The input reduction principle of agroecology is wrong when it comes to mineral fertilizer use in sub-Saharan Africa

Gatien Falconnier Marc Corbeels Frédéric Baudron Antoine Couëdel leonard rusinamhodzi bernard vanlauwe Ken Giller (2023, [Artículo])

Can farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) boost crop yields and improve food availability without using more mineral fertilizer? This question has been at the center of lively debates among the civil society, policy-makers, and in academic editorials. Proponents of the “yes” answer have put forward the “input reduction” principle of agroecology, i.e. by relying on agrobiodiversity, recycling and better efficiency, agroecological practices such as the use of legumes and manure can increase crop productivity without the need for more mineral fertilizer. We reviewed decades of scientific literature on nutrient balances in SSA, biological nitrogen fixation of tropical legumes, manure production and use in smallholder farming systems, and the environmental impact of mineral fertilizer. Our analyses show that more mineral fertilizer is needed in SSA for five reasons: (i) the starting point in SSA is that agricultural production is “agroecological” by default, that is, very low mineral fertilizer use, widespread mixed crop-livestock systems and large crop diversity including legumes, but leading to poor soil fertility as a result of widespread soil nutrient mining, (ii) the nitrogen needs of crops cannot be adequately met solely through biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and recycling of animal manure, (iii) other nutrients like phosphorus and potassium need to be replaced continuously, (iv) mineral fertilizers, if used appropriately, cause little harm to the environment, and (v) reducing the use of mineral fertilizers would hamper productivity gains and contribute indirectly to agricultural expansion and to deforestation. Yet, the agroecological principles directly related to soil fertility—recycling, efficiency, diversity—remain key in improving soil health and nutrient-use efficiency, and are critical to sustaining crop productivity in the long run. We argue for a nuanced position that acknowledges the critical need for more mineral fertilizers in SSA, in combination with the use of agroecological practices and adequate policy support.

Manure Crop Yields Smallholder Farming Systems Environmental Hazards CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION LEGUMES NUTRIENT BALANCE SOIL FERTILITY AGROECOLOGY YIELD INCREASES LITERATURE REVIEWS

The cerato-mandibular ligament: a key functional trait for grazing in damselfishes (Pomacentridae)

Damien Olivier Bruno Frederich MILTON ALEJANDRO SPANOPOULOS ZARCO Eduardo Francisco Balart Páez Eric Parmentier (2014, [Artículo])

"The success of a taxonomic group can be promoted by a key character that allows the group to interact with its environment in a different way and to potentially occupy new niches. The Pomacentridae possess a synapomorphic trait, the cerato-mandibular (c-md) ligament, which joins the hyoid bar to the inner part of the lower jaw. It has previously been shown that this ligament is a key trait in communication in damselfishes because it enables them to slam the oral jaws shut causing teeth collision and sound production. This specific behavior of mouth closing could, however, also be used for other tasks, such as feeding. Many territorial damselfishes are referred to as farmers, due to their ability to manage algal crops on which they feed. This study hypothesizes that the c-md ligament provides an advantage for grazing filamentous algae, and should thus be considered a key trait for farming behavior."

Biomechanics, Evolution, Farming, Functional morphology BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA ANIMAL (ZOOLOGÍA) ZOOLOGÍA MARINA ZOOLOGÍA MARINA

Solanum tuberosum Microtuber Development under Darkness Unveiled through RNAseq Transcriptomic Analysis

ELIANA VALENCIA LOZANO LISSET HERRERA ISIDRON Osiel Salvador Recoder-Meléndez Aarón Barraza Celis JOSE LUIS CABRERA PONCE (2022, [Artículo])

"Potato microtuber (MT) development through in vitro techniques are ideal propagules for producing high quality potato plants. MT formation is influenced by several factors, i.e., photoperiod, sucrose, hormones, and osmotic stress. We have previously developed a protocol of MT induction in medium with sucrose (8% w/v), gelrite (6g/L), and 2iP as cytokinin under darkness. To understand the molecular mechanisms involved, we performed a transcriptome-wide analysis. Here we show that 1715 up- and 1624 down-regulated genes were involved in this biological process. Through the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analyses performed in the STRING database (v11.5), we found 299 genes tightly associated in 14 clusters. Two major clusters of up-regulated proteins fundamental for life growth and development were found: 29 ribosomal proteins (RPs) interacting with 6 PEBP family members and 117 cell cycle (CC) proteins. The PPI network of up-regulated transcription factors (TFs) revealed that at least six TFs–MYB43, TSF, bZIP27, bZIP43, HAT4 and WOX9–may be involved during MTs development. The PPI network of down-regulated genes revealed a cluster of 83 proteins involved in light and photosynthesis, 110 in response to hormone, 74 in hormone mediate signaling pathway and 22 related to aging."

transcriptome-wide analysis, microtubers, potato, Solanum tuberosum, darkness, cell cycle, ribosomal proteins, PEBP family genes, cytokinin BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA GENÉTICA GENÉTICA MOLECULAR DE PLANTAS GENÉTICA MOLECULAR DE PLANTAS

Reconocimiento continuo de la Lengua de Señas Mexicana

Continuous recognition of Mexican Sign Language

Ricardo Fernando Morfín Chávez (2023, [Tesis de maestría])

La Lengua de Señas Mexicana (LSM) es la lengua utilizada por la comunidad Sorda en México, y, a menudo, subestimada y pasada por alto por la comunidad oyente, lo que resulta en la exclusión sistemática de las personas Sordas en diversos aspectos de la vida. Sin embargo, la tecnología puede desempeñar un papel fundamental en acercar a la comunidad Sorda con la comunidad oyente, promoviendo una mayor inclusión y comprensión entre ambas. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es diseñar, implementar y evaluar un sistema de reconocimiento continuo de señas estáticas en LSM mediante, visión por computadora y técnicas de aprendizaje máquina. Se establecieron objetivos específicos, que incluyen la generación de un conjunto de datos de señas estáticas, pertenecientes al alfabeto manual de la LSM, el diseño de un modelo de reconocimiento, y la evaluación del sistema, tanto en la modalidad aislada como en la continua. La metodología involucra dos evaluaciones distintas. La primera se enfoca en el reconocimiento de señas estáticas en el dominio aislado, para ello se capturaron datos de 20 participantes realizando movimientos de la mano en múltiples ángulos. Se evaluaron diversas técnicas de aprendizaje automático, destacando que el enfoque basado en Máquinas de Soporte Vectorial (SVM) obtuvo los mejores resultados (F1-Score promedio del 0.91). La segunda evaluación se concentra en el reconocimiento continuo de señas estáticas, con datos recopilados de seis participantes con diferentes niveles de competencia en LSM, logrando un rendimiento sólido con errores cercanos al 7 %. Además, se evaluó la viabilidad del sistema en aplicaciones de tiempo real, demostrando un excelente desempeño (velocidad promedio de procesamiento de 45 cuadros por segundo). A pesar de los logros alcanzados, es importante reconocer que este proyecto se centró en el reconocimiento continuo de señas estáticas en LSM. Queda pendiente, como un desafío interesante, la exploración del reconocimiento continuo de señas dinámicas en LSM para futuras investigaciones. Se considera esencial explorar enfoques orientados a la escalabilidad y aplicaciones en tiempo real en investigaciones posteriores.

This study focuses on the continuous recognition of static signs in Mexican Sign Language (Lengua de Señas Mexicana (LSM)), the language used by the Deaf community in Mexico. Despite its significance, LSM is often underestimated and overlooked, leading to the systematic exclusion of Deaf individuals in various aspects of life. The primary objective of this work is to design, implement, and evaluate a continuous static sign recognition system in LSM using computer vision and machine learning techniques. Specific goals were established, including the creation of a dataset of static signs belonging to the manual alphabet of LSM, the design of a recognition model, and the evaluation of the system in both isolated and continuous modes. The methodology involves two distinct evaluations. The first one focuses on the recognition of static signs in the isolated domain, for which data from 20 participants performing hand movements at various angles were collected. Various machine learning techniques were evaluated, with the Máquinas de Soporte Vectorial (SVM)-based approach achieving the best results (average F1-Score of 0.91). The second evaluation centers on the continuous recognition of static signs, using data collected from six participants with varying levels of competence in LSM, achieving robust performance with errors close to 7 %. Furthermore, the feasibility of the system in real-time applications was assessed, demonstrating excellent performance (average processing speed of 45 frames per second). Despite the achievements, it is important to recognize that this project focused on continuous recognition of static signs in LSM. It remains an interesting challenge to explore the continuous recognition of dynamic signs in LSM for future research. It is considered essential to explore scalability-oriented approaches and real-time applications in subsequent investigations.

Lengua de Señas Mexicana (LSM), visión por computadora, aprendizaje automático, alfabeto manual de la LSM, reconocimiento automático de señas estáticas, reconocimiento aislado de señas, reconocimiento continuo de señas, aplicacion Mexican Sign Language (LSM), computer vision, machine learning, LSM manual alpahbet, automatic recognition of static signs, isolated sign recognition, continuous sign recognition, real-time aplications INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS TECNOLOGÍA DE LOS ORDENADORES ENSEÑANZA CON AYUDA DE ORDENADOR ENSEÑANZA CON AYUDA DE ORDENADOR