Leachate of Banana Rakes: Procurement and Potential Uses

El plátano es uno de los frutos más consumidos en todo el mundo. Además de su sabor y potencial nutritivo puede ser fácilmente transportado y almacenado. En México anualmente se cultivan muchas variedades de plátanos en una superficie mayor a 70.000 hectáreas con una producción superior a 2 millones de toneladas de producto fresco. El cultivo de plátano en la región montañosa de Veracruz se caracteriza por el manejo de un agrosistema plátano-café diversificado, en muchos casos en traspatio, que implica el uso de una gran diversidad de especies frutales y arbóreas asociadas. La producción de plátanos origina una gran cantidad de desechos orgánicos como son los frutos de rechazo y el raquis principalmente, los cuales no son aprovechados adecuadamente y podrían reutilizarse como materia orgánica para el suelo. En este trabajo se evalúo la producción y el contenido de nutrientes (macro y micro elementos) del lixiviado del raquis de plátano en invernadero en charolas de 4 kg c/u. Se obtuvo un rendimiento del 30% de reparación de lixiviados. El potasio (K) es el elemento que más se recupera (1%) en los lixiviados alcalinos (pH 10). Se propone la lixiviación del raquis como una alternativa complementaria para la biofertilización del cultivo por la gran cantidad de nutrientes que presenta.Banana is one of the most consumed fruits in the world. Besides its flavor and nutritional potential can be easily transported and stored. In Mexico many varieties of bananas are grown on a surface area of more than 70.000 hectares with a production of more than 2 million tons of fresh product per year. In most of the cases the banana-coffee diversified agrosystem is managed on the backyards and implies the use of a huge amount of diversity such as fruit and other tree species. Banana production causes a large amount of organic waste such as wasted fruits and rachis mainly. These are not properly used and could be reused as organic matter for the soil. In this work, the production and content of nutrients (macro and micro elements) of the banana rachis leachate in greenhouse in 4 kg trays each were evaluated. A yield of 30% of leachate repair was obtained. Potassium (K) is the most recovered element (1%) in alkaline leachate (pH 10). In this investigation, rachis leaching is proposed as a complementary alternative for crop nutrition due the large amount of nutrients that it contains

Agricultura urbana y periurbana como contribución a la estrategia de conservación de la biodiversidad de Heliconias en la región central de Cuba

New ways of sustainable production on urban and peri- urbans areas have contributed to the conservation of species diversity, as to ornamentals plants that belong to family: Heliconiaceae. For this reason we recorded nine species of Heliconia as new accessions from Central Region of Cuba, that were prospected in gardens and yards of national reference as well as from three botanical gardens in central provinces of Cuba (Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Santi Spíritus), located in forested mountain areas. Molecular corroboration of the species collected was included, as well as a brief description of the morphological and ecological characteristics of these accessions. We show the high commercial potential they have for the island and the contribution to the territorial expansion of these species. In the propagation strategy we considered the micropropagation through biotechnological techniques of tissue culture and in vitro conservation in Cienfuegos Biofactory. The collaboration of universities and the municipal government of Cuba Central region together with the active participation of the farmers have allowed the development of new areas, gardens and home gardens, despite limited resources

Establecimiento de las bases biotecnológicas y ecológicas en la mejora genética de Vanilla planifolia Jacqs. (Orchidaceae)

Vanilla planifolia Jacks is a genetic resource of socio-economic importance to the State of Veracruz, México. However, in recent years, this culture is facing a serious problem due to the fall of its fruits. To contribute to the conservation, improvement and management of V. planifolia, it has been developed a network project for the strengthening of academic bodies sponsored by the Secretariat of public education. This paper presents some of the progress made in this context

Variation and Genetic Structure in Platanus mexicana (Platanaceae) along Riparian Altitudinal Gradient

Platanus mexicana is a dominant arboreal species of riparian ecosystems. These ecosystems are associated with altitudinal gradients that can generate genetic differences in the species, especially in the extremes of the distribution. However, studies on the altitudinal effect on genetic variation to riparian species are scarce. In Mexico, the population of P. mexicana along the Colipa River (Veracruz State) grows below its reported minimum altitude range, possibly the lowest where this tree grows. This suggests that altitude might be an important factor in population genetics differentiation. We examined the genetic variation and population structuring at four sites with different altitudes (70, 200, 600 and 1700 m a.s.l.) using ten inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. The highest value for Shannon index and Nei’s gene diversity was obtained at 1700 m a.s.l. (He = 0.27, Ne = 1.47, I = 0.42) and polymorphism reached the top value at the middle altitude (% p = 88.57). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and STRUCTURE analysis indicated intrapopulation genetic differentiation. The arithmetic average (UPGMA) dendrogram identified 70 m a.s.l. as the most genetically distant site. The genetic structuring resulted from limited gene flow and genetic drift. This is the first report of genetic variation in populations of P. mexicana in Mexico. This research highlights its importance as a dominant species, and its ecological and evolutionary implications in altitudinal gradients of riparian ecosystems

Altitudinal gradient effect on morphometric variation and leaf symmetry of Platanus mexicana Moric

La variación morfométrica y simetría foliar de una población de Platanus mexicana se caracterizaron en un gradiente altitudinal ripario del estado de Veracruz. Ocho caracteres morfométricos se evaluaron en 1,800 hojas provenientes de 15 individuos por sitio (70, 200, 600 y 1,700 m de altitud). Las diferencias morfométricas entre sitios (F(24, 5189) = 21.1, P 0.05) entre sitios del gradiente altitudinal del río Colipa. Los resultados fueron útiles para determinar la capacidad de respuesta de P. mexicana ante la heterogeneidad ambiental a lo largo del gradiente altitudinal del río Colipa

FACTORS AFFECTING THE NITROGEN FIXATION IN THE Inga spp.-RHIZOBIA SYSTEM IN SHADE COFFEE PLANTATIONS

Background. The results of a review on the factors that affect nitrogen fixation in the Inga-café system are presented. The nitrogen contribution that the Inga Miller tree genus provides to shade coffee plantations and the factors that affect its stability in biological nitrogen fixation are scarcely recognized. This work delves into the ecological factors and glyphosate herbicides that can affect the symbiosis of Inga spp. with diazotrophic bacteria in their roots (rhizobia), which form nodules and carry out biological nitrogen fixation. Methodology. Different information sources such as EBSCO, Scopus and Google Schoolar were reviewed, with logical or Boolean data search. 183 papers were used to address the factors that affect the symbiosis between trees of the Inga genus and rhizobia. The findings were organized in: Inga Miller taxonomy, shade coffee plantations with Inga spp., symbiosis between Inga spp. and Bradyrhizobium spp., ecological factors that affect the functioning of the Inga spp.-rhizobia symbiosis and the agrochemical factor: glyphosate herbicide. Results. The genus Inga is recognized as a clade Mimosoideae nested in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Shade coffee plantations with Inga are established below 23º N and 30º S, up to 3,100 m.a.s.l. and the symbiont genus is predominantly Bradyrhizobium spp. whose ecological limits of Inga spp-rhizobia were: altitude [988.7-1,381.5 m.a.s.l.], annual precipitation [2,048.4-2,064.36 mm], temperature [20.39-21.93 ºC] and soil pH [4.88-5.42 pH]. Glyphosated herbicides, as an external stimulus, can reduce the benefit of biological nitrogen fixation and erode the soil by keeping it devoid of vegetation. Additionally, some Bradyrhizobium spp. (thiO gene), which oxidizes glyphosate to aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), could be a potential glyphosate degrader in the soil. Implications. Shade coffee plantations with 205-250 trees per hectare of Inga spp. allow fixing around 45 kg of N ha-1 year-1. This review may allow the adoption of new observational or experimental studies of the Inga spp.-rhizobia symbiosis, to approach the performance that favors the biological fixation of nitrogen in shade coffee plantations. Conclusions. The review indicates that there is a specific association between Inga spp. and Bradyrhizobium spp., that ecological factors, including the agronomic management with glyphosated herbicides can decrease nitrogen fixation performance during the symbiosis between Inga spp. and rhizobia. No systematic studies of the symbiosis-environment-agrochemical interaction in shade coffee plantations were found

Extractos crudos de Magnolia schiedeana Schltdl. para el control de bacterias fitopatógenas

Bactericidal effect was assessed in crude extracts of different tissues of Magnolia schiedeana about the phytopathogenic bacteria Pectobacterium carotovorum and Pseudomonas cichorii. The tissues studied were polifolicule, seed, bark (obtained from adult specimens and young specimens), flower and leave (from both adult and young specimens as well), using as solvents ethyl acetate and ethanol. The extracts that showed bacterial inhibition were obtained one with ethyl acetate from floral tissue, which did not equaled the inhibiting properties of a commercial antibiotic (tetracycline, 5 µg/µl) on P. cichorii (p < 0.001); and the other was floral ethanol extract that inhibited P. carotovorum in the same proportion as the antibiotic (p = 0.079).Se evaluó el efecto bactericida de extractos crudos de diferentes tejidos de Magnolia schiedeana sobre las bacterias fitopatógenas Pectobacterium carotovorum y Pseudomonas cichorii. Los tejidos estudiados fueron polifolículo, semilla, corteza (proveniente de especímenes adultos y de especímenes jóvenes), flor y hoja (proveniente de especímenes adultos y de especímenes jóvenes), utilizando como disolventes acetato de etilo y de etanol. Los efectos bactericidas de los extractos fueron comparados con el efecto de un antibiótico comercial (tetraciclina, 5 µg/µl). Los extractos que mostraron inhibición bacteriana fueron, el obtenido con acetato de etilo a partir de tejido floral, el cual no igualó la inhibición del antibiótico comercial sobre P. cichorii ( p < 0.001) y el extracto etanólico floral, que inhibió el crecimiento de P. carotovorum en la misma proporción que el antibiótico (p = 0.079)