The physiological responses of habanero pepper plants (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) to foliar applications of zinc sulphate and zinc nano-fertilizer were evaluated in greenhouse trials. The effect of the supplement on fruit quality of habanero pepper was particularly observed. Habanero pepper plants were grown to maturity, and during the main stages of phenological development, they were treated with foliar applications of Zn at concentrations of 1000 and 2000 mg L⁻¹ in the form of zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). Additional Zn was not supplied to the control treatment plants. ZnO NPs at a concentration of 1000 mg L⁻¹ positively affected plant height, stem diameter, and chlorophyll content, and increased fruit yield and biomass accumulation compared to control and ZnSO₄ treatments. ZnO NPs at 2000 mg L⁻¹ negatively affected plant growth but significantly increased fruit quality, capsaicin content by 19.3%, dihydrocapsaicin by 10.9%, and Scoville Heat Units by 16.4%. In addition, at 2000 ZnO NPs mg L⁻¹ also increased content of total phenols and total flavonoids (soluble + bound) in fruits (14.50% and 26.9%, respectively), which resulted in higher antioxidant capacity in ABTS (2,2′azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) (15.4%, 31.8%, and 20.5%, respectively). These results indicate that application of ZnO NPs could be employed in habanero pepper production to improve yield, quality, and nutraceutical properties of fruits.

The growing global demand for energy and the reduction of energy based on oil are driving the search for new sources of energy that are environmentally friendly. To achieve this goal, it is also necessary to optimize the related processes. In this study, the behavior of the agronomic parameters of, and the energy invested in, production systems based on a new variety of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) called ROGER were determined to define the optimal production conditions. To this end, three methods of tillage (minimum, traditional, and traditional tillage with rupture of the plow layer) and three types of fertilizers (inorganic, organic, and without fertilizer) were established, and to estimate the energy efficiency, the inputs and the energy outputs of each system were considered. The traditional tillage with breaking of the plow layer and the organic fertilizer showed the highest values of plant height (2.45 and 2.39 m, respectively); total fresh weight of the plant (51.66 and 50.77 t·ha⁻¹, respectively), of the stem (42.7 and 41.05 t·ha⁻¹, respectively), and of the juice (21.89 and 22.57 t·ha⁻¹, respectively); the volume of the juice (20,783.12 and 22,529.59 L·ha⁻¹, respectively); and Brix degrees (16.04% and 15.01%, respectively). However, the highest energy efficiency was registered in the production system that used the minimum tillage, with a value of 15.11, as well as when no fertilizer was applied with 18.68.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is cultivated in regions with frequent drought periods and high temperatures, conditions that have intensified in the last decades. One of the most important photosynthetic components, sensible to hydric stress, is maximum quantum yield for photosystem II (PSII, or Fv/Fm). The objective of the present study was to identify sorghum genotypes with tolerance to hydric and heat stress. The treatments were hydric status (hydric stress or non-hydric stress (irrigation)), the plant’s developmental stages (pre or post-anthesis), and six genotypes. The response variables were Fv/Fm; photosynthetic rate (P_N); stomatal conductance (g_s); transpiration rate (E); relative water content (RWC); damage to cell membrane (DCM) at temperatures of 40 and 45 °C; and agronomic variables. The experiment was conducted in pots in open sky in Marín, N.L., in the dry and hot northeast Mexico. The treatment design was a split–split plot design, with three factors. Hydric stress diminished the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus by 63%, due to damage caused to PSII. Pre-anthesis was the most vulnerable stage to hydric stress as it decreased the weight of grains per panicle (85%), number of grains per panicle (69%), and weight of 100 grains (46%). Genotypes LER 1 and LER 2 were identified as tolerant to hydric stress, as they had lower damage to PSII; LER 1 and LEB 2 for their superior RWC; and LER 1 as a thermo tolerant genotype, due to its lower DCM at 45 °C. It was concluded that LER 1 could have the potential for both hydric and heat stress tolerance in the arid northeast Mexico.

Melanaphis sacchari Zehntner (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is an important destructive pest in forage sorghum in Nuevo León, Mexico. This study was conducted to identify predatory and parasitoid insect species associated with this pest in Nuevo León, and their impact on its biocontrol. During the monitoring period, identified insects indicated the coexistence of 8 coccinellid species, 2 syrphid species, and 1 chrysopid species. In addition, 2 hymenopteran species were identified. After the insecticide applications, sugarcane aphid population was reduced by about 20.6% (about 14 nymphs per cm2); when the sampling ended, population was reduced by about 70.6% (about 5 nymphs per cm2), thus indicating predator and parasitoid biocontrol. Collected data allowed us to conclude that the biological controllers were responsible for the principal pest population reduction. Overall, results showed that yellow sugarcane aphid predatory and parasitoid species may play an important role in the pest management in sorghum crops in Nuevo León, Mexico.