In this article, we focused on studying the current barriers to implementing innovations in order for the agricultural sector to become more sustainable. Through a systematic literature review (SLR), 73 scientific articles were obtained with a search equation in SCOPUS. Of these, 48 were analyzed because of the mention of an obstacle preventing the sector from implementing innovations towards sustainability. Information related to the publication year, abstract, authors, keywords, innovation, innovation type, relationship with Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), identified barrier, nature of the barrier (internal/external), agricultural subsector, country, and methodology of each article was identified, and with VantagePoint software, a technological surveillance technique was applied as a quantitative analysis of the information. The United States is the country with the most publications related to the subject. The most mentioned keywords were “Sustainable Agriculture”, “Agroecology”, “Climate Change”, “Innovation”, and “Organic Farming”. Additionally, a qualitative analysis showed 43 types of innovations, 16 of them related to technology. “Organic Agriculture” is the most mentioned innovation, followed by “Genetic Engineering” and “Precision Agriculture”. In addition, 51 barriers were identified, 28 external to farmers and 23 internal. “Lack of policies that promote that innovation Innovative Practices” is the most mentioned barrier, followed by “Epistemic Closure”, “Unfavorable Regulation”, Climate-Smart Agriculture, and “Unskilled Labor”. This article is intended not only to show trends in the barriers to innovation that prevents the achievement of sustainability that the agricultural sector needs, but also to serve as an input for the development of policies that provide solutions to these impediments. It was shown that 17 out of the 28 external barriers are related to topics that could be solved by formulating policies, laws, incentives, guidelines, and regulations.

Hydrogel-type absorbent materials are currently a technological alternative for improving water retention in the soil and reducing nutrient loss by leaching and evaporation. This study aimed to evaluate the application of a new hydrogel based on silk sericin (SS) as a water retention material in soil. The morphology of the hydrogel was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and its impact on moisture retention in sandy loam soil (SLS) under different levels of matric pressure (MP) was evaluated. Additionally, water content data were collected over time for both SLS and SLS with hydrogel (SLS + H), and the data were used to fit predictive models. The results indicate that the hydrogel had a porous morphology that promoted water retention and soil release. Under a MP of 0.3 bar, the use of the hydrogel increased water retention by 44.70% with respect to that of SLS. The predictive models developed were adequately adjusted to the behavior of the moisture data over time and evidenced the incidence of the absorbent material on the dynamics of the moisture content in the soil. Therefore, these models could be useful for facilitating subsequent simulations or for designing automatic soil moisture control systems oriented to smart farming.

Feeding a growing population under the pressures of climate change requires solutions that safeguard yields while strengthening agricultural resilience. Integrated Crop Management (ICM)—which combines precise fertilization, efficient water use, and targeted pest control—offers a promising framework. Hydrogels, with their water retention and controlled release properties, can enhance ICM by improving fertilizer efficiency, reducing water loss, and supporting soil health. Despite extensive research, their optimal use in agriculture remains unclear, and limitations continue to restrict large-scale adoption. To address this gap, this study applies the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology alongside bibliometric analysis to examine hydrogel applications in ICM from 2000 to 2024. Ninety Scopus-indexed publications were analyzed across four domains: pesticides, nutritional growth inputs, soil conditioners, and bioactive substances. The results reveal a marked increase in hydrogel structural complexity, greater diversity in characterization methods, ongoing reliance on high-impact pesticides despite advances in bio-based hydrogels, and persistent gaps in assessing environmental impacts and regulatory compliance. These findings underscore the need for stronger collaboration between academia and industry to translate hydrogel research into effective, sustainable agricultural practices under changing climatic conditions.

La miel de abeja es una compleja mezcla de carbohidratos y de otros compuestos naturales elaborados por diferentes especies del género de abejas Apis, entre ellas, Apis mellífera. La importancia de este suplemento dietético potencial se debe a los beneficios terapéuticos, profilácticos, cosméticos y nutricionales como resultado de sus propiedades fisicoquímicas. Por consiguiente, el objetivo que se planteó en esta propuesta investigativa fue el análisis de los factores que determinan las propiedades fisicoquímicas de la miel de abejas. Para ello, se realizó una revisión sistemática de literatura (rsl) utilizando bases de datos, tales como: Scopus, SciELO y Redalyc. La categoría de análisis que se definió fue las publicaciones científicas relacionadas con los factores que determinan las propiedades fisicoquímicas de la miel de abejas. La información obtenida se organizó en una matriz en Excel, y el procesamiento se hizo en el software de minería de texto Vantage Point; para correlacionar las variables y condensar el análisis de los resultados mediante tablas. Los factores determinantes más importantes encontrados fueron: fuente floral, origen botánico, origen geográfico, néctar, clima, tiempo de maduración, condiciones biofísicas de la región, especie de abeja, procesamiento y condiciones de almacenamiento. En conclusión, estos factores influyen determinantemente sobre los valores promedios reportados de algunas propiedades fisicoquímicas como: acidez libre, actividad de diastasa, azúcares reductores, cenizas, color instrumental Pfund, conductividad eléctrica (ce), hidroximetilfurfural (hmf), humedad, pH, sacarosa, gravedad específica, sólidos solubles totales (sst), proteínas, fructosa/glucosa, fructosa, maltosa, viscosidad, acidez titulable, actividad del agua (aw), sólidos totales y actividad antioxidante, entre otras.

The use of fertilizers coated with insoluble organic compounds is a promising approach for enhancing fertilizer efficiency and crop yield. Silk sericin (SS) is a protein with a high potential for the development of materials oriented toward fertilizer coating and soil amendment because of its biodegradability and the fact that it represents an important source of nitrogen for plants. Thus, this study proposes the design and evaluation of a novel SS-based multilayer coating for fertilizer granules. A pan-coating process was applied to form two distinct layers on the granules: an inner layer made of silk sericin/polyvinyl alcohol, SS/PVA (50/50 w/w), which has low solubility and porosity, and an outer hydrogel layer of SS/PVA with carboxymethyl cellulose CMC (SS/CMC/PVA 45/25/30 w/w/w). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed for the morphological characterization of the coated fertilizer (CF), examining both the cross-section and surface, while SEM with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) was used to analyze the chemical composition of the surface. The ability of the coating to reduce the nutrient-release rate was studied using water- and soil-release tests. Furthermore, its performance was evaluated in in vivo assays using jalapeño bell pepper (Capsicum annum) plants. The results revealed that the structure and composition of the multilayer coating significantly influenced its ability to delay nutrient release in both water and soil. Moreover, the inclusion of SS in the coating potentially contributed to the increased nitrogen content in the soil, thereby improving plant growth rates.

The convective hot-air drying technology can cause physicochemical, nutritional, and organoleptic losses in the mango (Mangifera indica). The present Systematic Review was carried out with the objective of comparing mango dehydration technologies to identify the effects on the physicochemical, nutritional, and organoleptic properties of the fruit. Through a review of published scientific and conference papers in the Scopus database, adjusted to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, a total of 134 documents dated between 2000 and December 6 of 2022 were obtained; 76 of these documents were finally included in the bibliographic and theoretical analysis. Selection parameters emphasizing the relationship between the articles and the research topic, evidenced by including at least one of three dehydration technologies and the fruit of interest with an experimental or theoretical approach to the dehydration subject; review articles and surveys were excluded. Correlation graphs of bibliographic variables were made using the data mining software VantagePoint (version 15.1), which was graphically restructured in Microsoft Excel with the support of statistical analysis. Of the resulting articles, it was found that the countries with authors who participated most in scientific production like India, Brazil, Colombia, the United States, and Thailand, were those related to mango production or importation. Furthermore, the freeze-drying technology allows operating at lower temperatures than convective hot-air drying, contributing to the preservation of ascorbic acid, among other compounds. The refractance window has the shortest operation time to obtain moisture values between 10 and 20%. The dehydrated samples using the refractance window are smooth, homogeneous, non-porous, and comparable to the color obtained with freeze-drying, which is acceptable for industrial applications.