Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important cereals worldwide. To maintain crop productivity, it is important to eliminate weeds that compete for nutrients and other resources. The eradication of these causes environmental problems through the use of agrochemicals. The implementation of technology to mitigate this impact is also a challenge. In this work, an artificial vision system was implemented based on the YOLOv5s (You Only Look Once) model, which uses a single convolutional neural network (CNN) that allows differentiating corn from four types of weeds, for which a mobile support structure was built to capture images. The performance of the trained model had a value of mAP@05 (mean Average Precision) at a threshold of 0.5 of 83.6%. A prediction accuracy of 97% and a mAP@05 of 97.5% were obtained for the maize class. For the weed classes, Lolium perenne, Sonchus oleraceus, Solanum nigrum, and Poa annua obtained an accuracy of 86%, 90%, 78%, and 74%, and a mAP@05 of 81.5%, 90.2%, 76.6% and 72.0%, respectively. The results are encouraging for the construction of a precision weeding system.

Water scarcity is an increasingly recurring problem for irrigated agriculture in Mediterranean regions. It is, therefore, necessary to establish technical and financial measures to enable irrigators to deal with this problem. This study presents a new index-based drought insurance scheme in an irrigation district in the Jucar river basin in Spain, a highly regulated water system. Three insurance scheme options were evaluated and, the values of the fair risk premiums, the maximum compensation, and the deductible franchise were established. These insurance schemes were designed in agreement with the preexisting drought system operating rules to reduce moral hazard and adverse selection. Risk-reducing and effective evaluation methods were used to determine the insurance coverage’s viability for irrigators: standard deviation gross margin, minimum gross margin, and RMSL. The proposed insurances were also evaluated using synthetic hydrological time series generated with a stochastic ARMA model through a basin-wide water resource simulation model developed in the DSS Shell AQUATOOL. Financial indicators, such as the basis risk and claim ratio were applied to analyze the economic feasibility for insurance companies. The results show that a suitable and efficient option is an early-bird contract combined with a trigger of emergency or alert state in a multi-year contract. This type of specialized insurance helps to fill the existing gap in traditional insurance schemes for irrigated crops and offered additional coverage to farmers under drought and water scarcity conditions.

We present the construction of a methodological proposal to determine which indicators should be considered in the monitoring and evaluation of water resource management in the irrigation districts in Colombia (Land Adequacy Districts). This document begins with a characterization of the subsector of land adequacy, presents the national and international background in the assessment of water resource management, and establishes the optimal scope given the experience of Colombian institutions, the current legal framework, and the quality of official information on subsector issues. Economic, social, water, and climate aspects are considered. Thirteen indicators were chosen from Product Management Indicators, Activity Management Indicators and Results, and Impact Indicators.

Drip irrigation stands out for its high efficiency and low energy consumption, but its performance is highly dependent on water quality. Suspended solids can cause emitter clogging, making filtration a critical component for system reliability. This study evaluated disc and screen filters to determine filtration effectiveness, assess the influence of inlet velocity on efficiency, evaluate pressure drop with and without the filter element, and identify optimal operating flow rates. Four tests were performed with different particle size ranges (250-212 µm; 212-180 µm; 180-150 µm; 150-125 µm; 125-106 µm) and inlet velocities of 0.4, 0.6, and 0.9 m s⁻¹, corresponding to flow rates of 20, 30, and 40 m³ h⁻¹. An effective particle removal efficiency above 85% was considered acceptable. Results showed that a filter inlet velocity of up to 0.6 m s⁻¹ is recommended for efficient filtration. The 120-mesh disc filter demonstrated a wider operational range regarding both inlet velocity and particle retention than the screen filter. Although disc filters provided better filtration performance, they also generated higher pressure drops. Optimal operation for screen filters occurred between 20 and 30 m³ h⁻¹, with pressure drops from 34.3 to 35.3 kPa, whereas disc filters performed best between 20 and 25 m³ h⁻¹, with pressure drops of 26.5 to 29.4 kPa.

- Unde Exoriar? En los cien años del “Curso de lingüística general” de Ferdinand de Saussure (Miguel Ángel Mahecha)Unde Exoriar? In the one hundred years of the “Course on General Linguistics” by Ferdinand de Saussure

The production process of non-centrifuged cane sugar (NCS) involves a significant release of steam and heat due to the evaporation of cane juices in saucepans over a solid fuel oven. This results in a warm and moisture-saturated environment, which can be suffocating for workers. This study aimed to evaluate the bioclimatic behavior of an NCS processing facility, based on the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index. In addition, solutions are suggested to mitigate possible adverse effects of heat stress. This evaluation utilized computational simulations to determine the thermal comfort perceived by the workers. The accuracy of simulations was verified against temperature and relative air humidity data collected from the facility. Bioclimatic simulations encompassed twelve treatments, involving modifications to the enclosure on the walls and lantern window, incorporating three types of roof material. The WBGT index was determined by considering the effects of the radiant heat generated by the oven and the natural ventilation area on the facility’s temperature and relative air humidity. This helps to assess the comfort experienced by the workers. The thermal zone of the oven presented heat stress conditions; therefore, rest periods and mechanical ventilation were suggested when dissipating heat and steam through natural ventilation is not possible. For workers exposed to high temperatures and thermal radiation, the use of an aluminized apron and infrared goggles for eye protection was recommended.