Cocoa is the main crop in Ecuador’s agricultural sector and is the most important to the country’s economy. This crop is mainly threatened by moniliasis caused by Moniliophthora roreri and Moniliophthora perniciosa. Monialisis is a disease that causes the watery rot of cocoa beans, causing serious yield losses at crop harvest and great economic losses. In this research, we used 50 Trichoderma spp. cultivated in two culture media, PDA and MEA, to demonstrate mycelial growth and antagonistic capacity against two cacao-crop pathogens: M. roreri and M. perniciosa. Multivariate methods, namely a PCA biplot and a GGE biplot, indicated that four strains of Trichoderma spp. (17, 33, 42 and 44) cultivated on the PDA medium had the highest mycelial characteristic values and antagonistic capacities against Moniliophthora perniciosa. The experimental test showed that the lowest incidence of moniliasis and highest yield of cocoa occurred when using the treatments based on the Trichoderma spp. The results obtained in this study allow the use of strain 42 to control moniliasis in cocoa, avoiding economic losses.

The adoption of digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), has emerged as a key strategy to improve efficiency, sustainability, and productivity in the agricultural sector, especially in contexts of modernization and digital transformation in developing regions. This study analyzes the key factors influencing the adoption of IoT technologies by farmers in the province of Guayas, Ecuador, and their impact on agricultural yields. The research is grounded in innovation diffusion theory and technology acceptance models, which emphasize the role of perception, usability, training, and economic viability in digital adoption. A total of 250 surveys were administered, with 232 valid responses (92.8% response rate), reflecting strong interest from the agricultural sector in digital transformation and precision agriculture. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the results confirm that general perception of IoT (β = 0.514), practical functionality (β = 0.488), and technical training (β = 0.523) positively influence adoption, while high implementation costs negatively affect it (β = −0.651), all of which are statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, adoption has a strong positive effect on agricultural yield (β = 0.795). The model explained a high percentage of variance in both adoption (R² = 0.771) and performance (R² = 0.706), supporting its predictive capacity. These findings underscore the need for public and private institutions to implement targeted training and financing strategies to overcome economic barriers and foster the sustainable integration of IoT technologies in Ecuadorian agriculture.

Currently, teaching and learning are significantly influenced by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially in a constantly evolving technological environment. The objective of this study was to develop a structural model to understand how university students use ICT for sustainable digital learning in the areas of social and business sciences. The study investigates the main factors influencing the acceptance of sustainable digital learning based on student satisfaction with the actual use of ICT. This research employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SEM-AMOS and utilizes a questionnaire based on the conceptual framework of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), its variants, and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as the primary method of data collection, from which 728 valid responses were obtained. Student responses were classified into several constructs and evaluated to determine their satisfaction with ICT for sustainable digital learning. The findings revealed a significant connection between computer self-efficacy, computer anxiety, and perceived enjoyment towards perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which in turn positively influenced student satisfaction with the use of ICT. This model proved effective in explaining student satisfaction and highlights the importance of deeply and strategically integrating ICT into educational design to promote digital learning as sustainability.

Supplementation of the substrate of mushrooms with calcium silicate and other minerals is usually used as a preventive measure against pests and other contaminants during the production of oyster mushrooms. Little is known of the effects of this supplementation on the quality of the mushrooms produced. In the work described herein, the supplementation of oyster mushrooms was performed with 5 supplementation levels (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 4%) on mushrooms from two different locations in Brazil, the two flushes of mushrooms produced were analysed in terms of phenolic compounds, organic acids, and the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities, and finally the data was subjected to a linear discriminant analysis to understand the discrimination of the supplementation percentages. Overall, intermediate supplementation until 1% seemed to have a positive effect on the mushrooms from Mogi-das-Cruzes region, while high supplementation favoured the mushrooms from the region of Presidente Prudente. Supplementation showed positive effects on the mushrooms by increasing the production of some secondary metabolites while not showing any negative cytotoxic effects.

The sustainable management of agricultural residues is a pivotal element in ensuring the sustainable development of agriculture. This is based on strategies that include the reutilization of residues as a substrate for the cultivation of economically significant mushroom species. The primary aim of this investigation is to assess the viability of utilizing two of the most prevalent agricultural residues in Ecuador as a substrate for the cultivation of hybrids within the Pleurotus genus. This assessment includes an evaluation of the nutritional and productivity parameters exhibited by the resulting mushrooms, employing multivariate statistical methodologies. The hybrid strains were developed by crossing compatible neohaplonts obtained through chemical dedikaryotization. A total of five neohaplonts of Pleurotus ostreatus as parental strain P1 and five monokaryons of Pleurotus djamor as parental strain P2 were randomly crossed in all possible combinations. Two parental hybrid strains, H1 and H2, were produced. These hybrids were cultivated using agricultural waste substrates, specifically, green banana leaves (GBL) and sugarcane bagasse (SB). Two distinct treatments or mixtures were tested: M1 (composed of 80% SB and 20% GBL) and M2 (composed of 20% SB and 80% GBL). It was found that the M1 blend promotes mushroom growth, yielding superior properties attributable to the higher proportion of nutritional content derived from sugarcane bagasse.

Supplementation of mushroom substrates has been linked to a higher resistance against insect pests, although few studies show the impact of this supplementation on the different agronomical parameters of mushrooms or even their chemical composition. In this work, the variation in the biological and chemical composition of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus var. florida (Jacq.) P. Kumm) was analysed after varying the substrate supplementation of calcium silicate (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4% (w/w%)) during two harvest flushes. Overall, supplementation did not change the weight, the number of fruiting bodies, biological efficiency, yield ratio, and productivity rate of the mushrooms, although the harvest flushes did show significant differences. Furthermore, slight changes were found in the chemical composition with an increase in vitamin D₂ and tocopherols for the mushrooms with higher amounts of calcium silicate. Overall, the substrate supplementation did not seem to induce expressive changes or decrease production yields, and can, therefore, continue to be researched as a potential application to fight agronomical pests.