El mercado del agua en Canarias: una perspectiva histórica

Editada en la Fundación SEPIEl objeto de este artículo es estudiar el mercado del agua en Canarias con una perspectiva de largo plazo y mostrar los resultados en las Islas de esa forma de gestionar el recurso. En un primer apartado se plantea un modelo teórico de funcionamiento que luego se intenta corroborar a partir del análisis de la trayectoria de los precios. Ahora bien, esa trayectoria también ha estado condicionada por el hecho de que la propiedad del agua ha estado concentrada en pocas manos, como se muestra en el segundo epígrafe. Finalmente, se discute si en Canarias el agua ha sido gestionada de forma eficiente a lo largo del siglo XX.The aim of this paper is to study the water market in Canaries in the long run and to show how this resource was managed in the Canary Islands. In the first section, a theoretical model of operation is presented and then is tested to examine the evolution of water prices. We show that the evolution of waterprices is conditioned by the fact that the property of water has been concentrated only in few hands. Finally, we discuss if in the Canary Islands the water has been efficiently managed during XXth century.Publicad

The main early and late promoters of Bacillus subtilis phage ø29 form unstable open complexes with sA-RNA polymerase that are stabilized by DNA supercoiling

Most Escherichia coli promoters studied so far form stable open complexes with σ70-RNA polymerase which have relatively long half-lives and, therefore, are resistant to a competitor challenge. A few exceptions are nevertheless known. The analysis of a number of promoters in Bacillus subtilis has suggested that the instability of open complexes formed by the vegetative σA polymerase may be a more general phenomenon than in Escherichia coli. We show that the main early and late promoters from the Bacillus subtilis phage ø29 form unstable open complexes that are stabilized either by the formation of the first phosphodlester bond between the initiating nucleoside triphosphates or by DNA supercoiling. The functional characteristics of these two strong promoters suggest that they are not optimized for a tight and stable RNA polymerase binding. Their high activity is probably the consequence of the efficiency of further steps leading to the formation of an elongation complex.This investigation was aided by research grants from the National Institutes of Health (5ROI GM27242-13), Direccion General de Investigaci6n Cientifica y Tecnica (PB90 0091) and an institutional Grant from Fundacidn Ram6n Areces. F.R. was holder of a post-doctoral fellowship from M.E.C. B.N. and M.M were holders of pre-doctoral fellowships from M.E.C and Gobierno Vasco, respectively.Peer reviewe

Perspectiva histórica del cooperativismo de crédito agrícola en Canarias

Two savings banks are currently active in the Canary Isles: Caja Rural de Tenerife and Caja Rural de Canarias, and these are furthermore the only two loan co-operatives in the region. And as they are also virtually the only loan co-operatives that have been successful, to talk about the economic trajectory followed by the two rural savings banks is equivalent to dealing with the whole of co-operative agricultural credit in the Canary Isles. This is the objective of this paper; to analyse the savings banks’ evolution. In the first section we look at when and why the agrarian co-operative societies emerge in Europe and Spain, while in the second part we look at the Canary Isles case in particular. The third and fourth sections deal with evolution of leading economic aggregates, respectively up to 1987 and later years.Economic history, agricultural credit, credit co-operatives, rural savings banks, Canary Isles

El asociacionismo agrario en la Unión Europea. El caso de las Organizaciones de Productores de Plátanos de Canarias

The aim of this paper is to examine the consequences for the Canarian banana sector of the obligation to be integrated in producer’s organisations as a result of the coming into force of the European Common Market Organisation for bananas. Firstly, the successive modifications to the legislation referring to banana producer’s organisations are presented both at EU and Canarian level. And secondly, the effects that the application of this regulation has had on the commercial structures of the Canarian banana sector are analysed. A concentration of the supply and that has generated more results in cost savings that in sales management.Common Market Organisation for bananas, Banana Producer’s Organisation, Agricultural cooperative movement, European Union, Canary Islands.

El papel de Canarias en las relaciones económicas internacionales con África

En esta comunicación pretendemos realizar un análisis a largo plazo de las relaciones económicas entre Canarias y África, en concreto durante la etapa capitalista. Para ello, no sólo nos centraremos en los intercambios comerciales entre ambos territorios, sino también analizaremos otros ámbitos, como el papel desarrollado por las Islas como plataforma logística internacional para los agentes económicos de otros países que realizaban transacciones económicas con África, o las inversiones realizadas por la clase empresarial isleña en los países africanos

Genetic analysis indicate superiority of perfomance of cape goosberry (Physalis peruviana L.) hybrids

The use of hybrids as a new type of cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) cultivars could improve yield in this crop, but little or no information is available on hybrid perfomance. We studied several vegetative characters, yield, fruit weight and fruit shape, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA) and ascorbic acid content (AAC) in three hybrids of cape gooseberry and their parents grown outdoors and in a glasshouse. The highest yields were obtained with hybrids, specially in a glasshouse. Interaction dominance environment for yield was very important; a higher dominance effect was detected in the glasshouse, than that observed outdoors. Quality characters were highly affected by the environment and showed variable results for the different families. For fruit composition traits, the additive and additive environment interactions were most important. Broad-sense heritability for all characters was high to medium (0.48-0.91), indicating that a high response to selection would be expected. Hybrids can improve cape gooseberry yield without impairing fruit quality.Leiva-Brondo, M.; Prohens Tomás, J.; Nuez Viñals, F. (2001). Genetic analysis indicate superiority of perfomance of cape goosberry (Physalis peruviana L.) hybrids. Journal of New Seeds. 3(3):71-84. doi:10.1300/J153v03n03_04718433Abak, K., Güler, H. Y., Sari, N., & Paksoy, M. (1994). EARLINESS AND YIELD OF PHYSALIS (P. IXOCARPA BROT. AND P. PERUVIANA L.) IN GREENHOUSE, LOW TUNNEL AND OPEN FIELD. Acta Horticulturae, (366), 301-306. doi:10.17660/actahortic.1994.366.37Kang, M. S. (1997). Using Genotype-by-Environment Interaction for Crop Cultivar Development. Advances in Agronomy Volume 62, 199-252. doi:10.1016/s0065-2113(08)60569-6Klinac, D. J. (1986). Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) production systems. New Zealand Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 14(4), 425-430. doi:10.1080/03015521.1986.10423060Mather, K., & Jinks, J. L. (1977). Introduction to Biometrical Genetics. doi:10.1007/978-94-009-5787-9Mazer, S. J., & Schick, C. T. (1991). Constancy of population parameters for life history and floral traits in Raphanus sativus L. I. Norms of reaction and the nature of genotype by environment interactions. Heredity, 67(2), 143-156. doi:10.1038/hdy.1991.74Nyquist, W. E., & Baker, R. J. (1991). Estimation of heritability and prediction of selection response in plant populations. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 10(3), 235-322. doi:10.1080/07352689109382313Pearcy, R. W. (1990). Sunflecks and Photosynthesis in Plant Canopies. Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology, 41(1), 421-453. doi:10.1146/annurev.pp.41.060190.002225Péron, J. Y., Demaure, E., & Hannetel, C. (1989). POSSIBILITIES OF TROPICAL SOLANACEAE AND CUCURBITACEAE INTRODUCTION IN FRANCE. Acta Horticulturae, (242), 179-186. doi:10.17660/actahortic.1989.242.24Proctor, F. J. (1990). THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY MARKET FOR TROPICAL FRUIT AND FACTORS LIMITING GROWTH. Acta Horticulturae, (269), 29-40. doi:10.17660/actahortic.1990.269.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces in Catalonia, a Mesoamerican germplasm hotspot to be preserved

[EN] Several landraces of common bean with high organoleptic value have resisted the rapid expansion of improved cultivars in Catalonia, in north-eastern Spain. To establish strategies for their preservation and use, we employed RAPD and AFLP markers to investigate the genetic variability within 15 landraces and to identify their original gene pools. A higher percentage of Mesoamerican landraces was found in Catalonia (40%) than in the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, or in Europe (approx. 20%). This is probably due to the exclusion of Catalonia from early trade with the American colonies and stronger commercial links with the Caribbean during the nineteenth century. Our results confirm that Catalan consumers prefer white-seeded common bean varieties of Mesoamerican origin. The landrace ‘Castellfollit del Boix’ showed 69.6% polymorphic RAPD primers, with 53.2% polymorphic bands, while at the other extreme ‘Tavella Brisa’ showed 47.8% polymorphic primers with 25.3% polymorphic bands. An AFLP approach yielded similar results. The high genetic variability found in ‘Castellfollit del Boix’, one of the landraces most threatened, suggests a considerable amount of introgression from improved inbreds.This work was supported by a research grant from CICYT (AGL0035-01).Sanchez, E.; Sifres Cuerda, AG.; Casañas, F.; Nuez Viñals, F. (2007). Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces in Catalonia, a Mesoamerican germplasm hotspot to be preserved. Journal of Horticultural Science. 82(4):529-534. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2007.11512269S529534824Rodrigo, A. P. (2000).Caracterización Morfoagronómica y Bioquímica del Germoplasma de la Judía Común (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) de España.Ph.D. Thesis, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain. 251 pp

Localization of QTLs for in vitro plant regeneration in tomato

Background Low regeneration ability limits biotechnological breeding approaches. The influence of genotype in the regeneration response is high in both tomato and other important crops. Despite the various studies that have been carried out on regeneration genetics, little is known about the key genes involved in this process. The aim of this study was to localize the genetic factors affecting regeneration in tomato. Results We developed two mapping populations (F2 and BC1) derived from a previously selected tomato cultivar (cv. Anl27) with low regeneration ability and a high regeneration accession of the wild species Solanum pennellii (PE-47). The phenotypic assay indicated dominance for bud induction and additive effects for both the percentage of explants with shoots and the number of regenerated shoots per explant. Two linkage maps were developed and six QTLs were identified on five chromosomes (1, 3, 4, 7 and 8) in the BC1 population by means of the Interval Mapping and restricted Multiple QTL Mapping methods. These QTLs came from S. pennellii, with the exception of the minor QTL located on chromosome 8, which was provided by cv. Anl27. The main QTLs correspond to those detected on chromosomes 1 and 7. In the F2 population, a QTL on chromosome 7 was identified on a similar region as that detected in the BC1 population. Marker segregation distortion was observed in this population in those areas where the QTLs of BC1 were detected. Furthermore, we located two tomato candidate genes using a marker linked to the high regeneration gene: Rg-2 (a putative allele of Rg-1) and LESK1, which encodes a serine/threonine kinase and was proposed as a marker for regeneration competence. As a result, we located a putative allele of Rg-2 in the QTL detected on chromosome 3 that we named Rg-3. LESK1, which is also situated on chromosome 3, is outside Rg-3. In a preliminary exploration of the detected QTL peaks, we found several genes that may be related to regeneration. Conclusions In this study we have identified new QTLs related to the complex process of regeneration from tissue culture. We have also located two candidate genes, discovering a putative allele of the high regeneration gene Rg-1 in the QTL on chromosome 3. The identified QTLs could represent a significant step toward the understanding of this process and the identification of other related candidate genes. It will also most likely facilitate the development of molecular markers for use in gene isolation.Trujillo Moya, C.; Gisbert Domenech, MC.; Vilanova Navarro, S.; Nuez Viñals, F. (2011). Localization of QTLs for in vitro plant regeneration in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). BMC Plant Biology. 11:140-152. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-11-140S1401521

Turia pepino

Turia is a new salad pepino cultivar adapted to greenhouse cultivation in a wide range of environments with high yield and improved fruit quality. Its fruit is ovate in shape and has golden yellow skin covered with purple stripes, mild flavour and intense aroma. Turia is the first pepino cultivar tolerant to tomato mosaic virus.Rodríguez Burruezo, A.; Prohens Tomás, J.; Leiva-Brondo, M.; Nuez Viñals, F. (2004). Turia pepino. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 84(2):603-606. doi:10.4141/P03-108S60360684

EST2uni: an open, parallel tool for automated EST analysis and database creation, with a data mining web interface and microarray expression data integration

This article is available from: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/9/5[Background] Expressed sequence tag (EST) collections are composed of a high number of single-pass, redundant, partial sequences, which need to be processed, clustered, and annotated to remove low-quality and vector regions, eliminate redundancy and sequencing errors, and provide biologically relevant information. In order to provide a suitable way of performing the different steps in the analysis of the ESTs, flexible computation pipelines adapted to the local needs of specific EST projects have to be developed. Furthermore, EST collections must be stored in highly structured relational databases available to researchers through user-friendly interfaces which allow efficient and complex data mining, thus offering maximum capabilities for their full exploitation.[Results] We have created EST2uni, an integrated, highly-configurable EST analysis pipeline and data mining software package that automates the pre-processing, clustering, annotation, database creation, and data mining of EST collections. The pipeline uses standard EST analysis tools and the software has a modular design to facilitate the addition of new analytical methods and their configuration. Currently implemented analyses include functional and structural annotation, SNP and microsatellite discovery, integration of previously known genetic marker data and gene expression results, and assistance in cDNA microarray design. It can be run in parallel in a PC cluster in order to reduce the time necessary for the analysis. It also creates a web site linked to the database, showing collection statistics, with complex query capabilities and tools for data mining and retrieval.[Conclusion] The software package presented here provides an efficient and complete bioinformatics tool for the management of EST collections which is very easy to adapt to the local needs of different EST projects. The code is freely available under the GPL license and can be obtained at http:// bioinf.comav.upv.es/est2uni. This site also provides detailed instructions for installation and configuration of the software package. The code is under active development to incorporate new analyses, methods, and algorithms as they are released by the bioinformatics community.Partially funded by "Conselleria de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacion de la Comunidad Valenciana" and Spanish "Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia" (research grants GEN2001-4885-C05 and GEN2003-20237-C06).Peer reviewe