Rodrigo Guillermo Mantilla-Blandon

Dr. Rodrigo Guillermo Mantilla-Blandon


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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RMRodrigo Guillermo Mantilla-Blandon
Rodrigo Guillermo Mantilla-Blandon
NMNorma Alejandra Mancilla-Margalli
Norma Alejandra Mancilla-Margalli
JMJoaquín Adolfo Montes
Joaquín Adolfo Montes
JUJaime Xavier Uvalle-Bueno
Jaime Xavier Uvalle-Bueno
MAMartín Eduardo Avila-Miranda
Martín Eduardo Avila-Miranda
Agave tequilana stems store fructan polymers, the main carbon source for tequila production. This crop takes six or more years for industrial maturity. In conducive conditions, agave wilt disease increases the incidence of dead plants after the fourth year. Plant susceptibility induced for limited photosynthates for defense is recognized in many crops and is known as “sink-induced loss of resistance”. To establish whether A. tequilana is more prone to agave wilt as it ages, because the reduction of water-soluble carbohydrates in roots, as a consequence of greater assembly of highly polymerized fructans, were quantified roots sucrose, fructose, and glucose, as well as fructans in stems of agave plants of different ages. The damage induced by inoculation with Fusarium solani or F. oxysporum in the roots or xylem bundles, respectively, was recorded. As the agave plant accumulated fructans in the stem as the main sink, the amount of these hexoses diminished in the roots of older plants, and root rot severity increased when plants were inoculated with F. solani, as evidence of more susceptibility. This knowledge could help to structure disease management that reduces the dispersion of agave wilt, dead plants, and economic losses at the end of agave’s long crop cycle.