In Mexico, the tradition of consuming flowers dates to pre-Columbian times, and flower consumption persists today; however, this practice is typically unknown outside the regions where flowers are used in local gastronomy. The aim of this work was to evaluate the variation in polyphenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity in inflorescence samples. Samples of izote (Yucca filifera), maguey pulquero (Agave salmiana), cuachepil or guachepil (Diphysa americana), and tepejilote or pacaya (Chamaedorea tepejilote) were collected from different communities and regions of Oaxaca, Mexico, during 2022. Specifically, ten to eleven inflorescence samples were collected per species, and their polyphenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity were evaluated using UV–visible spectrophotometry and reference standards. Significant differences were detected between and within samples depending on their geographical origin (collection locations); the environment and site influenced the composition of the samples for each species. Across all species, significant and positive correlations of the polyphenol and flavonoid contents were identified with the antioxidant activity detected via the DPPH and FRAP methods. The high variability in phenolic compound contents and antioxidant activity within each species shows that the nutritional and nutraceutical potential of flowers may complement diets at the family and communitarian levels.

Telenomus remus Nixon is an egg parasitoid used against fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), in various countries of the Americas. The feasibility of rearing T. remus at lower cost and greater efficiency on a novel host, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, was addressed in a two-part study. The first part of the study compared acceptance of eggs of E. kuehniella, fall armyworm, and E. kuehniella with a kairomone from the accessory gland of fall armyworm females. Acceptance was assessed as residence time on eggs and parasitism rates. Females of T. remus spent more time and showed higher parasitism rates on eggs of fall armyworm followed by those of E. kuehniella with kairomone, and E. kuehniella. The second part of the study compared the suitability of eggs of fall armyworm versus eggs of E. kuehniella for development of T. remus. Suitability was assessed by comparing various fitness components between parasitoids reared on fall armyworm and E. kuehniella. Compared to T. remus reared on eggs of fall armyworm, those reared on eggs of E. kuehniella had longer egg to adult developmental times, shorter longevities, and reduced egg loads and adult sizes. In contrast, significant differences were not evident in levels of fluctuating asymmetry (lengths of hind tibiae and distances between apices of stigmata and hamular folds of forewings) between T. remus reared on eggs of fall armyworm or E. kuehniella. Longevity was not significantly correlated with adult size, or the correlation was poor, whereas egg load and adult size were significantly correlated in females reared both on fall armyworm and E. kuehniella.

The aim of this study was to determine the possibility of using formulations of entomopathogenic nematodes in two soil moisture conditions for effective control of larvae of white grub, Phyllophaga vetula (Horn) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae). Mortality of P. vetula larvae was compared using Steinernema glaseri Steiner, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar, and Steinernema feltiae Filipjev in three forms of application (formulated in cadavers of Galleria mellonella L. larvae, bentonite pellet, and aqueous suspension) and two soil moisture conditions (moderate,11.8%, and high, 20.5%). The difference among treatments was very significant: S. glaseri was the most effective nematode, killing 75% of larvae when applied in aqueous suspension with moderate moisture. Next most effective was S. glaseri in cadavers with the same moisture conditions that killed 55%. The nematodes H. bacteriophora and S. feltiae applied in all three forms (aqueous medium, infected cadaver, and bentonite pellet) and with the tw...

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the variation in the mineral concentrations of the inflorescences of Yucca filifera (izote), Agave salmiana (maguey), Diphysa americana (cuachepil), and Chamaedorea tepejilote (tepejilote) in samples collected from different communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. For each sample, the concentrations of macro- and microelements were determined via inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). For each species, significant differences (p < 0.05) in mineral contents were detected on the basis of geographic sampling origin, both among and within locations, for all the minerals evaluated except for Na in all the cases, Cu in izote and tepejilote, and Si in maguey. The macro- and microelement patterns range from highest to lowest concentrations were as follows: K > Ca ≥ P > Mg > S > Na and Si > Fe ≥ Zn > Mn > Cu > Mo. High values were recorded in tepejilote, whereas low values were observed in cuachepil, maguey pulquero, and izote. The average values between species ranged from 199.1 to 3650.3, 243.6 to 3383.7, 354.8 to 941.7, 164.5 to 1281, 76.2 to 1142.9, 1.3 to 44.7, 4.27 to 201, 2.41 to 13.67, 3.08 to 9.23, 0.81 to 13.65, and 0.52 to 3.09 mg 100 g⁻¹ dw in K, Ca, P, Mg, S, Na, Si, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu, respectively, indicating a nutritional source in the regions where they are distributed.