In Mexico, in the last five years, there was a 189.50 to 13 219.84 hectares increase in sunflower crop surface under rainfed conditions. Particularly, in 2016, in the state of Guanajuato, approximately 450 hectares were planted. Cultivation under rainfed conditions requires planning including bioclimatic variables to reach the optimal crop yield and development. This work aims to identify bioclimatic potential areas for sunflower cultivation under rainfed conditions in Guanajuato. In autumn-winter 2016, 45 sunflower fields (distributed in eleven towns) were monitored and stratified. Crop yield associated with maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, precipitation, and evapotranspiration were recorded. The data from fields with a higher yield than 1.89 t/ha were used to generate polygons with a saturation of 56 abundance points, to calculate the potential distribution using the Maxent software, with 23 bioclimatic variables as predictors. The variables with the highest contribution percentage to the potential distribution were: average temperature of the driest quarter, altitude, moisture regime, and edaphic profile. The potential areas for sunflower cultivation had a surface of 317 028 hectares where the predominant climate is sub-humid warm, the annual mean temperature is 20 °C, the annual mean rainfall is 600 to 800 mm, and the altitude ranges from 500 to 1500 masl.

Advances in innovative agricultural technology could allow to satisfice the production of fresh foods. The use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) indoor farming production could, modify biological responses increasing the functional value of vegetable food like lentil sprouts, offering higher antioxidants content and to promote the bioavailability of their nutrients. Lentil growth under blue, violet, green, orange and red light in a dark growing chamber. As internal and external controls, seeds were germinated under white and natural (outdoor) light. Morphological, physiological and biochemical variables were evaluated. Green light enlarged the sprouts stem, reduced the biomass and the concentration of chlorophyll. Violet and white lights increased the protein concentration. Blue wavelength increased the seeds germination, concentration of β-carotenes, phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity. The experimental evidence suggest blue LED light could be useful to produce functional lentil sprouts with a high nutritional value.

The water-use efficiency (WUE) has been proposed as an alternative to mitigate the effects of climate change in agriculture and to reduce pressure on water resources, mainly in species with high water requirements which are grown under rainfed conditions. The aim of this study was to characterize the instantaneous, integral and molecular WUE of four bean cultivars contrasting in their response under limiting water conditions to compare the component mechanisms of this trait between drought tolerant and susceptible cultivars. Results indicated that tolerant cultivars increased their instantaneous WUE in comparison to susceptible ones; however, there was a difference between cultivars since Pinto Villa had a higher stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, leading to a higher water cost to produce seed than Pinto Saltillo. Furthermore, ycf2, rrn16, rpoC2, hardy, ndhK, erecta and ycf1 WUE genes were only overexpressed in Pinto Saltillo under limited water conditions, which turned out to be the most WUE efficient cultivar. Therefore, the component mechanisms of WUE are different even between drought tolerant cultivars and the mechanisms by which the tolerant cultivars increased their instantaneous and integral WUE were different.