In this work, the chemical analysis of the volatile fractions obtained by simultaneous distillation-extraction of aerial parts of a species of Ocotea aff. O. caparrapi known as “Cascarillo” was carried out by GC-MS. The main components identified were: α-pinene (23.9%) and β-pinene (14.7%), in the resin; α-terpineol (26.6%) and methyleugenol (14.7%), in the leaves; elemicin (31.3%) and methyleugenol (31.1%), in the branch bark; myristicin (35.4-46.1%), terpinen-4-ol (14.9-26.3%), and α-terpineol (17.5-21.3%), in stem bark. A high content of monoterpene hydrocarbons (82.6% and 51.8%) were found in the resin and leaves; and propenylbenzenes (66.5%), in the branch bark. Oxygenated monoterpenes (44.5-57.3%) and propenylbenzenes (52.3-38.7%) constituted the stem bark. The identification of methyleugenol, elemicin and myristicin, in the volatile fractions, allowed us to establish a relationship between the Ocotea sp. of our study with O. caparrapi and O. cymbarum.

El arroz (Oryza sativa) es uno de los alimentos más consumidos en el mundo, y es de gran importancia económica para los colombianos. Sin embargo, el cultivo de arroz es comúnmente afectado por plagas, lo que ha requerido el uso de agroquímicos, que contaminan el medio ambiente y perjudican la salud humana. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el impacto de extractos acuosos de hojas de Azadirachta indica, planta conocida por su función repelente, sobre las poblaciones de insectos en un cultivo experimental de arroz, en fase vegetativa. Los tratamientos de las parcelas de arroz se efectuaron con tres disoluciones acuosas preparadas a partir de hojas de A. indica (T1 = 5 %, T2 = 10 %, T3 = 20 %), además se utilizó un control negativo (T4 = 0 %). Se realizaron muestreos semanales de la población de insectos para comprobar la eficacia de los extractos. Se procesaron 7418 individuos pertenecientes a 12 órdenes: Diptera (2720) fue el orden más representativo, seguido de Hemiptera (1854) y Coleoptera (1045). No se obtuvieron plagas significativas. Delphacidae fue la familia más abundante (se capturaron 92 individuos). Finalmente, se observó una eficacia del 74 % para el tercer tratamiento (T3). Con ello se concluyó que el uso de A. indica tuvo un efecto controlador sobre la población de insectos del cultivo.

Several studies have been carried out on the antimicrobial potential of natural flora, on various bacteria (Gram-negative and Gram-positive) and fungi. Among the pathogens of great importance are those of the genus Colletotrichum, as they cause anthracnose in a wide variety of plants. The aim of this work was to determine the antimicrobial activities (AMA) of plant extracts (PE) and essential oils (EO) of plant material collected in the northeastern region of Colombia. For EO obtained from Piper tenue Kunth, Piper eriopodon (Miq.) C. DC., Piper marginatum Jacq., Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit, Eriope crassipes Benth. and Lippia origanoides Kunth., were evaluated the occurrence of inhibition halos against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella spp., Escherichia coli, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus spp. and Candida spp. On the other hand, the growth inhibition of Colletotrichum musae Berk. & Curt. and Colletotrichum asianum was observed for the PE obtained from Ocotea aff. Ocotea caparrapi (Sand.-Groot ex Nates) Dugand, Trattinnickia rhoifolia Willd., Tetragastris panamensis (Engl.) Kuntze and Siparuna guianensis Aubl.. L. origanoides EO and E. crassipes EO, inhibited the growth of S. typhimurium, A. terreus and Candida spp. For C. musae: O. aff. O. caparrapi and T. rhoifolia (1.0% w/v), showed a percentage inhibition of mycelial growth (IMG), and a percentage reduction of conidial production (RCP), greater than 85%; T. panamensis and S. guianensis showed IMG and RCP greater than 71%. For C. asianum: O. aff. O. caparrapi (1.0% w/v), achieved inhibition greater than 83% (IMG and RCP), followed by S. guianensis, T. panamensis and T. rhoifolia. AMA showed a high correlation with phenolic content. The EO of L. origanoides and E. crassipes, and the PE of O. aff. O. caparrapi exhibited high AMA, comparable to that of the controls.

The exploration of fungal diversity in Cesar, Colombia, represents a strategic priority due to the need to identify bioactive compounds that support the development of a sustainable biotrade in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and agrochemical sectors, as well as to provide resources for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems in the context of climate change. Within this framework, the present study aimed to preliminarily evaluate the biotechnological potential of Auricularia nigricans and Muscodor sp., collected in Pueblo Bello, Cesar, Colombia. The taxonomic characterization of both species was performed using macroscopic, microscopic, and molecular analyses. For A. nigricans, reducing sugars, total carbohydrates, and total phenolic content were quantified to establish an initial biochemical profile. For Muscodor sp., liquid and solid-state fermentations were carried out using mycelium to evaluate extracellular protein concentration and enzymatic activity. Additionally, the bioremediation capacity of the mycelium in aqueous solutions of methylene blue was determined. The results showed that A. nigricans had a high total carbohydrate content and moderate levels of phenolic compounds, suggesting potential applications in the nutraceutical field. Raw enzymatic extracts from Muscodor sp. showed low protein concentration and limited enzymatic activity; however, the mycelium achieved up to 77 % degradation of methylene blue, demonstrating bioremediation potential against dye-type contaminants. This study constitutes the first report on the taxonomic and biochemical characterization of A. nigricans and Muscodor sp. in Cesar, Colombia, providing valuable information for regional bioprospecting and laying the groundwork for future research aimed at identifying metabolites with biotechnological potential.