Physiological ecology of Mexican CAM plants: history, progress, and opportunities

Joel David Flores Rivas Oscar Briones Villareal JOSE LUIS ANDRADE (2022, [Artículo])

"In Mexico, plants with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) are part of the Mexican culture, have different uses and are even emblematic. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of the Mexican CAM plants has been studied physiologically. For this review, the following questions were considered: What ecophysiological studies have been conducted with CAM species native to Mexico? What ecophysiological processes in Mexican CAM plants are the most studied? What type of ecophysiological studies with CAM plants are still needed? A database of scientific studies on CAM plant species from Mexico was documented, including field and laboratory works for species widely distributed, and those studies made outside Mexico with Mexican species. Physiological processes were grouped as germination, photosynthesis, and water relations. Most studies were done for CAM species of Cactaceae, Bromeliaceae, Asparagaceae and Orchidaceae, andmost ecophysiological studies have been done on germination of cacti. Field and laboratory studies on photosynthesis and water relations were mostly for terrestrial cacti and epiphytic bromeliads. There were few physiological studies with CAM seedlings in Mexico and few studies using stable isotopes of water and carbon of CAM plants in the field. More field and laboratory studies of physiological responses and plasticity of CAM plants to multiple stress factors are required to model plant responses to global climate change. In general, more physiological studies are essential for all CAM species and for species of the genus Clusia, with C3-CAM and CAM members, which can become ecologically important under some climate change scenarios."

Asparagaceae Bromeliaceae Cactaceae Germination Photosynthesis Water relations Orchidaceae BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA)

Soil CO2 efflux fluctuates in three different annual seasons in a semideciduous tropical forest in Yucatan, Mexico

El flujo de CO2 del suelo fluctúa en tres temporadas del año en un bosque tropical semideciduo de Yucatán, México

Fernando Arellano-Martín JUAN MANUEL DUPUY RADA ROBERTH ARMANDO US SANTAMARIA José Luis Andrade Torres (2022, [Artículo])

Tropical forest soils store a third of the global terrestrial carbon and control carbon dioxide (CO2) terrestrial effluxes to the atmosphere produced by root and microbial respiration. Soil CO2 efflux varies in time and space and is known to be strongly influenced by soil temperature and water content. However, little is known about the influence of seasonality on soil CO2 efflux, especially in tropical dry forests. This study evaluated soil CO2 efflux, soil temperature, and soil volumetric water content in a semideciduous tropical forest of the Yucatan Peninsula under two sites (flat areas close to and far from hills), and three seasons: dry, wet, and early dry (a transition between the rainy and dry seasons) throughout a year. Additionally, six 24-h periods of soil CO2 efflux were measured within these three seasons. The mean annual soil CO2 efflux was 4±2.2 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1, like the mean soil CO2 efflux during the early dry season. In all seasons, soil CO2 efflux increased linearly with soil moisture, which explained 45% of the spatial-temporal variation of soil CO2 efflux. Soil CO2 efflux was higher close to than far from hills in some months. The daily variation of soil CO2 efflux was less important than its spatial and seasonal variation likely due to small diel variations in temperature. Transition seasons are common in many tropical dry forests, and they should be taken into consideration to have a better understanding of the annual soil CO2 efflux, especially under future climate-change scenarios. © 2022 Mexican Society of Soil Science. All Rights Reserved.

EARLY DRY SEASON SOIL TEMPERATURE SOIL VOLUMETRIC WATER CONTENT TROPICAL DRY FOREST BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Precise irrigation water and nitrogen management improve water and nitrogen use efficiencies under conservation agriculture in the maize-wheat systems

Mahesh Gathala ML JAT (2023, [Artículo])

A 3-year field experiment was setup to address the threat of underground water depletion and sustainability of agrifood systems. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system combined with nitrogen management under conservation agriculture-based (CA) maize-wheat system (MWS) effects on crop yields, irrigation water productivity (WPi), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and profitability. Grain yields of maize, wheat, and MWS in the SDI with 100% recommended N were significantly higher by 15.8%, 5.2% and 11.2%, respectively, than conventional furrow/flood irrigation (CT-FI) system. System irrigation water savings (~ 55%) and the mean WPi were higher in maize, wheat, and MWS under the SDI than CT-FI system. There was saving of 25% of fertilizer N in maize and MWS whereas no saving of N was observed in wheat. Net returns from MWS were significantly higher (USD 265) under SDI with 100% N (with no subsidy) than CT-FI system despite with higher cost of production. The net returns were increased by 47% when considering a subsidy of 80% on laying SDI system. Our results showed a great potential of complementing CA with SDI and N management to maximize productivity, NUE, and WPi, which may be economically beneficial and environmentally sound in MWS in Trans-IGP of South Asia.

Subsurface Drip Irrigation Nitrogen Management Irrigation Water Productivity Water Savings CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA IRRIGATION WATER NITROGEN-USE EFFICIENCY CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE MAIZE WHEAT

THE RIGHT TO THE CITY AND URBAN-RURAL LINKAGES. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA OF TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, CHIAPAS.

Briseida Corzo Rivera Gabriel Castañeda Nolasco (2023, [Artículo, Artículo])

Access to water is a common struggle of the communities in the state of Chiapas, with the effects of urban expansion these struggles increase and with them the challenges that these populations already face, having a greater impact on the rural environment. The struggles to satisfy this basic need are a factor that has triggered processes that promote community participation. Based on a qualitative analysis, this paper compares two existing forms of participation in the rural communities of the Metropolitan Area of Tuxtla Gutierrez that allow the population to manage actions to improve their quality of life. The objective is to analyze how these processes promote or restrict the empowerment of the community and allow progress, not only in the population's access to water, but also in the construction of the right to the city. From the urban-rural linkages, the right to the city is discussed beyond the city, addressing other territories. The study identifies factors that show changes in the participation of the populations and strengthen the community, as well as factors in the relationships of the community and of the community with other actors that limit the scope of the processes.

Participation Right to the city Urban-rural linkages Access to water participación, derecho a la ciudad, vínculos urbano-rurales, acceso al agua. CIENCIAS SOCIALES CIENCIAS SOCIALES

Diversifying with grain legumes amplifies carbon in management-sensitive soil organic carbon pools on smallholder farms

Regis Chikowo Sieglinde Snapp (2023, [Artículo])

Crop diversification with grain legumes has been advocated as a means to increase agroecological resilience, diversify livelihoods, boost household nutrition, and enhance soil health and fertility in cereal-based cropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa and around the world. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a primary indicator of soil health and there is limited data regarding SOC pools and grain legume diversification on smallholder farms where soils are often marginal. In Malawi, a range of legume diversification options are under investigation, including rotations and a doubled-up legume rotation (DLR) system in which two compatible legumes are intercropped and then rotated with a cereal. The impact of the DLR system on SOC has not yet been determined, and there is a lack of evidence regarding SOC status over a gradient of simple to complex grain legume diversified systems. We address this knowledge gap by evaluating these systems in comparison to continuous sole maize (Zea mays L.) at three on-farm trial sites in central Malawi. After six years of trial establishment, we measured SOC in bulk soils and aggregate fractions and in faster cycling SOC pools that respond more rapidly to management practices, including water extractable organic carbon (WEOC), particulate organic matter carbon (POM-C), potentially mineralizable carbon (C), and macroaggregate C. Cropping treatment differences were not seen in bulk SOC or total N, but they were apparent in SOC pools with a shorter turnover time. The DLR system of intercropped pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) rotated with maize had higher WEOC, POM-C, potentially mineralizable C, macroaggregate and microaggregate C values than continuous maize. Of the single legume rotations, the pigeonpea-maize rotation had more mineralizable C and microaggregate C compared to continuous maize, while the groundnut-maize rotation had similar C values to the maize system. Overall, this study shows the potential for crop rotations diversified with grain legumes to enhance C in management sensitive SOC pools, and it is one of the first reports to show this effect on smallholder farm sites.

Crop Diversification Water Extractable Organic Carbon CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DIVERSIFICATION LEGUMES PARTICULATE ORGANIC MATTER SOIL ORGANIC CARBON

Studies of plant hydraulics and water relations in mexican environments: adaptation, physiology, and applications

Estudios sobre hidráulica y relaciones hídricas de plantas en ambientes mexicanos: adaptaciones, fisiología y aplicaciones

RODRIGO MENDEZ ALONZO Mark Olson Horacio Paz Casandra Reyes García CELENE MARISOL ESPADAS MANRIQUE CLARA TINOCO OJANGUREN Santiago Trueba (2022, [Artículo])

Given the outstanding global progress of research on the hydraulic pathway in plants, and its important role as an indicator of plant mortality risk, we reviewed: (1) the adaptive basis of hydraulic traits and their importance for overall plant function; (2) the number of primary scientific articles on plant hydraulics that have been produced in Mexico in the last 40 years, (3) research related to specific environments in Mexico, and (4) the possible applications of plant hydraulics to natural resource management. Our systematic review included 83 articles. The number of publications per year steadily increased over time, reaching its maximum in 2021. Veracruz and Yucatán are the states where the majority of scientific articles on plant hydraulics have been produced, but for most states less than two publications on this subject appeared in ca. 40 years, and none was found for Oaxaca and Chiapas, the most biodiverse states. In plant hydraulics, the most studied biome in Mexico was the tropical dry forest, followed by crops; trees were the most studied growth-form, followed by herbaceous crops and epiphytes. We point to the need of enhancing research in the interface between plant hydraulic function and remote sensing, as well as developing applications in adaptive forest management and ecological restoration. We hope that this review may ignite a national collaborative effort to quantify critical traits that could inform the hydraulic functioning of Mexican ecosystems, particularly in the underrepresented and highly diverse states of Mexico. © 2022 Sociedad Botanica de Mexico, A.C. All rights reserved.

ADAPTATION DROUGHT VULNERABILITY ECOPHYSIOLOGY PLANT WATER RELATIONS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Soil moisture content and maize grain yield under conventional and conservation agriculture practices - results of short term field tests in liselo, Namibia

Christian Thierfelder (2023, [Artículo])

This article focuses on the results from trials developed to monitor the short-term effects of conventionally tilled systems versus CA on soil quality and crop productivity under conditions of the major cropping systems in central, north-central and north-eastern regions of Namibia. Conventional tillage (CT), Minimum tillage (MT), Minimum tillage, mulch (MT-M), Minimum tillage, rotation (MT-R) and Minimum tillage, mulch and rotation (MT-MR) were the primary treatments tested. Significant differences (p≤0.000) among the treatments were observed in the 0-60 cm soil profiles where MT-M plots had the highest soil moisture content (39.8 mm, Standard Error of Mean 0.2815) over the study period. A significant difference (p=0.0206) in grain yield was observed in the second season with CT plots yielding the highest grain yield (3852.3 kg ha-1, standard error of mean 240.35). Results suggest that CA has the potential to increase water conservation and contribute to reduction of the risk of crop failure. Climate change driven degradation under conventional tillage necessitate alternative sustainable tillage methods. Conservation tillage methods and conservation agricultural practices that minimize soil disturbance while maintaining soil cover need to be adopted more locally as viable alternatives to conventional tillage.

Grain Yield Soil Moisture Content CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE CONVENTIONAL TILLAGE GRAIN YIELDS SOIL WATER CONTENT MAIZE

In vitro Digestibility of Yarrowia lipolytica Yeast and Growth Performance in Whiteleg Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

ANA RUTH ALVAREZ SANCHEZ CLAUDIO HUMBERTO MEJIA RUIZ Héctor Gerardo Nolasco Soria Alberto Peña Rodríguez (2018, [Artículo])

"Marine yeasts used in aquaculture disease control can also be an important protein source for improving feeding and nutrition of crustaceans. Yarrowia lipolyticca has been studied for its capacity to secrete heterologous proteins and high content of unsaturated fatty acids, beta-glucan, and mannane polymers in the cell wall. We measured in vitro digestibility of Y. lipolyticca by whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei digestive enzymes, and an in vivo assay of Y. lipolytica in feed onwhiteleg shrimp growth. We found that digestive gland enzymes of shrimp digest Y. lipolytica, based on reduced optical density of a yeast suspension. Digestion was –0.00236 ± 0.00010 OD U min–1 for intact cells and –0.00325 ± 0.00010 OD U min–1 for lysed cells. Release of reducing sugars in intact cells (5.3940 ± 0.1713 μmol h–1), and lysed cells (0.8396 ± 0.2251 μmol h–1) was measured. Digestive gland treatment significantly reduced cell viability (near 100%), relative to the control. Electron microscopy shows that the cell wall of Y. lipolytica exposed to the digestive gland enzymes was severely damaged. Shrimp diet containing Y. lipolytica resulted in significantly higher weight gain and specific growth rate of whiteleg shrimp."

Marine yeast, cell digestibility, cell viability, turbidimetry, reduced sugars BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOQUÍMICA BIOQUÍMICA DE ALIMENTOS BIOQUÍMICA DE ALIMENTOS

Low thermal conductivity solar domestic water heater

MIGUEL ANGEL PORTA GANDARA JOSE LUIS FERNANDEZ ZAYAS JUAN FRANCISCO VILLA MEDINA NORBERTO CHARGOY DEL VALLE (2022, [Artículo])

"Solar domestic water heaters (SWH) with thermosyphon circulation are the most common commercial applications of solar energy in Mexico. They are also becoming popular in the rest of the world, given their simplicity, good economic returns, and sustainability. Traditionally the solar collector, the piping, and the storage tank are built of copper and steel. However, wáter quality in many parts of the Mexican Northwest has high mineral contents and, when heated, results in early metal pitting corrosion of SWH parts. Short-lived water heaters are bad promoters of the technology. In this work, a SWH thermoplastic Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC) is built and tested under real operating conditions in La Paz, BCS, Mexico. The optimal design is detected with the aid of a suitable numerical model. Results reveal that a full SWH-CPVC can be technically and economically convenient for the weather conditions of the Northwestern states of Mexico."

Low thermal conductivity solar water heater CPVC solar water heater Solar water heater cooper pitting corrosion Thermosiphon circulation INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS TECNOLOGÍA ELECTRÓNICA DISPOSITIVOS TERMOELÉCTRICOS DISPOSITIVOS TERMOELÉCTRICOS

Agricultura, agua y cambio climático en zonas áridas de México

SALVADOR EMILIO LLUCH COTA JUAN ALBERTO VELAZQUEZ ZAPATA César Nieto Delgado (2022, [Artículo])

"En este artículo se expone cómo a pesar de que la ciencia y la tecnología han permitido aumentar históricamente la productividad agrícola, hoy día existen grandes retos derivados del cambio climático y la crisis global de abastecimiento de agua. Se comentan algunas medidas de adaptación y manejo del recurso agua, con algunas referencias a nuestra realidad nacional, y se argumenta cómo el enfoque de Nexo, que implica la toma de decisiones sobre el uso del recurso agua de forma transectorial, representa una alternativa de adaptación al cambio climático."

Cambio climático, agricultura, agua, Nexo, adaptación Climate change, agriculture, water, nexus, adaptation CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO CLIMATOLOGÍA CLIMATOLOGÍA REGIONAL CLIMATOLOGÍA REGIONAL