature fruits. These results indicate that H. hampei has evolved an adaptation to handle the toxic effects of caffeine. Keywords: Caffeine; Coffea; coffee species; Hypothenemus hampei; plant insect resistance
ISSN:0021-8561
1520-5118
DOI:10.1021/jf0347968