Metereological factors modulating coffee rust in the central area of Veracruz, Mexico

Coffee rust is the most destructive disease for coffee crops and the most economically important worldwide. This disease causes the premature fall of the leaves, as well as the weakening of the trees, which translates into significant decreases in the production of coffee beans, representing thus a serious danger for the coffee activity of Mexico, which is the ninth world producer. The aggressiveness of the disease is related to the meteorological conditions that favor, or not, the germination, development, and production of the spores of the fungus causing this disease, as well as its transport in the air inside and outside of the canopy of coffee crops. The objective of this work was to determine the meteorological conditions that modulate the development, release, and transport of spores by using aerobiological methods at two locations with different orographic conditions in the center of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, during the years of 2014 and 2015. In both locations, Pacho Viejo and Teocelo, spores were detected in passive traps placed at 1.5, 3, 6 and 9 meters high, registering the highest concentrations in July and August of both years, coinciding with the period of rainfall decrease known as the Canicula. The spore concentrations in Teocelo increased considerably in 2015, probably due to a decrease in temperature during the months of February and March, which led to preconditioning of the spores favoring their germination in the subsequent months. During July and August 2015, high spore concentrations were present in Teocelo at 9 m high, but not in Pacho Viejo. An analysis of the winds of the region, suggests that wind conditions of 2015 favored the dispersion of the spores above the canopy in Teocelo.