Agriculture in the Andean region is mainly small-scale and rainfed, especially in Peru where almost 80% of its population depends on agriculture-related activities. Climate change in addition to social factors threatens the food security of this region. The forecast of more frequent dry spells would especially affect potato crops, domesticated centuries ago in the Andes, where there remains a great genetic diversity. This study aimed to characterize the response to drought stress of 79 potato landraces traditionally grown in the Central Andes of Peru (Pasco region) as a first selection for future breeding evaluations. The used indices were mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), stress tolerance (STI), stress susceptibility (SSI), and tolerance index (TOL), and a scoring methodology that integrates all of them into a single descriptor in a simple and fast way. The varied responses showed a wide genetic diversity within the assessed landraces, where at least nine of them own high resilience and productivity qualities, and many others are highly vulnerable to drought. It is recommended to complement these studies with physiological and molecular evaluations in stress situations, especially in those with tolerance qualities highlighted in this study, and thus promote the conservation of the biodiversity of this region.

Este estudo analisa a relação entre variáveis meteorológicas (temperatura, umidade relativa e precipitação) e o rendimento da cultura da maca (Lepidium meyenii) na região de Pasco de 2002 a 2024. Foram utilizados dados oficiais do Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário e Irrigação (MIDAGRI) e do Serviço Nacional de Meteorologia e Hidrologia (SENAMHI), processados por meio de análise de correlação, regressão linear simples e múltipla e projeções de tendência. Os resultados não mostram tendência estatisticamente significativa no rendimento da maca ou na área cultivada durante o período analisado. As variáveis meteorológicas explicaram apenas 17,8% da variação do rendimento, revelando a influência determinante de fatores de manejo agronômico, práticas de conservação do solo e dinâmica de mercado. A projeção para 2030 estima um rendimento de 5,03 t/ha e uma área cultivada de 164 ha, refletindo um cenário de estabilidade moderada. Conclui-se que, para fortalecer a capacidade preditiva e a resiliência climática da cultura, é necessário incorporar variáveis de solo, manejo e socioeconômicas em estudos futuros. Este trabalho fornece uma base técnica útil para orientar políticas agrícolas na região de Pasco e promover a sustentabilidade da maca diante das mudanças climáticas.

A nivel global, la producción de café enfrenta desafíos similares que han impulsado la adopción de tecnologías de propagación mejorada. Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto del tamaño de bolsa y el uso de reguladores de crecimiento en el desarrollo de plantones de café (Coffea arabica L.) variedad Catuaí en Chanchamayo, Perú. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio aplicado y experimental con diseño completo al azar, utilizando nueve tratamientos derivados de la combinación de tres tamaños de bolsa (4×7, 6×8 y 7×11 pulgadas) y tres condiciones hormonales (Roothort®, Phyllum® y un testigo sin regulador), con 60 plantas por tratamiento. A los 120 días después del repique se evaluaron variables morfológicas incluyendo número de hojas, altura de planta, diámetro del tallo, longitud de raíz, peso fresco radicular, peso fresco aéreo y contenido de clorofila (SPAD). Resultados: Los resultados evidenciaron diferencias significativas (p<0.05) en todas las variables evaluadas. El tratamiento con bolsa mediana (6×8 pulgadas) y Roothort® mostró un desempeño superior en altura, vigor foliar y contenido de clorofila. Las bolsas grandes favorecieron la longitud de raíz, pero sin mejorar proporcionalmente el desarrollo aéreo. Conclusiones: La combinación de bolsa mediana y Roothort® optimiza la calidad del plantón, representando una alternativa eficiente para agricultores.

The diversity of native potatoes cultivated above 3500 masl in the Pasco region (Central Andes of Peru) has not been fully characterized. It is currently subject to constant genetic erosion caused by biotic and abiotic factors. The research aimed to characterize phenotypically and genotypically 40 native potato landraces representative of 4 Solanum species. Twenty phenotypic descriptors and 10 microsatellites were used for genetic evaluation. Likewise, the ploidy level was evaluated based on the number of chloroplasts in the stomata. The clustering analysis was performed using the Infostat software and the R program with the Adegenet and Polysat libraries. The phenotypic characterization allowed to obtain five groups with a distance coefficient of 9.5. The molecular characterization found seven groups and 58 alleles in total. The average number of alleles per microsatellite was 5.5. 13.2 % of duplicates were identified. The microsatellites STG001, STM1106, ST0032, and STM5127 with an average He of 0.8 and a polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.5 - 0.8 were the most informative. Finally, the ploidy results were 13 % diploid, 35 % triploid, and 52 % tetraploid. It was evidenced low diversity when using a set of 10 SSR markers, which indicates limited applicability for studying the genetic diversity of local potato landraces. It is necessary to involve a broader range of markers and a more diverse set of genotypes from the Pasco region for further studies.

NPK fertilization can modify crop yield and contribute to the production of foods with greater nutritional value. However, further studies are needed to understand how different NPK rates modulate the responses of Solanum lycopersicum, particularly regarding fruit quality. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of different NPK fertilization rates on the morphophysiological traits and yield of S. lycopersicum L. plants, as well as fruit quality based on physicochemical attributes, antioxidant activity, and mineral composition. The experiment was conducted under a completely randomized design with five treatments: T1 (700 kg ha⁻¹), T2 (1000 kg ha⁻¹), T3 (1500 kg ha⁻¹), T4 (2000 kg ha⁻¹), and T5 (2500 kg ha⁻¹). The results showed that T3 exhibited the most favorable performance in morphological variables, with a plant height of 154.61 cm, a leaf area of 20.1 cm², and 3.86 inflorescences per plant. This treatment also achieved the highest yield, with a total tomato production of 1.58 kg per plant and an estimated productivity of 52,666.7 kg ha⁻¹ (52.67 t ha⁻¹). Regarding stomatal characteristics, T3 presented 23.33 stomata and a stomatal density of 106.1, according to the corresponding measurement units. Concerning fruit physicochemical quality, T3 exhibited a balanced profile of physicochemical attributes and antioxidant activity, with intermediate values for total soluble solids (6.13 °Brix), total soluble sugars (4.32%), and antioxidant capacity assessed using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay (23.6%). Regarding mineral composition, fruits from plants subjected to T3 showed greater accumulation of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, with concentrations approximately 70–100 times higher than those in the control treatment. These results suggest that the NPK rate of 1500 kg ha⁻¹ simultaneously favored plant growth, yield, and several attributes associated with fruit nutritional quality. In contrast, lower or higher rates were associated with less favorable responses in several evaluated variables. Overall, NPK rates differentially modulated plant growth, yield, and fruit nutritional quality, with T3 (1500 kg ha⁻¹) showing the most favorable overall performance.