The Purepecha Sierra in Michoacan is considered the most important avocado producing region in the world. Factors restricting production have not been properly identified. They require undergoing reseach to propose better crop management alternatives conducive to high yields and optimal fruit quality. In this study we evaluated soil fertility in avocado orchards and determined the nutrimental state of the crop through foliar analysis applying Kenworthy’s balance indexes procedure. We collected soil and foliar samples from avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cv. Hass orchards within an area of 35,000 ha in the region. Soil fertility diagnosis indicated strong acid pH, low to very low levels of organic matter, P, Mn, and inorganic N; high to very high concentrations of Cu, Fe, K, Ca, B and Zn; and intermediate levels of Mg. Foliar concentration intervals generated for avocado in the Purepecha region showed differences from values determined by other researchers for different avocado producing regions from other countries. Estimated Kenworthy’s balance indexes helped to determine, in general terms, that: Zn, Mn, and Cu were present at deficient levels below normal, B was present in excess, and K, N, Mg and P in normal concentrations.

Complementary ex situ and in situ conservation, including the on-farm alternative, is a highly desired and dynamic strategy that allows the natural evolution of the conserved germplasm. Due to the high costs involved, in addition to the limitations of both economic and human resources, in situ conservation must focus on areas where the greatest benefits are obtained, and the efforts made result in better impacts. Therefore, using spatial multi-criteria analysis and expert knowledge, 22 and 23 criteria were obtained as important for the conservation of wild and cultivated hawthorn, respectively. Criteria weights were calculated by the analytic hierarchy process and expert knowledge. The results showed species richness, phenotypic and ecogeographic diversity, and areas not covered by the official protected areas network were the most important criteria for in situ conservation of wild hawthorn. Prioritized areas were particularly focused in Chiapas, State of Mexico and Morelos. The prioritized areas for the in situ conservation of cultivated hawthorn were mostly defined by criteria such as number of cultivated varieties, number of uses, phenotypic diversity, ecogeographical diversity, and areas with rainfed agriculture. These areas were located mainly in Puebla. From this study, we propose a list of priority areas for the in situ conservation of both cultivated and wild hawthorn.

A detailed morphological and molecular study of the four Opuntia species belonging to the ser. Streptacanthae is carried out. No published phylogenetic study of Opuntia includes these four species. Our data support the recognition of the four taxa as separated species but related by the characteristic of having a glabrous epidermis, yellow flowers, red and sweet fruits, in the present study it is recovered forming a monophyletic group within Opuntia s.str.

‘Ataulfo’ mango is highly produced in Mexico, being harvested when it reaches its physiological maturity. This process takes at least another month for the fruit to reach consumption maturity. Warehouses and markets present important losses as the ready-to-eat status is unknown. Maturity status is determined by measuring slow and destructive physicochemical variables. An optical device based on the AS7262 spectral sensor was connected to the ESP32 microcontroller and measurements were correlated with soluble solids content (SSC), dry matter (DM) and firmness of mangoes obtained from the local market. Data analysis was carried out by partial least squares (PLS) regression, classification, regression tree (CART) and random forest (RF) models. With PLS, SST and firmness were predicted with R2 of 0.61 and 0.76, respectively. The root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) was 0.91 for SSC and 0.67 for firmness. With the CART model, classification accuracy was 90% for SSC and 87% for firmness of intact mango fruits.

El uso de portainjertos de aguacate es muy común, pero éstos han sido poco estudiados desde el punto de vista anatómico y fisiológico de la hoja, variables que pueden ser útiles para entender su papel al ser injertados, como las relacionadas con los estomas y el intercambio de gases. El objetivo de esta investigación fue estudiar las características de los estomas e intercambio de gases de la lámina foliar en plántulas derivadas de semilla de aguacate ‘Colín V-33’ para determinar posibles relaciones entre estas. Se utilizaron 93 plantas derivadas de semilla de ‘Colín V-33’ de seis meses de edad. Se evaluaron cuatro variables de estomas y cinco de intercambio de gases en la hoja once de cada planta. Los estomas se clasificaron como anomocíticos, y su longitud fue de 13.11 a 19.65 µm, su densidad varió de 317.65 a 105.88 estomas·mm-2 y su índice estomático fue de 11.78 a 26.16 %. Se encontró correlación positiva significativa entre las variables fisiológicas conductancia estomática y tasa de transpiración (r = 0.96**), mientras que en la tasa de asimilación de CO2 y la concentración interna de CO2 existió una correlación negativa (r = -0.64**). No se encontró asociación entre las características de intercambio de gases y las variables relacionadas con estomas. Debido a la variación encontrada en la densidad y el índice estomático, es posible seleccionar genotipos contrastantes que podrían tener impacto en el injerto cuando sean utilizados como portainjertos, dada la evidencia de otros estudios donde hay modificaciones en dichas variables.