Induced systemic resistance (ISR) is a mechanism involved in the plant defense response against pathogens. Certain members of the Bacillus genus are able to promote the ISR by maintaining a healthy photosynthetic apparatus, which prepares the plant for future stress situations. The goal of the present study was to analyze the effect of the inoculation of Bacillus on the expression of genes involved in plant responses to pathogens, as a part of the ISR, during the interaction of Capsicum chinense infected with PepGMV. The effects of the inoculation of the Bacillus strains in pepper plants infected with PepGMV were evaluated by observing the accumulation of viral DNA and the visible symptoms of pepper plants during a time-course experiment in greenhouse and in in vitro experiments. The relative expression of the defense genes CcNPR1, CcPR10, and CcCOI1 were also evaluated. The results showed that the plants inoculated with Bacillus subtilis K47, Bacillus cereus K46, and Bacillus sp. M9 had a reduction in the PepGMV viral titer, and the symptoms in these plants were less severe compared to the plants infected with PepGMV and non-inoculated with Bacillus. Additionally, an increase in the transcript levels of CcNPR1, CcPR10, and CcCOI1 was observed in plants inoculated with Bacillus strains. Our results suggest that the inoculation of Bacillus strains interferes with the viral replication, through the increase in the transcription of pathogenesis-related genes, which is reflected in a lowered plant symptomatology and an improved yield in the greenhouse, regardless of PepGMV infection status.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of inoculation with Bacillus spp. isolates on the photosynthetic apparatus of Capsicum chinense plants infected with PepGMV. In vitro and greenhouse experiments were performed to evaluate whether the inoculation improved plants’ performance through the increase in photosynthetic efficiency to control PepGMV. The results showed that despite PepGMV infection, the plants inoculated with some isolates of Bacillus spp. had a healthy photosynthetic mechanism, as the photochemical parameters and gas exchange increased. The maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) of plants with PepGMV and inoculated with Bacillus isolates (M9, K46, and K47) increased (7.85, 7.09, and 7.77%, respectively) with respect to uninoculated controls. In inoculated plants, the CO₂ assimilation rate increased and the transpiration rate decreased, therefore indicating an increased water use efficiency. This effect was reflected by the less severe symptoms caused by PepGMV in the plants obtained from seeds inoculated with different Bacillus spp. Plants inoculated with K47 isolates showed an increase in fruit yield and quality. This study suggests that it is possible to protect, at the greenhouse level, C. chinense plants from PepGMV through selected rhizobacteria inoculation.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is cultivated in regions with frequent drought periods and high temperatures, conditions that have intensified in the last decades. One of the most important photosynthetic components, sensible to hydric stress, is maximum quantum yield for photosystem II (PSII, or Fv/Fm). The objective of the present study was to identify sorghum genotypes with tolerance to hydric and heat stress. The treatments were hydric status (hydric stress or non-hydric stress (irrigation)), the plant’s developmental stages (pre or post-anthesis), and six genotypes. The response variables were Fv/Fm; photosynthetic rate (P_N); stomatal conductance (g_s); transpiration rate (E); relative water content (RWC); damage to cell membrane (DCM) at temperatures of 40 and 45 °C; and agronomic variables. The experiment was conducted in pots in open sky in Marín, N.L., in the dry and hot northeast Mexico. The treatment design was a split–split plot design, with three factors. Hydric stress diminished the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus by 63%, due to damage caused to PSII. Pre-anthesis was the most vulnerable stage to hydric stress as it decreased the weight of grains per panicle (85%), number of grains per panicle (69%), and weight of 100 grains (46%). Genotypes LER 1 and LER 2 were identified as tolerant to hydric stress, as they had lower damage to PSII; LER 1 and LEB 2 for their superior RWC; and LER 1 as a thermo tolerant genotype, due to its lower DCM at 45 °C. It was concluded that LER 1 could have the potential for both hydric and heat stress tolerance in the arid northeast Mexico.

Determination of actual crop evapotranspiration (ETc) is a crucial challenge for sustainable irrigation water management. In this sense, robust and accurate estimation models of crop water consumption along with spatial tools and processing platforms in the cloud are necessary to determine the timing and amount of irrigation needed as a first step toward proposing solutions and water use efficiency. The objective of this study was to determine maize crop evapotranspiration using the algorithms of the Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) model in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The crop was monitored with 14 Landsat images during its growth period. ETc values with METRIC were compared with ETc obtained with the FAO-56 methodology, and the cumulative ETc was compared with ETc derived from a soil moisture sensor. The evaluation between the METRIC model and FAO-56 displayed a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.87, mean squared error (MSE) of 0.8 mm/day, and bias percentage (PBIAS) of -14.5. According to the cumulative ETc, the difference was 16 mm for METRIC and 63 mm for FAO-56, compared with moisture sensor values. METRIC overestimated by 3.0% (PBIAS=-3.0), and FAO-56 underestimated by 11.9% (PBIAS=11.9). The results and the programmed algorithms in this work can be the basis for future calibrations and validations of the evapotranspiration of different crops.

La cebolla (Allium cepa L.) es de las principales especies hortícolas producidas en Baja California, México.En este cultivo se han observado síntomas presuntivos de virus que pueden provocar pérdidas en rendimiento y calidad. El objetivo de esta investigación fue detectar virus asociados a cebolla cultivada en zonas de alta producción de Baja California. Se colectaron muestras de material vegetal (síntomáticos y asintomáticos) y de insectos trips en parcelas comerciales. Se utilizaron antisueros comerciales para detectar Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV), Tomato spot wild virus (TSWV), Leek yellow spot virus (LYSV), Onion yellow spot virus (OYDV) y Garlic common latent virus (GarCLV). Siete especies de plantas indicadoras fueron inoculadas mecánicamente con savia de cebollas (sintomáticas y asintomáticas). Los resultados mostraron presencia de IYSV, TSWV, OYDV, LYSV y GarCLV en las cebollas sintomáticas. De las muestras vegetales, el 77 % mostraron incidencia en forma de complejos virales y en 23 % sólo fue detectada la presencia de LYSV. Trips identificados como Frankliniella occidentalis P. portaban IYSV, TSWV, LYSV, OYDV y GarCLV en forma de complejos, en La Trinidad y San Quintín. En las plantas indicadoras no se observaron síntomas de virosis. Es evidente que F. occidentalis P. es responsable de transmitir los virus analizados en este estudio en cebolla cultivada. No existen reportes previos sobre detección de Orthotospovirus, Potyvirus y Carlavirus en cebolla en Baja California.

Este libro es el resultado de un estudio de evaluación de tres mejoradores de suelo sobre la salinidad del suelo, el crecimiento, el estado nutricional, el índice SPAD y el rendimiento en el cultivo de apio (Apium graveolens L. var. Dulce (Mill.) Pers). Se estudiaron cuatro tratamientos distintos y se compararon antes del trasplante y al final del ciclo del cultivo. Se determinó la salinidad, la reacción del suelo y las concentraciones de aniones y cationes. Durante el experimento se midió el ancho de cuello, ancho de tallo, número de hojas y altura de planta. Se determinaron las concentraciones nutrimentales de nitratos, potasio, calcio y sodio. Además, se determinó el índice SPAD. Finalmente, se analizaron los resultados obtenidos por efecto de los distintos mejoradores así como sus variables. Los resultados encontrados permitieron aportar las conclusiones del estudio.