The genus Vanilla comprises around 110 species distributed throughout Earth's tropical regions, with the largest number of reported species growing in the American continent. Vanilla farming is associated with many Mexican cultures such as the Totonac, Mayan, Chinantec, and Mazatec, among others. Currently, this crop is threatened by technical, social, ecological, and climatic conditioning factors, limiting its production and the preservation of wild and cultivated species. It is therefore necessary to ascertain the current diversity status of each of these species, as well as some of their main bioclimatic profile indicators, in order to help decision-making, aimed at preserving and genetically improve these species. During 2008, we gathered data from IPN, MEXU, and XAL herbaria, as well as from CONABIO’s World Information Network on Biodiversity (REMIB), the Global Biodiversity and Information Facility (GBIF), and we also used data from live access to BUAP’s vanilla germplasm bank, obtained between 2008 and 2014. Distribution maps were generated using a geographical information system. Bioclimatic profiles for each species were obtained considering 19 WorldClim variables and altitude at a spatial resolution of approximately 1 Km2. Variance, Mean, and standard deviation for each of the 19 variables were calculated at each of the registered points. Extreme environmental condition intervals (minimum, average, and maximum) were also obtained. In order to determine the most important distribution variables of the species, we performed a principal component analysis and carried out Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's tests on the variables identified as significant. Results indicated records for V. planifolia, V. pompona, V. insignis, V. inodora V. odorata, V. cribbiana, and V. sprucei in Mexico, distributed throughout nine states in the country. V. planifolia presented wide intervals of temperature and rain precipitation, while V. pompona, V. odorata, V. insignis and V. inodora presented intermediate intervals. The amplitudes of extreme data for each species can be considered in locating areas where ex situ regional preservation strategies could be put in place, as well as in establishing areas for cultivation. The bioclimatic profile we found, allows for an indirect inference of each species’ genetic condition, which could be used in genetic improvement programs; for instance, V. odorata grows at high altitudes and tolerates low temperatures, while V. inodora tolerates high temperatures, and V. odorata, V. pompona and V. planifolia tolerate low rain precipitation.

Strawberry wilt is a disease caused by Fusarium solani, which it provokes the death of the plant. Farmers mainly use chemical methods for its control, which has a negative impact on the environment and human health. Given the growing demand for organic agricultural products, compatible alternatives must be sought for disease management that can reduce the doses of fungicides. A combination of pesticides and biological control agents could be an alternative for the management of F. solani. Consequently, investigations on fungicide compatibility and synergistic effects are recommended in relation to the biological control of strawberry wilt. In this study, potential antagonism was calculated according to the class of mycoparasitism and the percentage inhibition of radial growth in order to later design a compatibility model of the different species of Trichoderma with three protective fungicides at different concentrations. The potential antagonism showed that Trichoderma asperellum presented high compatibility with the fungicides Captan and Mancozeb added in concentrations of 450, 900, and 1350 mg L⁻¹. The use of antagonistic strains together with the fungicide Chlorothalonil in its three concentrations showed a negative effect on the growth of Trichoderma species, which caused low and null compatibility against the MA-FC120 strain of F. solani in vitro.

The problems and limitations of the control of diseases caused by phytopathogens through the use of fungicides, make the biological control present as an alternative method in the production of tomato plants in greenhouse, which is limited by the incidence of Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend.:Fr., being the most worldwide destructive disease. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of three Mexican strains of the genus Trichoderma against F. oxysporum on the production of tomato seedlings under greenhouse conditions, as well as to determine the antagonistic effect of the strains used. The Trichoderma harzianum strain had the highest antagonistic activity (81.50%) and the highest growth rate (1.25 cm/day), proving to be the most aggressive strain to control F. oxysporum. in addition the results of the interaction of the dual cultures paired, presented a visible overgrowth zone with hyphae of Trichoderma spp. Seeds inoculated with T. harzianum showed a survival of 84% and a mortality of 16%, lower than the control group, which present a mortality of 58%; however, the treatment inoculated with F. oxysporum had the highest incidence of “disease” with 83%, the lowest survival (17%) and a decrease of the green biomass with respect to the control.

Introducción: El frijol es la leguminosa más cultivada del mundo. En México es el segundo cultivo más importante después del maíz y de importancia básica para el consumo humano. La selección de variedades tolerantes a déficit hídrico, constituye una estrategia para incrementar la estabilidad genética de los cultivos y disminuir las pérdidas en el rendimiento con la finalidad de definir agroecotipos específicos para el cultivo de frijol. Método: El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar cuatro variedades de frijol negro con resistencia horizontal a estrés hídrico bajo condiciones de temporal en dos localidades de la Sierra Nororiental del estado de Puebla. Se utilizó un diseño de bloques completos al azar con 10 tratamientos y 5 repeticiones; las variables evaluadas fueron a) supervivencia durante el ciclo fenológico del cultivo y b) rendimiento potencial con la adición de cal agrícola al suelo, por ser una práctica campesina local de cultivo de frijol en la región, durante el ciclo agrícola 2019. Resultados: La emergencia del cultivo se registró a los 10 días después de la siembra (dds), floración (60 dds) y madurez fisiológica en 124 dds, en San Juan Acateno del municipio de Teziutlán y en Pezmatlán del municipio de Tlatlauquitepec. Las variedades de frijol Huejonapan y Acatlán sin aplicación de cal, obtuvieron el mayor rendimiento potencial con 757 y 562 kg ha-1 respectivamente en la localidad de San Juan Acateno bajo condiciones de temporal. Conclusión: La aplicación de cal agrícola no tuvo efecto significativo en el rendimiento de las variedades mejoradas, así como en el testigo regional Michigan; sin embargo, la mayor producción se presentó en la variedad Huejonapan y Acatlán sin aplicación de cal agrícola durante el ciclo de producción agrícola 2019 para la localidad de San Juan Acateno del municipio de Teziutlán, Puebla.

Amid rapid urbanization and persistent food insecurity in Latin America, urban gardens have emerged as sustainable alternatives to conventional agriculture. This study evaluates the technical and economic efficiency of producing four vegetables (lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, and tomato) in urban and conventional systems in Puebla, Mexico. Using a stochastic frontier model, the analysis integrates key environmental costs, specifically, water-use efficiency and nutrient balance valuation, to assess the sustainability trade-offs. The results show that urban gardens achieve comparable efficiency to conventional systems while reducing water use by up to 66% and optimizing nutrient cycling. These findings support urban agroecological models as viable strategies for local food production and provide actionable insights for municipal policies aimed at enhancing urban food resilience and environmental performance.