Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) involves the nonsexual transmission of genetic material across species boundaries. Although often detected in prokaryotes, examples of HGT involving animals are relatively rare, and any evolutionary advantage conferred to the recipient is typically obscure. We identified a gene ( HhMAN1 ) from the coffee berry borer beetle, Hypothenemus hampei , a devastating pest of coffee, which shows clear evidence of HGT from bacteria. HhMAN1 encodes a mannanase, representing a class of glycosyl hydrolases that has not previously been reported in insects. Recombinant HhMAN1 protein hydrolyzes coffee berry galactomannan, the major storage polysaccharide in this species and the presumed food of H. hampei . HhMAN1 was found to be widespread in a broad biogeographic survey of H. hampei accessions, indicating that the HGT event occurred before radiation of the insect from West Africa to Asia and South America. However, the gene was not detected in the closely related species H. obscurus (the tropical nut borer or “false berry borer”), which does not colonize coffee beans. Thus, HGT of HhMAN1 from bacteria represents a likely adaptation to a specific ecological niche and may have been promoted by intensive agricultural practices.

A nested polymerase chain reaction protocol yielded positive detection of the maternally inherited cytoplasmic proteobacterium Wolbachia in total gen

The alimentary canal and the reproductive tract of males and females of Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari are described. The alimentary canal of H. hampei showed the crop with several spine-like structures and the midgut with few gastric caeca. We evidenced for the first time that adult females need to feed on coffee in order to produce viable eggs before and during oviposition period. The presence of air bubbles inside the anterior midgut may be due to starvation rather than the response of the environment during flying as previously reported. Two ovaries and the same structures and arrangements common to individuals of the Curculionidae beetles composed the female reproductive system. The male reproductive tract showed a significant difference with respect to other Curculionidae and even other Scolytinae species as it showed a sclerotized aedeagus with several pore-like structures in the terminal portion where sperm is released during mating.

Coffee is a worldwide commodity, and both coffee-producing and coffee-consuming countries have real concerns about environmental problems and economic growth strategies based on the efficient use of resources. Because this crop is a perennial, pests can significantly affect coffee production, causing considerable yield losses and threatening coffee supply and security. The presence of insects and control strategies for coffee pests is becoming a challenge. Environmental sustainability, conservation of biodiversity, and safety of the coffee seed must go hand in hand with the economic sustainability of coffee growers. This is especially important, as there has been an increase in demand for coffee and new consumer interest in differentiated quality coffee. Regular pest control methods based only on the use of synthetic pesticides are no longer effective or sustainable due to the development of insecticide resistance and negative effects on the environment, human health, and biodiversity. Thus, to ensure better control and ecological sustainability, it is crucial to reduce pesticide use by adopting original alternative strategies to maintain pest populations below the economic threshold level and towards reaching the European Green Deal. In this review, we collect information available for sustainable control of the principal coffee pests in Colombia: coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei; Monalonion velezangeli; coffee root mealybugs; coffee leaf miner: Leucoptera coffeella; and the coffee red spider mite: Oligonychus yothersi. The control strategies include deep knowledge of the biology of insects and the coffee plant, their relationship with weather and habitats, as well as natural controllers. These control strategies do not involve the use of insecticides, are ecologically friendly and novel, and can be applied in other coffee-producing countries.