Effect of Sustainable Preharvest and Postharvest Techniques on Quality and Storability of High-Acidity ‘Reinette du Canada’ Apple

[EN] Consumers are more disposed towards paying price premiums for sustainable food products. This fact is especially important for products with a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label, such as the high-acidity apple cultivar ‘Reinette du Canada’. However, ‘Reinette du Canada’ apple fruit is affected by two of the main post-harvest disorders in apple cultivars, bitter pit and senescent breakdown. As a means to achieve sustainable production of this high-quality apple cultivar, the effect of a sustainable preharvest technique, summer pruning, in combination with a zero-residue postharvest treatment allowed in organic farming on calcium-related disorders and quality in global terms in this PDO-labelled apple cultivar was assessed during storage. The combination of the two sustainable practices was an effective tool in diminishing senescent breakdown from 43% to 17% and to decrease bitter pit incidence by up to 21% (from 36% to 15%) throughout storage, especially in fruit with high susceptibility to this disorder during storage. Moreover, the overall acceptability was kept high (values of more than 3 on a 5-point scale) when applying this environment-friendly sustainable horticulture practice, which will not only reduce the synthetic pesticide input in the apple agroecosystem, but also contribute to producing fruit with zero residuesSIWe gratefully acknowledge Aquilino Guerra Mallo for technical support and for the professional cultivation of the experimental fruit trees. The authors would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers who helped improve the manuscript with their comments and suggestion

Effect of Fruit Weight and Fruit Locule Number in Bell Pepper on Industrial Waste and Quality of Roasted Pepper

[EN] Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide, shows great differences between its diverse varieties. These differences affect the fruit type, size and shape. Food preservation techniques prolong the availability of sweet pepper. Roasted pepper is a product marketed with the European recognition of Protected Geographical Indication ‘Pimiento Asado del Bierzo’. The objective of this work was to analyse the effect of the fruit weight and fruit locule number of the industrial fresh pepper on quality and roasted pepper yield. Large trilocular fruits and large tetralocular fruits reached higher roast yield and uniformity than small trilocular fruits. Regardless of fruit locule number and fruit weight, the overall quality of all the samples of roasted pepper was categorised as very good. Large tetralocular and large trilocular fruits are the most appropriate peppers for industrial purposes, whereas small trilocular fruits should be intended for the fresh product market. This easy method of sorting bell pepper fruit attending to fruit weight will decrease the amount of pepper waste in the industrial roasting process (around 18%), while maintaining the high overall quality of the final product. Moreover, the faster peeling of large peppers will also contribute to increasing the productivity of the industrial processing of roasted pepperSIThe authors thank the ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ of ’Pimiento Asado del Bierzo’ for its helpful collaboratio

Germination and Agronomic Traits of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Beans Sprayed with Trichoderma Strains and Attacked by Acanthoscelides obtectus

[EN] Acanthoscelides obtectus, one of the world’s most important post-harvest pests, attacks wild and cultivated common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Four Trichoderma strains, Trichoderma arundinaceum IBT 40,837 (=Ta37), a wild-type strain producer of trichothecene harzianum A (HA); two transformed strains of Ta37, Ta37-17.139 (∆tri17) and Ta37-23.74 (∆tri23); and T. brevicompactum IBT 40,841 (=Tb41), a wild-type strain producer of the trichothecene trichodermin, were evaluated to determine the effect of these compounds on the virulence of A. obtectus and the effect of these strains on the seed’s capacity of germination and on the agronomic traits of the plants grown from these seeds. Treatments of bean seeds with different Trichoderma strains provided varying survival rates in A. obtectus adults, so life survival of insects after Tb41 strain application was reduced to 15 days. ∆tri17 and Tb41 strains sprayed on P. vulgaris beans resulted in low weight losses (1.21 and 1.55%, respectively). In spite of the low germination percentage of beans treated with ∆tri23 strain (lower than the germination percentages of the rest of the fungal strains applied), this treatment encouraged a greater Wet Weight of Aerial Part of the plants grown from both damaged and undamaged beans. High germination rates of Ta37 and ∆tri17 strains (higher than with the rest of treatments), did not turn into a greater Wet Weight Aerial Part and Wet Weight of Root System in the future plants developed. Linear regression between the number of exit holes and the wet weight aerial part on the one hand, and between the number of exit holes and the wet weight root system on the other, showed interaction, so ∆tri23 and Tb41 strains behaved differently in comparison to their respective control treatments. The number of exit holes of beans treated with ∆tri23 or Tb41 was negatively correlated with both the wet weight aerial part and the wet weight root system in P. vulgaris plants. ∆tri23 sprayed on undamaged beans caused the greatest Wet Weight Aerial Part and wet weight root system in plants. Due to the good results obtained by ∆tri23 and Tb41 strains in this work, more studies for A. obtectus control, P. vulgaris plant growth and trichothecenes production by these strains should be explored, in order to advance in the knowledge of how these fungi could be used in the field crop, together with the application of management strategies to mitigate risks for farmers and to minimize environmental contamination

Organic Agricultural Practice: Crop LoadManagement Enhancing Quality and Storability of High-Russet Pears

[EN] The variability of crop load in Conference pears significantly influences fruit quality and postharvest losses. This study aimed to investigate and implement a novel technique for managing crop load in Conference pear orchards, with a focus on contributing to sustainable orchard management practices. High-russet pear cv. Conference fruit was harvested from trees categorized into two groups based on yield efficiency. A two-way ANOVA was used to test the effects of crop load level and year on yield properties and fruit quality parameters. Results demonstrated that low crop loads exerted a positive influence on fruit quality, resulting in increased fresh-market yield, enhanced fruit-mass parameters, and improved firmness and acidity. Additionally, fruit from low crop load levels exhibited a heightened level of characteristic skin russeting, a desirable attribute that enhances product appeal, compared to fruit from high crop load levels. Thus, crop load management in Conference pear orchards emerged as an effective preharvest organic strategy for mitigating postharvest quality losses during storage, thereby promoting overall orchard sustainability.S

Proceso tecnológico para la germinación comercial de la semilla de arroz

The investigation was carried out during the time of cold 2012-2013 with the objective of to develop and to determine the appropriate steps for the germination of the seed of rice for the method Vietnamese, an experimental design of Blocks Chance was used with factorial arrangement of two factors (2 x 4): two technological variants (technology bases and new technology) in four moments (November 23/2012, December 15/2012, January 15/2013 and February 15/2013) and 4 repetitions. The process bases it was taken I end up according to the technical regulatory scheme of the cultivation of the rice in Cuba and it stops in the retrial the indication of the process Vietnamese the one it was continued which was adapted to the conditions of Cuba, as germination of the seed of rice he/she has two decisive stages; hydrate process and process of rest, at the 48 hours of being in the stage rest, were determined by treatment the germinated seeds, long of the radícula and the long of the plúmula, to the collected data they were carried out analysis of variance bifactorial. The significant differences among stockings you docimaron according to the test of Multiple Ranges of Dúncan for pLa investigación se llevó a cabo durante la época de frío 2012 _ 2013 con el objetivo de desarrollar y determinar los pasos adecuados para la germinación de la semilla de arroz por el método vietnamita, se utilizó un diseño experimental de Bloques Azar con arreglo factorial de dos factores (2 x 4): dos variantes tecnológicas (tecnología base y nueva tecnología) en cuatro momentos (noviembre 23/2012, diciembre 15/2012, enero 15/2013 y febrero 15/2013) y 4 repeticiones. El proceso base se llevó acabo según la normativa técnica del cultivo del arroz en Cuba y para en el nuevo proceso se siguió la indicación del proceso vietnamita el cual se adecuó a las condiciones de Cuba, como germinación de la semilla de arroz tiene dos etapas decisivas; proceso de hidratación y proceso de reposo, a las 48 horas de estar en la etapa reposo, se determinó por tratamiento las semillas germinadas, largo de la radícula y el largo de la plúmula, a los datos colectados se realizaron análisis de varianza bifactorial. Las diferencias significativas entre medias se docimaron según la prueba de Rangos Múltiples de Dúncan para p=0.05. Todos los análisis estadísticos se llevaron a cabo con el software STATGRAPHICS Plus versión 5.1 en ambiente Windows. Se encontró que con la nueva variante tecnológica se logró la adecuada proporción entre la radícula y la plúmula, se incrementó la germinación de la semilla en un 13.35% y con ello el ahorro de 19 kg de semilla de arroz por cada hectárea cultivada

Impact of Wood-Boring Larvae of Xylotrechus arvicola (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) on Mechanical Properties of Vitis vinifera Plants

[EN] Xylotrechus arvicola represents a significant insect pest impacting Vitis vinifera within the principal wine-producing territories of the Iberian Peninsula. The larvae of this species bore into grapevine wood, resulting in significant structural and biomechanical deterioration to the plant. Compressive and flexural tests were conducted to assess the mechanical properties of wood affected by X. arvicola. Compressive and flexural strength exhibited a decline with the escalation of the Total Damaged Surface Area (TDSA) of the samples, ranging from 0.31% to 0.73% in trunks and from 0.04 to 0.76% in branches, irrespective of the wood moisture content (fresh and dry). The most significant reduction in resistance occurred in affected dry trunks and branches. Notably, the deflection at break for dry samples was lower compared to fresh samples (65.00 and 97.85 mm, respectively). Moreover, the deflection at break for affected fresh samples (164.37 mm) significantly surpassed that of unaffected fresh samples (72.58 mm) and affected dry samples (37.50 mm). It is noteworthy that a higher percentage of TDSA coincided with diminished wood resistance. The percentage of fungal growth symptoms observed in affected wood samples was 66.66% for dry trunks, 75.00% for fresh branches, and 60.00% for dry branches. The damage inflicted by larvae facilitated the spread of grapevine diseases via emergence of holes created by insects upon exiting the wood and through the larval galleries connected to them. This damage also altered the mechanical properties of grapevine plants, with fresh branches exhibiting the most pronounced effectsSIThank you to the research program of the Universidad de León 2022 for the grant awarded to Daniela Ramírez Lozano; to the Junta de Castilla y Leon for the aid for financing the predoctoral hiring of research personnel, co-financed by the European Social Fund and translated into ORDEN EDU/875/2021 awarded to Andrea Antolín Rodríguez; and to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (Spain) for the grant awarded to Laura Zanfaño González (FPU 20/03040

CLIL-en-la-ULE: herramientas y recursos para el aprendizaje de contenidos y lengua extranjera de forma integrada en Ingeniería

FECIES. Foro sobre la Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación Superior y de la Investigación (12. 2015. Sevilla)[ES] La adquisición de la competencia en comunicación lingüística en una lengua extranjera es clave para los estudiantes universitarios, y por ello en la mayoría de las memorias de verificación de títulos se contempla su transversalidad. El CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) supone impartir una asignatura mediante una lengua diferente a la habitual. En este marco surge la necesidad de abordar dos aspectos críticos para favorecer el CLIL en la Educación superior en el campo de las ingenierías y que han sido los objetivos de este trabajo: (i) la falta de materiales/métodos para emplear en las clases, y (ii) falta de herramientas para evaluar la competencia en comunicación lingüística en lengua extranjera por parte de profesores que no son especialistas en la enseñanza de idiomas, si no en sus materias. Se crearon 36 recursos, disponibles en http://clilenlaule.blogspot.com.es/, que se han evaluado sobre más de 300 alumnos de Ingeniería de la Universidad de León desde 2012. Los resultados muestran que los alumnos mejoran la competencia lingüística en inglés cuando se emplea el CLIL (lo perciben de forma subjetiva y también el profesor) y que el aprendizaje en cuanto a contenidos no se ve perjudicado.[EN] The acquisition of skills in communication in a foreign language is key for higher education students, and they have been therefore included as transversal skills in most of the university programs. The Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) involves teaching a course in a language different from the mother tongue. In this frame, it is needed to tackle two critical issues to encourage the use of CLIL in the higher education frame in the field of engineering studies: (i) the lack of materials/methods to use in the class, and (ii) the lack of tools to assess the language skills in a foreign language by lecturers who are not experts in languages. These were the objectives of this work. 36 teaching resources were created (available at http://clilenlaule.blogspot.com.es/) and were tested in more than 300 engineering students. The results show that students improve their language skills (they are aware of them and the lecturer notices it too) when CLIL is used and that the learning of contents is not adversely affected

Spores of Trichoderma Strains over P. vulgaris Beans: Direct Effect on Insect Attacks and Indirect Effect on Agronomic Parameters

[EN] Acanthoscelides obtectus is an insect pest that attacks wild and cultivated common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L). Four Trichoderma strains, the T. arundinaceum IBT 40837 wild-type strain (=Ta37), a producer of trichothecene harzianum A (HA), two transformants of T. arundinaceum strain, Ta37-17.139 (=Δtri17) and Ta37-23.74 (=Δtri23), and the T. brevicompactum IBT 40841 wild-type strain (=Tb41), which produces the trichothecene trichodermin, were assessed to establish their direct effect on insect attacks and their indirect effect on the plants grown from the beans treated with those fungal strains and exposed to insect attacks. Treatments of bean seeds with different Trichoderma strains led to different survival rates in the insects, and the Tb41 strain caused the lowest survival rate of all. An 86.10% of the insect cadavers (in contact with Δtri23) showed growth of this strain. This was the treatment that attracted the greatest number of insects. The daily emergence was reduced in beans treated with the Ta37, Tb41, and Δtri17 strains. The undamaged beans treated with Ta37 and Δtri23 showed a high capacity of germination (80.00% and 75.00%, respectively), whereas the Δtri17 and Tb41 treatments increased the capacity of germination in the damaged beans (66.67%). The undamaged beans treated with Δtri23 had the greatest dry weights for the aerial part (4.22 g) and root system in the plants (0.62 g). More studies on the mechanisms of insect control, plant growth promotion, and trichodermol and trichodermin production by Δtri23 and Tb41, respectively, should be explored in order to commercialize these fungal species on a large scale.SIWe would like to thank the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (Spain) (Resolution of 27 July 2018, BOE No.184, of July 31) for giving a grant to Álvaro Rodríguez González (PTA2017-14403-I) through the program Technical Support Staff (Call 2017). All authors included in this section have consented to the acknowledgement

Mechanical behaviour of grapevine wood affected by Xylotrechus arvicola

The cerambycid insect Xylotrechus arvicola is considered a pest that affects the wood of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) in the major wine areas of the Iberian Peninsula. The larva of this insect perforates the grapevine wood, resulting in structural and biomechanical failure of the vine plants. Vine samples from wood damaged by Xylotrechus arvicola larvae were picked up from different vineyards and grape varieties. Compressive and flexural tests were performed in order to assess the mechanical behaviour of the wood samples. Total length of the cracks in wood samples (TLCWS) that appeared on the surface of the grapevine wood samples after the mechanical tests was measured. Compressive strength (CS) and flexural strength (FS) decreased with the increase of the cross-sectional area (CSA) of both branches and trunks, regardless of damage condition or water content. Moreover, the resistance was lower in damaged wood. In addition, this was verified through the linear regression coefficients of the interaction CS x CSA and FS x CSA. TLCWS in branches and trunks of damaged samples was greater that in undamaged samples. Also, TLCWS within the same damage condition and part of the plant was higher in dry samples than in fresh samples. The damaged wood would show a higher vulnerability to common mechanical stress suffered by the grapevines in the field including heavy winds, fruit overweight or harvesting machines shaking (when mechanically collected). Larvae of this insect altered the mechanical behaviour of the trunk and branches of grapevine wood. The mechanical strength of wood was more negatively affected when the CSA of the branches and trunks increased. Longer TLCWS was found in affected wood.of an emerging grape pest, Xylotrechus arvicola (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae

Recycled polyethylene fibres for structural concrete

Modern society demands more sustainable and economical construction elements. One of the available options for manufacturing this type of element is the valorisation of end-of-life waste, such as, for example, the recycling of polymers used in industry. The valorisation of these wastes reduces costs and avoids the pollution generated by their landfill disposal. With the aim of helping to obtain this type of material, this work describes a methodology for recycling polyethylene for the manufacture of fibres that will later be used as reinforcement for structural concrete. These fibres are manufactured using an injection moulding machine. Subsequently, their physical and mechanical properties are measured and compared with those of the material before it is crushed and injected. The aim of this comparison is to evaluate the recycling process and analyse the reduction of the physical-mechanical properties of the recycled polyethylene in the process. Finally, to determine the properties of the fibre concrete, three types of concrete were produced: a control concrete, a reinforced concrete with 2 kg/m³ of fibres, and a reinforced concrete with 4 kg/m³ of fibres. The results show an enhancement of mechanical properties when the fibres are incorporated, particularly the tensile strength; and they also show excellent performance controlling cracking in concrete.This research was funded by the LADICIM (Laboratory of Materials Science and Engineering), Universidad de Cantabria. E.T.S. de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Av./Los Castros 44, 39005 Santander, Spain