Tomato crops suffer attacks of various pathogens that cause large production losses. Late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans is a devastating disease in tomatoes because of its difficultly to control. Here, we applied metabolomics based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and metabolic profiling by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) in combination with multivariate data analysis in the early detection of late blight on asymptomatic tomato plants and to discriminate infection times of 4, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 96 h after inoculation (hpi). MALDI-MS and LC-MS profiles of metabolites combined with multivariate data analysis are able to detect early-late blight-infected tomato plants, and metabolomics based on LC-MS discriminates infection times in asymptomatic plants. We found the metabolite tomatidine as an important biomarker of infection, saponins as early infection metabolite markers and isocoumarin as early and late asymptomatic infection marker along the post infection time. MALDI-MS and LC-MS analysis can therefore be used as a rapid and effective method for the early detection of late blight-infected tomato plants, offering a suitable tool to guide the correct management and application of sanitary defense approaches. LC-MS analysis also appears to be a suitable tool for identifying major metabolites of asymptomatic late blight-infected tomato plants.

Among the root-knot nematode species affecting coffee crops, Meloidogyne paranaensis is particularly damaging due to its high aggressiveness and increasing prevalence in major Brazilian coffee-growing regions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of incorporating biocontrol agents into the substrate for producing coffee seedlings. Two experiments were conducted using the cultivars IAC 125 RN (Experiment 1) and Catuaí Vermelho IAC 99 (Experiment 2) to assess both the reduction of M. paranaensis populations and the promotion of seedling growth. Coffee seedlings were transplanted into 700 mL pots containing substrate separately incorporated with suspensions of Metarhizium anisopliae,Trichoderma camerunense, or the commercial product Rizotec (Pochonia chlamydosporia). Immediately after transplanting, seedlings were inoculated with M. paranaensis and maintained in a greenhouse for 180 days. Plant development was assessed by measuring height, shoot fresh weight (SFW), shoot dry weight (SDW), root fresh weight (RFW), and root dry weight (RDW). Nematode parasitic activity was evaluated using the damage index (DI), reproduction factor (RF) and the number of nematodes per gram of root (NEM g-¹). All biocontrol agents exhibited nematicidal effects in both cultivars. However, M. anisopliae provided the best overall results, achieving an average control efficiency of approximately 87% (79.81% in IAC 125 RN and 95.15% in Catuaí Vermelho IAC 99) while also promoting superior vegetative development.