Sugarcane is widely the feedstock to sugar production in the world. Its quality is related to intrinsic and extrinsic varieties factors, where pests and diseases are the ones with the greatest impact. The main pest of economic damage is the sugarcane borer, where the caterpillars bore the nodal region and enter the stem and tunnel upwards causing reduction of sugar yield. Associated with this pest are the opportunistic fungi, <i>Colletotrichum falcatum </i>and <i>Fusarium verticillioides, </i>forming borer-rot complex. The sugarcane plant recognizes the complex attack and initiate diverse route of post-infection defense. Thus, the natural pigments, like phenolic acids and flavonoids, are produced and add color to sugarcane juice, being able to add color to the crystal sugar. This increase of cane juice color generates increase of sugar production costs, but it also could be an opportunity to understand the plant`s defense routes, like biopigments production and identify those are associated to antifungal activities. The aim was to identify color precursor compounds in an infected sugarcane plants by borer-rot complex. Analysis of total phenolics and flavonoids, as well as sugar content and juice color were realized in healthy and infected sugarcane. Color precursor compounds were identifying by HRMS. The presence of borer-rot complex reduced the concentration of sugars, due to the consumption of the internal part of the stem by the caterpillars. The juice of sugarcane infected showed higher phenolic and flavonoids contents, indicating that defense routes were activated in the plant as a way to resist the attack. There is a relationship between the higher total phenolic concentration and increase in juice color. There are increasing in phenolic contents and sugarcane juice color. The compounds analyzed by ESI-QToF like luteolin, catechin, quercetin, and ferulic acid were identified in infected internodes with beginning of color formation. Apigenin, sakuranetin, naringenin, phloretin, chlorogenic acid, eriodictiol, leucodelphinidin and epigalocatechin were identified in infected internodes with red color to necrotic. Antifungal compounds identified highlight the importance of plant defense system against the microorganisms attack and color formation in an internodes and sugarcane juice.

Biopigments in sugarcane infected by borer-rot complex

2019 Spring National Meeting

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