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Agronomía Colombiana

Print version ISSN 0120-9965

Agron. colomb. vol.30 no.1 Bogotá Jan./Apr. 2012

 

 

EDITORIAL

 

One of the Millennium Development Goals from the united nations is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; it is clear that improvements in the lives of the poor have been slow, and that some of the hard-won gains are being undermined by environmental, economic and food crises. The number of undernourished people continues to increase, while the slow progress towards reducing hunger has stopped.

In the neotropics, in both dry and wet zones, numerous plants with high taxonomic diversity grow and provide food for the human population; grown on a small scale or commercially on farms and plots, and for the large part they meet the great demand of the domestic markets; some are exported and others, despite their potential, have limited development, as is the case with some roots and tubers, vegetables, cereals and fruit. Together with producers, we must design farming systems that allow for integrated management of phytosanitary problems, improve yield and apply agricultural concepts focused on the production chain, from production to consumption, always with the desire to contribute to food security, which requires the contribution of all.

In this issue of Agronomía Colombiana, we present to the scientific community and other members of agricultural science and technology reports in the area of plant breeding, genetic resources and molecular biology on the phenotypic evaluation of transgenic potato varieties with high resistance against the insect pest Tecia solanivora, uncovering a genetic line with potential for studies on genetic improvement of the species. in the same vein, during the morpho-agronomic evaluation of 54 entries of genetic resource for the cape gooseberry, from Boyacá, Cundinamarca, santander and norte de santander, a group of five entries was noted for its absence of disease caused by insects and pathogens.

For the field of crop physiology, this issue starts with fruit as important food items, analyzing the response of growth and development of strawberry plants to certain environmental factors and quantity and quality of light; this study reports that green light strongly effects plant growth, and for the sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), the application of 2,4-D at blooming increased growth rate and the final fruit size at harvest time. studies of macronutrients in the annonaceae Rollinea mucosa, a genetic resource of the amazon, suggest that deficiencies of n and Ca affect plant growth. also for industrial perennial crops, this issue contains a statistical model to estimate the yield component bunch dry weight for oil palm in the eastern palm region of Colombia.

Furthermore, the national rate of deforestation seems to be slowing, despite its high current rate, due to tree farm projects combined with natural expansion of forests; which sets the scene for the physiology study on the timber species Gmelia arborea in the Colombian Caribbean and the research on the effects of planting substrates and mycorrhiza on the root and stem architecture in walnut (Cordia alliodora). Finally, this issue includes a review of the effect of aluminum toxicity in plants of agricultural importance, which indicates that the object of the toxicity in the plant is the root which displays affected growth. However, tolerance mechanisms, whether considered genetic or physiological, still require further study.

In the crop protection section, this issue contains a study from antioquia, Colombia, which identified the most common weed species of tree tomato crops (Solanum betaceum) affected by Potyvirus. The identified weed species were grouped into seven taxonomic families, none of which were found to be a Potyvirus host.

On the subject of postharvest technology and physiology for products for export markets, a study analyzed, for the dwarf banana (Musa acuminata AA), the development of a model to determine change in maturity and fruit quality through variables associated with pulp firmness and skin color as a tool to predict product behavior under changing storage conditions. another study on the amazonian fruit cupuaçu (Theobroma glandiflorum) analyzed the growth and development of the fruit from fruit set to consumption maturity and produced information that ensures quality and reduced post-harvest losses. similarly, the effect of the application of calcium, boron and sucrose was measured for peonies flowers (Paeonia lactiflora) to prolong transport and vase life.

The section on soil, fertilizer and water management con- tributes to agricultural development with significant gains in the use of soil microorganisms, crop by-products and green manure, as seen with the use of: bacteria associated with Arthrospira platensis (BAAP), 3-indole acetic acid (IAA) producers, for promoting early growth of Sorghum bicolor, stimulating foliage and root weight and elongation; vinasse mixed with microorganisms on a vertisol with sugar cane crops and the alternatives bocashi and green manure added to broths and fertilizers for sustainable onion production (Allium cepa). Finally, in the section on economic and rural development, this issue has reports significant to small farmers and dairies; topics include the impact of the coffee renewal program which provides resources to farmers to stimulate the implementation of the program and the design of a management model based on a diagnostic of environmental management in small dairies in Boyacá, Colombia.

We thank the assistant editorial staff, translator and English proofreader and the design, layout and print personnel of this issue of the Agronomía Colombiana journal.

Gustavo A. Ligarreto M.
Editor