Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas

Trichoderma spp. evaluation, disinfestation and soil chiseling in alfalfa

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Crops of alfalfa Medicago sativa L. are limited by crown rot (Rhizoctonia solani), Texas root rot (Phymatotrichopsis omnivora) and soil salinity and compaction. To attenuate crop rots, the objectives were, at the laboratory level, to evaluate methods of inoculation of Trichoderma spp. in alfalfa seed and in the field, to evaluate agronomic parameters, crown rot and Texas root rot after inoculating the seed with T. harzianum (T), deep soil chiseling (C) and reductive soil disinfestation (D), the combinations C+T, C+D, D+C+T, and uninoculated seed and untreated soil as the control (Co). Dishes (PDA) of T. harzianum of 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10 d of growth were used to place previously germinated (GS) or non-germinated (NGS) alfalfa seeds; after 17 d, the size and survival of the NGS seedlings was greater than their corresponding GS (Tukey p< 0.05). In the field, the weight and size of D+C+T vs. Co plants were between (27-35) and (9-3)% higher, respectively, but without statistical significance. Only in the first sampling, a 30% higher yield of D+C+T was detected when compared to Co (Tukey p= 0.05). The quality, yield and plants per m² of alfalfa were similar to what had been previously reported.

Carbon variability in the soil of a rice field in Costa Rica

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Knowledge of the soil carbon stock (SCS) is vital for appropriate farming practices management, ie. tillage and to monitor SCS changes as mitigation strategies of carbon footprint. This study aims to quantify the variability and spatial distribution of the SCS. In an area of 1 ha 45 micro-pit (1 x 0.8 x 1 m) were divided into four strata. Vertical distribution of soil carbon was quantified along with other chemical and physical soil properties that affect rice production in Parrita, Costa Rica. A map of spatial prediction of the distribution and goodness-of-prediction values were calculated to estimate the effectiveness of the SCS prediction when different numbers of sampling points were used 45, 27, 15 and 7 microplots. As accurate measurements, the Mean Absolute Error and the Mean Square Error were calculated. In this study, the SCS was 85.8 (±2.6) Mg C ha^-1, into the total profile (0-100 cm), where the first 30 cm represented 46.2%. Prediction of the spatial distribution suggests that in annual agricultural crops, with tillage systems 15 sampling points ha^-1 a can effectively estimate the SCS.

Image analysis applied to morphological properties in wheat and oat cookies

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The present study was conducted at the Center for Research in Food and Development in 2024. Image analysis is an essential tool that can be used in food process control. This study aimed to analyze, using imaging techniques, the morphological properties of cookies made with wheat and oats in different percentages and their relationship with cookie firmness. The texture profile of the dough obtained from the different formulations, and the weight, diameter, height, and firmness of the cookies were determined. A morphological characterization of the cookies was carried out by means of image analysis. These measurements focused on the overall color of the surface, as well as the characteristics of the surface and internal texture of the cookies through the analysis of the crumb. The results showed decreased firmness (151.96 N to 103.17 N) as the percentage of substitution increased, a similar behavior was observed in the weight and height of the cookie, whereas the diameter was not affected. Regarding the image analysis, greater cracking of the cookie surface was observed as the percentage of substitution increased. Color changes were observed in the crumb towards lighter areas, indicating a decrease in bubbles in the cookie crumb. Image analysis can be an important alternative to determine the quality of a finished product, in this case, a cookie.