Importancia agroecológica del coyul (Acrocomia mexicana Karw. ex Mart.)

Acrocomia mexicana Karw. ex Mart. es una especie que se extiende desde el Pacífico mexicano hasta Centro y Sudamérica. El fruto (coyul) es apreciado desde la época prehispánica, sin embargo, su consumo ha disminuido frente a otros frutos nativos y así como de los introducidos con mayor aceptación en el mercado. Se realizó un estudio en San Blas, Nayarit, México, en el que se llevó a cabo la caracterización de un agroecosistema típico donde se explotan poblaciones silvestres y cultivadas de coyul de forma tradicional y se resaltó la importancia económica, ecológica y cultural de la especie. Asimismo, se realizó la caracterización fisicoquímica del fruto; la pulpa y la semilla son fuente principalmente de grasas. De esta especie se pueden obtener subproductos tales como aceites comestibles, alimento para ganado, artesanías, entre otros; igualmente se exponen alternativas de uso llevadas a cabo por otras regiones y países que puedan conducir a conservar espacios ecológicos y culturales

Identifying non-destructive growth and maturity indexes of Prickly pear (Opuntia albicarpa S. Var. Burrona) and evaluation of freeze-drying conditions

Around the world, prickly pear fruits are valued as a source of dietary functional compounds and ingredients for innovative foods. Growth and physicochemical changes of Opuntia albicarpa S. fruits were recorded from 0 to 132 days-after-flowering (DAF) to identify non-destructive maturity-indices. Optimum-ripened fruits were freeze-dried to study physicochemical and functional characteristics of dried and rehydrated pulp. Principal component analysis confirmed growth turned into fruit ripening in DAF 99, and it lasted until DAF 132. Changes in color parameters of the peel correlated with fruit texture and pulp sugar content and taste index (P < 0.01). During freeze-drying, plate temperature had more significant effects than the thickness (P < 0.05). At 30°C, color ΔE between dried and fresh slices augmented, but, texture Δ´s (medium force) between rehydrated and fresh pulp was lower. Color tests could be used to harvest commercially-ripened fruits. Freeze-drying at 30°C improves the rehydrated slices texture regarding thickness maintaining rehydration coefficients.Las tunas son apreciadas en todo el mundo como fuente de compuestos funcionales dietarios e ingredientes para alimentos innovadores. Para identificar índices de maduración no destructivos, se registraron cambios en el crecimiento y en los parámetros fisicoquímicos de frutos de Opuntia albicarpa S. entre los días después de la floración (DAF) 0 al 132. Frutos con maduración óptima fueron liofilizados para evaluar características fisicoquímicas y funcionales de pulpa seca y rehidratada. El análisis de componentes principales confirmo que el crecimiento dio lugar a la maduración en el DAF 99 y ésta prosiguió hasta el DAF 132. Los cambios en parámetros de color en cáscara correlacionaron con la textura del fruto, y en pulpa, con el contenido de azúcares y el índice de sabor (P< 0.01). Durante la liofilización, la temperatura de placa tiene más efectos significativos que el espesor (P≤ 0.05). A 30°C, el ΔE de color entre la pulpa seca y fresca aumentó, pero, el Δ de textura (fuerza media) fue menor entre la rehidratada y la fresca. Se pueden emplear evaluaciones de color para cosechar frutos en su madurez comercial, y liofilizar estos frutos a 30°C mejora la textura sin importar el espesor, manteniendo los coeficientes de rehidratación.This work was supported by the SIMORELOS program of CONACyT

Developmental Reaction Norms for Water Stressed Seedlings of Succulent Cacti

Succulent cacti are remarkable plants with capabilities to withstand long periods of drought. However, their adult success is contingent on the early seedling stages, when plants are highly susceptible to the environment. To better understand their early coping strategies in a challenging environment, two developmental aspects (anatomy and morphology) in Polaskia chichipe and Echinocactus platyacanthus were studied in the context of developmental reaction norms under drought conditions. The morphology was evaluated using landmark based morphometrics and Principal Component Analysis, which gave three main trends of the variation in each species. The anatomy was quantified as number and area of xylem vessels. The quantitative relationship between morphology and anatomy in early stages of development, as a response to drought was revealed in these two species. Qualitatively, collapsible cells and collapsible parenchyma tissue were observed in seedlings of both species, more often in those subjected to water stress. These tissues were located inside the epidermis, resembling a web of collapsible-cell groups surrounding turgid cells, vascular bundles, and spanned across the pith. Occasionally the groups formed a continuum stretching from the epidermis towards the vasculature. Integrating the morphology and the anatomy in a developmental context as a response to environmental conditions provides a better understanding of the organism's dynamics, adaptation, and plasticity

Chemical and physical defense traits in two sexual forms of opuntia robusta in Central Eastern Mexico

Sexually dimorphic plants provide an excellent opportunity for examining the differences in the extent of their defense against herbivores because they exhibit sex-related differences in reproductive investment. Such differences enable comparison of the sex with high reproduction expenses with the sex that expends less. The more costly sex is usually also better defended against herbivores. Generally, females are considered more valuable than hermaphrodites in terms of fitness; however, hermaphrodites are more valuable if they can produce seed by autonomous selfing, provided that the inbreeding depression is low and pollen is limited. We studied a gynodioecious population of Opuntia robusta from Central-Eastern Mexico, which has been reported to be trioecious, dioecious, or hermaphrodite, and addressed the following questions: 1) Is the hermaphrodite's reproductive output higher than the female's, and are hermaphrodites thus better defended? 2) Are plant tissues differentially defended? 3) Do trade-offs exist among different physical defense traits? and 4) among physical and chemical defense traits? We found that 1) hermaphrodites had a higher seed output and more spines per areola than females and that their spines contained less moisture. Non-reproductive hermaphrodite cladodes contained more total phenolic compounds (TPCs) than female ones. In addition, 2) hermaphrodite reproductive cladodes bore more spines than female cladodes, and 3) and 4) we found a negative relationship between spine number per areola and areola number per cladode and a positive relationship between spine number per areola per plant and TPC concentration per plant. Non-reproductive hermaphrodite cladodes contained a higher concentration of TPCs than female cladodes, and parental cladodes contained fewer TPCs than both reproductive and empty cladodes

Ecophysiology of the pitayo de Queretaro (Stenocereus queretaroensis)

Pitayos (Stenocereus spp.) are columnar cacti native to subtropical regions of Mexico that produce edible fruits. Vegetative and reproductive growth for S. qureretaroensis occurs in the dry season but not simultaneously. Most daily net CO2 uptake by S. queretaroensis occurs at night, with the highest values during the late autumn and early winter dry season. Its fine roots are colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that enhance stem and fruit growth, apparently due to better P nutrition. The seeds are small, and germinate in response to light. The fruits of S. queretaroensis are valuable resources to wild animals, and can help sequester atmospheric carbon during the dry season. Zapotitlán 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Psychological reaction due to failure using the Lamaze method

During the last decade the prickly pear has become an important fruit crop in the semi-arid lands of Mexico, where it plays a strategic role in subsistence agriculture. The cultivated plants are grown in modern organized plantations and in the backyards of rural homes. Among the cultivated varieties there are differences in fruit ripening time, fruit size and quality. Most of the varieties show ripening from July to September. Fruit weight varies from 144 to 240 g and the fruits with the higher weight are found in varieties that produce clear-green fruits. The nutritive value of most varieties compares favourably with other fruit crops. Variation is also found in the seed oil content; most of the fatty acids are unsaturated with linoleic acid as the main acid present. The backyards of rural homes in the semi-arid regions of Mexico constitute authentic reservoirs of prickly pear germplasm that could be valuable for future breeding programs. The opportunity and need for basic and applied research in prickly pear, oriented to improving fruit quality, adaptability and the industrial transformation of both vegetative and reproductive parts, is also discussed. " 1994 Academic Press Limited.",,,,,,"10.1016/S0140-1963(05)80016-3",,,"http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12104/43889","http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-0028166230&partnerID=40&md5=4bda0a24c4107b826607e8dda69b69dc",,,,,,"1",,"Journal of Arid Environments",,"

Seasonal variation of net CO2 uptake for cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) and pitayo (Stenocereus queretaroensis) in a semi-arid environment

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of seasonal variation in temperature, irradiation, and soil moisture content on the photosynthetic rates of Opuntian ficus-indica and Stenocereus queretaroensis. The lowest values of positive daily net CO2 uptake were recorded during the summer rainy season and the highest values during autumn and winter. These optimum values are likely to be the result of a prolonged period of CO2 assimilation caused by decreased cloudiness, and high rates of nocturnal CO2 assimilation due to moderate day/night air temperatures. In spring, when drought was exacerbated, daily net CO2 uptake was negative for both O. ficus-indica and S. queretaroensis. Stem photosynthesis allowed both O. ficus-indica and S. queretaroensis to obtain carbon during the fall and winter, when soil water was at its lowest. (C) 2000 Academic Press

Growth and reproductive characteristics of the columnar cactus Stenocereus queretaroensis and their relationships with environmental factors and colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizae

Three natural populations of pitayo (Stenocereus queretaroensis (Weber) Buxbaum), a columnar arborescent cactus, were studied in their subtropical environments in western Mexico. All of the sites were characterized by shallow, nutrient-poor soils. Percentage of colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi, stem growth, fruit mass, and percentage germination were greater in S. queretaroensis at Autlan, Jalisco (AJ) than at Zacoalco de Torres, Jalisco (ZTJ) or Santa Rosa, Zacatecas (SRZ). The onset of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizae during the middle of the summer wet period preceded increases in stem extension rate and stem phosphorus concentration. Based on previous studies of effects of environmental factors on photosynthesis, climatic conditions were more favorable for photosynthesis at AJ than at SRZ and ZTJ, as indicated by the amount of summer rainfall, the amount of light, and the moderate air temperatures that prevailed during the fall and winter seasons. There was a significant positive correlation between stem growth and percentage of total root length colonized by arbuscules of AM fungi for S. queretaroensis at SRZ and AJ, but not at ZTJ. A negative significant correlation was observed between stem growth and maximal and minimal air temperatures at the three study sites. Stem growth was positively related to rainfall only at SRZ, and light was statistically related to stem growth only at ZTJ. Among sites, S. queretaroensis at AJ had the highest carbon gain and greatest AM colonization, creating physiological conditions that led to the highest stem growth, fruit mass and percentage of seed germination