La Moringa oleifera es una planta con gran capacidad de adaptación a diferentes condiciones edafoclimáticas. Los factores ambientales influyen en la morfología y fenología de esta especie. El objetivo fue caracterizar la morfología de 20 accesiones de Moringa oleifera provenientes del sur-sureste de México. Las semillas fueron recolectadas en cultivos comerciales de los estados de Veracruz, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas y Yucatán. Las semillas fueron sembradas en contenedores y se trasplantaron dos meses después de su germinación en campo con un diseño de bloques completamente al azar (DBCA). Cada siete días se registraron las variables cuantitativas y a los 301 días después del trasplante se evaluaron los descriptores morfológicos. Se observó que la accesión C2 presentó el mayor crecimiento (273 cm). La accesión Y2 presentó un diámetro de 43.22 mm y la accesión Y3 presentó 54 hojas. Se encontró una alta variación en el tamaño de la hoja, color de la flor y tallo e inicio de floración. El análisis de componentes principales identificó tres grupos. El análisis de componentes principales (PCA) mostró que los primeros cinco componentes explican 99.21% de la variación total y que los componentes 1 (52.87%) y 2 (37.54%) contribuyen con 90.41%. Del análisis de conglomerados resultaron tres grupos con 0.76 de similitud, basado en la similitud euclidiana. La diferenciación morfológica de los diversos accesos de moringa permitió corroborar diferenciación varietal y la necesidad de instrumentar un programa genético de conservación, selección y fitomejoramiento de moringa en el sur-sureste de México.

The sustainability concept has acquired a variety of meanings according to different currents of thought and the context in which it is used. The aim of this research was to characterize the perception of producers, extension agents and officials regarding sustainable cattle ranching (SCR) in an area where tropical cattle ranching is practiced. A survey was applied to producers chosen through stratified random sampling, and to extension agents and officials selected using the snowball technique. The perception of SCR was determined under two contexts: 1) the idea or interpretation of the individual and 2) the assessment (positive or negative) of this type of cattle ranching (net perception index, NPI). The extension agents oriented their perception of SCR mainly in economic (52.2%) and environmental (47.8%) aspects, similar to the producers (48.4% and 21.3% respectively), while the officials related it more to an environmental dimension (71.4%). It is concluded that the perception of SCR in general is positive, but its conceptualization is differentiated, according to the role the individuals play in the activity, their academic training and their expectations.

The objective of this research was to apply morphometric and chemometric techniques to analyze the influence of climate and soil type on the morphological, proximate, and fatty acid fingerprints of moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) seeds cultivated in different regions of Mexico. Seeds were collected from the states of Chiapas, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Yucatán. The morphological traits of the seeds were evaluated, while the proximate composition and fatty acid profiles of the seed flours were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Data were assessed through analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear discriminant analysis to develop their fingerprint profiles. The results showed that the morphological variables that constituted the climate-based morphological fingerprint were seed length, width, seed weight, and kernel weight, whereas for the soil type-based fingerprint, only seed length was significant. Regarding the proximate chemical composition, all variables (fat, ash, moisture, and protein), except fiber content, were influenced by both climate and soil type, forming the proximate chemical fingerprint. The fatty acid fingerprint consisted of 21 compounds, with oleic, behenic, stearic, palmitic, and arachidic acids present in the highest concentrations. The fingerprints obtained from the different determinations were confirmed through cross-validation values exceeding 50%, according to the linear discriminant analysis validation technique. The fatty acid and proximate composition determinations showed the highest classification values (83–100%) and contributed most significantly to ensuring the fingerprinting of moringa seeds cultivated in Mexico.

Objective: This study aims to map the scientific production on Moringa oleifera in the Scopus database over the period 2013–2023. Design/methodology/approach: The bibliographic data of moringa publications was downloaded and data was characterized through a bibliometric analysis. The analysis identified key metrics, including the most productive countries, journals and authors with the highest number of publications and citations, topic niche, basic topics, emerging or declining topics, and motor topics. Results: For the period 2013-2023,a total of 5680 documents were published, categorized as scientific articles (80.21%), bibliographic reviews (8.68%), conference papers (6.78%), book chapters (1.81%) and books (0.11%). Most of the research is embedded in areas such as: agricultural and biological sciences (21.92%), biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology (10.71%) and pharmacology, toxicology and pharmaceuticals (10.51%). Limitations on study/implications: This study is limited to the Scopus database, which means that additional publications on Moringa oleifera from the 2013–2023 period may exist in other databases not included in this analysis. Findings/conclusions: The bibliometric analysis provided insights into the scientific contributions related to Moringa oleifera and supports the development of research on more relevant and hot spots topics.

The objective of this study was to determine the diversity and genetic structure of M. oleifera populations cultivated in Mexico through SilicoDArT markers. Seeds were collected from 14 populations in various states of the country. The seeds were germinated in greenhouse conditions. DNA was extracted from young leaves using a CTAB-based protocol. The extracted DNA was used to genotype each population with DArtseqTM technology. A total of 11,156 SilicoDArT markers were obtained, all of which were polymorphic. On average, the expected heterozygosity of the populations was 0.46, the number of effective alleles was 1.84 and the rareness was 280.53. Principal coordinate analysis and cluster analysis identified three clusters, with no clear association according to cultivation site. Genetic structure analysis determined three original populations (K = 3). Seven populations were assigned to the same ancestral group, six populations exhibited shared ancestries and one population displayed a distinct genetic background, suggesting anthropogenic management and exchange plant material among leaf producers. The identified genetic diversity and population structure constitute a basis for the conservation and management of Mexican moringa germplasm.

La diversidad de los maíces nativos (Zea mays L.) está disminuyendo a pesar de que son importantes para la seguridad alimentaria y para fitomejoramiento. Caracterizar este germoplasma, así como sus lugares de origen permitirá tener mayor comprensión sobre los patrones de diversidad y diseñar estrategias para su uso y conservación. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la diversidad fenotípica de 33 maíces nativos del sur de Nuevo León, México, y su relación con variables agroclimáticas de sus lugares de origen. Se estableció un ensayo de campo durante el ciclo PV/2023 en Nuevo León, México (24° 19’ 5.9” N y 99° 56’ 34.8” W) bajo un diseño de bloques completos al azar. Se analizaron 25 variables fenotípicas y 26 agroclimáticas. Se encontró amplia diversidad fenotípica en los maíces nativos del sur de Nuevo León, México. El peso del grano total de la mazorca, peso de cien granos, biomasa de tallo, altura de planta, forraje seco por planta y número de plantas cosechadas tuvieron la mayor aportación a la variabilidad fenotípica, y éstos correlacionaron positivamente con el rendimiento de grano y de forraje seco. Se identificaron variedades de maíz sobresalientes en precocidad, producción de grano y de forraje seco, que pueden utilizarse directamente o en programas de fitomejoramiento. La diversidad de los maíces nativos coincidió mayormente con las diferencias climáticas que con las distancias geográficas de los lugares de origen. Esta información es importante para tomar mejores decisiones sobre el uso y conservación de los maíces nativos de la región estudiada.