The global landscape is marked by climatic, socioeconomic, and demographic complexities, and enhancing food production through byproducts has emerged as a powerful strategy to address these challenges. This review aimed to analyze the potential impacts of VIUSID^® agro, an amino acid–based growth promoter, on plant growth, productivity, and tolerance to salt stress. A quantitative systematic review was conducted utilizing databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The research papers highlighted the positive effects of VIUSID^® agro on growth and production, as well as on physiological and biochemical indices related to salt stress across various crops. Furthermore, this biostimulant can be administered in different doses and through various application methods. The review also examined its effects during the ex vitro acclimatization phase and in tissue culture. The results demonstrated enhanced crop growth, increased biomass accumulation, modulation of photosynthesis, improved enzymatic antioxidant defenses, and maintenance of ionic homeostasis, all contributing to superior crop performance. These findings suggest that VIUSID^® agro is beneficial for a wide range of crops, with its effectiveness primarily attributed to its rich amino acid composition, which influences and modulates various physiological and biochemical processes within plant cells.

Baculoviruses (BV) are highly effective against lepidopteran pests of economic importance such as Spodoptera exigua. The combined use of entomopathogens and macrobiological control agents requires the study of their relationships. Laboratory bioassays were developed to evaluate the interactions between the multiple nucleopolyhedroviruses of S. exigua (SeMNPV) and Autographa californica (AcMNPV), and the predator Chrysoperla carnea. The microscopic examination of predator’s excreta (larval drops and meconia) after the ingestion of BV-infected S. exigua revealed the presence of viral occlusion bodies (OBs). The reinfection of S. exigua larvae with BVs-contaminated excreta by using OBs water suspensions or by direct application both yielded high mortality values but different speed-of-kill results. Meconia killed before in suspensions due to their higher viral load and larval excretion drops did so in direct application due to their liquid nature and their easiness of consumption. The prey-mediated ingestion of SeMNPV and AcMNPV triggered slight effects in C. carnea, which were probably derived from the food nutritional quality. Chrysoperla carnea larvae did not discriminate between healthy and BV-infected S. exigua, while a preference was shown for S. exigua (healthy or infected) vs. Macrosiphum euphorbiae. Our findings present C. carnea, and particularly its larvae, as a promissory candidate for BV dispersion in the field.

The use of entomopathogenic fungi (EF) as endophytes is an environmentally friendly alternative for sustainable food production, given that the current paradigm in crop protection is based on the use of organosynthetic pesticides, with more than two million tons per year worldwide. For these reasons, EF have the ability to live within plant tissues as endophytes acting as biopesticides. Under this scenario, this review analyzes and discusses the global status of the endophytic entomopathogenic fungi (EEF), their potential in plant protection against plant diseases and insect pests and as plant growth promoters. Successes and failures, and prospects for field application are examined. More than 7000 studies on EEF have been published, with important success cases. However, it is necessary to understand that the agricultural production is based on the use of external inputs, mainly pesticides. While progressive changes occur, it is fundamental to investigate the effect of these substances on the efficacy and persistence of EEF, without neglecting that the lack of knowledge of the effect of biotic and abiotic factors on EEF is an important cause of failures. Future studies should be focused on clarifying aspects such as: application strategies, endophytic persistence and transmission routes to improve the sustainability of agricultural production.

To assess Mexican genotypes of tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L., in response to pests and as potential rootstocks, 10 genotypes were evaluated under field conditions from June to November 2016 in the Ciénega of Chapala region, Mexico. Two wild genotypes, eight landraces, and one commercial cultivar as a check were evaluated. Genotypes with denser trichomes and resistance against pests were evaluated as rootstocks of commercial variety ‘Rio Grande’ (January-April 2017) under greenhouse conditions at “Las Agujas”, Jalisco, Mexico. Pest incidence, trichome density, and yield were recorded. Wild and creole genotypes differed statistically (P ≤ 0.05) by incidence of pests and density of trichomes; some had fewer pests and denser trichomes compared to the commercial variety. Density of trichomes and resistance against pests were inversely correlated (r = - 0.48 to - 0.91, P ≤ 0.05). Six genotypes with greater potential were selected as rootstocks. Except one, greater density of trichomes in landraces and wild genotypes was transferred by grafting to the commercial variety without reducing yield potential. Trichome density and pest incidence were inversely correlated (r = - 0.60 to - 0.94, P ≤ 0.05) in the grafted tomato plants. Yield of grafted plants was as many as six times greater (12.38 vs. 1.80 kg/plant, respectively) than the nongrafted variety. Results contribute to prediction of resistance of crop varieties against pests and take advantage of Mexican tomato genotypes by direct production or indirectly for improvement of commercial cultivars.

Background: Alphabaculoviruses are Lepidoptera‐specific virulent pathogens that infect numerous pests, including the Spodoptera complex. Due to their low environmental persistence, the traditional use of Alphabaculoviruses as bioinsecticides consist in high‐rate spray applications with repeated treatments. Several abiotic and biotic factors can foster its dispersion, promoting their persistence in the agroecosystem. Amongst biotic factors, predatory arthropods can disperse the viruses by excretion after preying on infected individuals. Therefore, this study focused on promoting predator's ingestion of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV)‐treated diets, and the later exposition of the insect host to leaf surfaces contaminated with predator excreta. The virus–host–predator system studied was Spodoptera littoralis nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpliNPV), Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) and Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter). The infective potential of N. tenuis feces and the retention time of SpliNPV were assessed under laboratory conditions after feeding on treated diets (sucrose solution and Ephestia kuehniella eggs).Results: Mortality of S. littoralis larvae was lower via N. tenuis excretion than in positive control (spray application) in the first infection cycle, together with a delay in host death. In the second infection cycle, both SpliNPV‐treated diets triggered 100% mortality. Both diets allowed the transmission of SpliNPV, with a faster excretion via sucrose solution compared to E. kuehniella eggs. SpliNPV remained in N. tenuis digestive tract and was viable after excretion at least for 9 days for both diets.Conclusions: This study demonstrated the potential of the predator N. tenuis as inoculative agent of baculoviruses, representing a new alternative that, along with inundative applications, might contribute to improve pest management strategies. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

In this study, we evaluated Polimaize lines, named Polimaize, through the integration of alleles from the Native Blue Corn (NBC-JIQ), a local Mexican maize variety indigenous to the northeast region of Michoacán, Mexico, into elite maize lines curated by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). This crossbreeding aimed to enhance the nutritional profile of maize, particularly in terms of antioxidants and anthocyanins, which are scarce in elite lines. Our results demonstrated a significant increase in these compounds in the Polimaize lines, with variations due to heterosis. Despite these nutritional improvements, some traits showed decreased concentrations compared to parent lines, notably in sucrose and tryptophan, suggesting a potential trade-off. The study also found significant heritability in amino acids and tryptophan, while hexose sugars showed no substantial heritability. The Polimaize variety exhibited high starch content heritability, comparable to elite lines. Field trials confirmed Polimaize’s promising yield and agronomic traits, highlighting its potential for enhancing consumer health and contributing to sustainable agriculture through enriched crop nutritional quality. This project underscores the value of integrating local race alleles into elite lines, offering genetic diversity in maize cultivation.