Bacteria have been used to increase crop yields. For their application on crops, bacteria are provided in inoculant formulations that are continuously changing, with liquid- and solid-based products. Bacteria for inoculants are mainly selected from natural isolates. In nature, microorganisms that favor plants exhibit various strategies to succeed and prevail in the rhizosphere, such as biological nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, and siderophore production. On the other hand, plants have strategies to maintain beneficial microorganisms, such as the exudation of chemoattractanst for specific microorganisms and signaling pathways that regulate plant–bacteria interactions. Transcriptomic approaches are helpful in attempting to elucidate plant–microorganism interactions. Here, we present a review of these issues.

La agricultura regenerativa (AR) es una opción para contrarrestar el cambio climático a través de la captura de CO2 atmosférico y el secuestro de carbono orgánico en el suelo. Para tal fin las intervenciones recomendadas de la AR deben ser adoptadas por los agricultores de maíz forraje. Las prioridades estos agricultores son la búsqueda de rentabilidad y mejora de la productividad en su agroecosistema, de manera que el agricultor adoptará estas prácticas si se atienden estos fines. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar la productividad e indicadores económicos de agroecosistemas de maíz forraje con intervenciones de AR en sitios de México. El estudio se desarrolló en los ciclos PV2023 y PV2024 de cuatro localidades de México en agroecosistemas maíz forraje. Se evaluaron las intervenciones siguientes:1) Sistema testigo con manejo del productor (T1), 2) Sistema integrado de AR en transición (T2) y 3) Sistema integrado de AR. Los indicadores de productividad fueron rendimiento de forraje y materia seca. Los indicadores económicos incluyeron: Costo total de la producción (CT), Estructura de costos, Ingreso total (IT), Rentabilidad, Relación costo – beneficio (Rel B/C) y Costo por tonelada de forraje (CTF). Los resultados mostraron que el promedio de CT fue de 48,397 $/ha en 2023 y 55,283 $/ha para 2024, con influencia importante de la fertilización. Se debe optimizar este componente de manera prioritaria. A nivel de tratamiento, T1 resultó mejor que T2 y T3, pero T3 fue más bajo. Se observaron resultados contrastantes entre localidades, con influencia importante del manejo del productor.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widely cultivated cereals in the world, with multiple uses, including its role as a staple food for humans, as animal feed, and as a key industrial raw material. Its production is threatened by Fusarium spp., a widespread fungal pathogen that causes significant yield losses and contaminates grain with harmful toxins that constitute a health risk for consumers and animals. Among the grain characteristics reported as relevant for tolerance to this pathogen are pericarp thickness and composition, although results remain inconclusive. This study aims to evaluate the structural characteristics and phenolic composition of the pericarp in diverse native pigmented grain maize populations (NPMP) and inbred lines, and their relationship with susceptibility to Fusarium spp. Pigmented maize populations (EOGro, CTlax, EC149Pue, MGto, and ECMex) and inbred lines (B-50, B-50R, B-49 B-4A and B-5A) were used. All materials were grown at the same location, and tolerance to Fusarium spp. was assessed under natural and assisted infection using incidence (IN, %) and severity of infection (SI, %) as indicators. The phenolic composition (total soluble phenolics, phenolic acid fractions, insoluble phenolics, and phlobaphenes) and structural characteristics of the pericarp were determined, and proanthocyanidin content was quantified in the grain. Both IN and SI varied among genetic materials, with NPMP showing greater susceptibility than inbred lines, which had a thicker pericarp. Pericarp thickness was not correlated with IN, but it was relevant for SI, in both NPMP and inbred lines. Insoluble phenolics content was 31.4% higher in inbred lines compared with NPMP. High levels of proanthocyanidins and phlobaphenes were associated with greater tolerance to Fusarium spp. in some maize populations. Tolerance to Fusarium spp. was associated with pericarp thickness in inbred lines, whereas in native pigmented maize populations, it was linked to the accumulations of pigmented phenolics in pericarp.