Index terms: Coffea arabica, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, defense response.

(Recebido: 26 de agosto de 2010; aceito 6 de outubro de 2011) ABSTRACT: The objective of this work was to study the effects of different isolates of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, as to pigment level (chlorophyll a, b and total), total soluble phenols and soluble lignin in coffee seedlings obtained by artificially inoculated tissue culture. The experiment was carried out in randomized block design in a 2 x 3 factorial scheme (2 genetic materials), 3 isolates (an isolate from mango fruits and another one from coffee plants), with 5 replicates and control (plants without inoculation). The plants were inoculated with a suspension of 2 x 106 conidia.ml-1. The conidial suspension was sprayed on previously injured leaves. Leaves of inoculated plants were collected at 3 and 7 days after inoculation, except for leaves on the lower part of the plants. Afterwards, samples were prepared for the evaluation of chlorophyll, total soluble phenols and soluble lignin. The results showed that the presence of the pathogen in healthy and diseased plants significantly reduced the amount of chlorophyll. At 7 days after inoculation of healthy and diseased coffee plants higher total soluble phenol and soluble lignin levels were observed in response to the attack by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides