Additional physiological races of coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) identified in Kenya

Coffee leaf rust (CLR), caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, is among the most important diseases affecting coffee all over the world. In Kenya, it is currently the second most important disease, and breeding coffee to obtain new resistant cultivars has been a priority. Over time, new rust pathogenic races able to infect hitherto resistant coffee genotypes have been registered. To date, 49 races of the pathogen have been characterized all over the world. The most recent races to be characterized are able to infect derivatives of Timor Hybrid (HDT), which is a major source of resistance in ...