Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) has long been vital to Cuban agriculture, with its products renowned for their quality. Cuban tobacco is grown in soils with a long history of continuous farming using traditional fertilization methods characterized by recommended doses of mineral fertilizers. This study aims to improve the nutrition resource strategy in tobacco cultivation to ensure high yields of superior-grade tobacco leaves with adequate quality and increase fertilization efficiency. With this goal, a field experiment evaluated the traditional method of fallow with alternatives of nutrient supply systems for the production of black tobacco in Ultic Paleustalf soils. The experiment utilized Canavalia ensiformis (Can) treated with a mycorrhizal inoculum (AMF) based on the Glomus cubense strain (INCAM-4) as a preceding green manure, combined with successive mineral fertilizations for tobacco during four growing seasons in a randomized block design with factorial arrangement. Canavalia presented a positive response to mycorrhizal inoculation, significantly increasing dry biomass production (87.34%, 129.96%), mycorrhizal colonization (26.90%, 103.66%), and spore production (26.79%, 52.52%) for Can and Can+AMF treatments respectively. A biplot analysis established a strong relationship between the biomass and mycorrhizal performance of Canavalia and the growth, yield, and mycorrhizal colonization of tobacco. The results indicate that inoculated Canavalia enhances mycorrhizal performance in successional tobacco, with Can+AMF significantly increasing mycorrhization of tobacco roots by (110.06%). Moreover, the combination of Can inoculate with AMF and 75% of the recommended mineral fertilization dose consistently produced the highest tobacco yields (42.06%), growth, and mycorrhizal activity across the four years while maintaining satisfactory combustibility. In this nutrition supply system, variations of the recommended fertilizer dose significantly decreased the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization. After four growing seasons using Can + AMF and Canavalia without inoculations, soil organic matter, and availability of exchangeable calcium, magnesium, and pH increased slightly without decreasing available phosphorus and potassium contents. Consequently, we conclude that Canavalia ensiformis, with an inoculum based on the Glomus cubense strain and 75% of the recommended dose of mineral fertilizers, provides an enhanced nutrition alternative system for black tobacco production.

Mountain protected areas in the tropical Andes experience localized yet severe soil erosion that threatens erosion-regulating services and downstream water–energy security. We mapped soil loss at 30 m using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and quantified the erosion-control service in El Cajas National Park, Ecuador (28,544 ha) using an NDVI-based index. Replacing categorical land cover C factors with a continuous NDVI surface increased the park-wide soil loss estimate by ∼58%, yielding an area-weighted mean of 5.3 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ and local maxima of 120 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ on steep and sparsely vegetated escarpments. Relative to a bare soil scenario, existing páramo grasslands, shrub mosaics, and scattered Polylepis woodlots avert 95% of potential erosion, quantifying the service supplied by vegetation. Between 2023 and 2024, a ∼60% rise in mean NDVI more than doubled the area delivering moderate-to-high erosion control. A hot-spot analysis further identified ∼30 km² (≈5% of the park) where high modeled soil loss coincides with low protection; these clusters generate ∼80% of predicted sediment and constitute priority targets for restoration or visitor use regulation. The integrated RUSLE–NDVI–EC approach provides a concise and transferable screening tool for aligning conservation investments with Ecuador’s restoration pledges and for safeguarding critical hydrological services in Andean protected areas.

Revistas Científica Ciencias Agropecuarias

Rhizospheric fungi are emerging as a critical research component in dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) production systems. Introducing beneficial non-native fungi is increasingly common due to their positive effects on plant growth, yield, and pathogen suppression. However, this practice may disrupt soil microbial communities, and commercial isolates often show limited adaptation to local conditions. This study aimed to identify native beneficial soil fungi associated with dragon fruit cultivation on the Ecuadorian coast and evaluate their effect on commercial production. Fungal isolates from four dragon fruit plantations were identified using microscopy and genetic sequencing (ITS, EF-1α, and beta-tubulin). The selected fungi were isolates closely related to Talaromyces tumuli, Trichoderma asperellum, and Paecilomyces lagunculariae. All isolates were tested for pathogenicity using detached cladode assays at the laboratory, and non-phytopathogenic monomorphic cultures were further evaluated in the field under a randomized complete block design consisting of T. asperellum, Talaromyces tumuli, a combination of both, and a water control. The combination of T. asperellum and Talaromyces spp. showed a favorable trend in terms of the plants’ vegetative development. However, inoculating Talaromyces tumuli into the commercial plants exhibited a slow response during the first 20 days of the field evaluations. Still, it resulted in a significant increase in the fruit’s diameter and weight, with increases of 88.23% and 67.64%, respectively, compared to those in the control. T. asperellum presented a lower number of fruits per plant, although it showed an increase in fruit diameter and weight. In conclusion, using the native beneficial fungi T. asperellum and T. tumuli contributes positively to the dragon fruit production system.

La deforestación es uno de los problemas más críticos que enfrenta la humanidad. Ecuador es uno de los países latinoamericanos con mayor tasa de tala de bosques en comparación con su tamaño, debido principalmente al aumento de la superficie agrícola. Este trabajo tuvo como objetivo determinar la dinámica y cambios ocurridos en la frontera agrícola en los últimos 30 años en las cuencas hidrográficas pertenecientes al Zapotal utilizando herramientas de teledetección. Las imágenes fueron obtenidas de los satélites Sentinel 2 y Landsat desde 1990 hasta 2020. Se utilizó el software libre QGIS para analizar, clasificar y procesar las imágenes satelitales; a través de una matriz de confusión y el índice de kappa se evaluó la precisión. Se obtuvieron y procesaron imágenes satelitales de alta calidad y resolución correspondientes al periodo de 1990 a 2020. El Índice de Vegetación de Diferencia Normalizada (NDVI) permitió conocer la dinámica de la conformación de la vegetación del período estudiado y, en consecuencia, los usos del suelo en función de la cobertura vegetal. La dinámica de la frontera agrícola, determinada mediante las herramientas de teledetección utilizadas en este estudio, evidencia una disminución de aproximadamente un 15%. La metodología utilizada en este estudio demostró ser efectiva y económica para conocer la dinámica de la frontera agrícola, lo que proporciona una herramienta eficaz para monitorear, planificar y ejecutar diversos proyectos de ordenamiento territorial y desarrollo local.