Gene Silencing in Coffee and Its Potential Uses in Pest Control Silenciamiento de genes en café y sus posibles usos en control de plagas

The coffee berry borer (CBB) is a pest that negatively impacts the quality and productivity of coffee crops, particularly affecting Colombian coffee farmers. Current control strategies are unable to prevent the insect from reaching and infesting the fruit. Previous studies at Cenicafé identified two volatile compounds produced by coffee fruits (Alpha 1 and Alpha 2) that are involved in attracting the insect. To develop coffee plants with reduced attraction to the insect, the genes responsible for producing these volatiles were identified and their expression profiles were modified using CRISPR/Cas9 gene silencing. As a result, nine plants showed mutations at the editing site, changes in the protein that synthesizes the Alpha 1 volatile, and reduced volatile emission. Additionally, fruits from three of these plants, when evaluated by olfactometry, attracted fewer insects (28-38%) compared to control fruits (60-75%). This research offers prospects for developing coffee plants with lower susceptibility to the coffee berry borer through genetic editing that alters volatile emission profiles.