Revista de la Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad del Zulia

Controlled deficit irrigation on growth variables of Pennisetum purpureum x Pennisetum typhoides

Jesús Chavarría — 2025-06-22

Currently, efficiency in water use in agriculture is being sought through techniques that allow for the reduction of the water footprint of crops. This is why the effect of controlled deficit irrigation on the growth variables of King Grass Morado (Pennisetum purpureum x Pennisetum typhoides) was evaluated in the canton of Chone, Ecuador. The treatments studied were: irrigation levels at 40, 60, 80, and 100 % of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc). The grass was sown in black polyethylene bags with a capacity of 10 kg of soil. A completely randomized experimental design with repeated measures over time was used, along with five replicates. The results obtained from the Friedman test showed significant differences (p<0.0001) due to the effects of the study factors: deficit irrigation and successive cuts of the grass on the net assimilation rate of the grass (TAN), growth rate (TC), relative growth rate (TCR), and leaf area index (IAF) did not occur in the same way for the interaction between them. When the irrigation sheet is applied at 80 % of ETc, the TC is better at 0,0002409 g.(dm².d)^-1, TCR is -0,00022 g.g.d^-1, and TAN is 0,0072065 g.(dm².d)^-1. The leaf area index performs best with the irrigation sheet at 100 % of ETc with 1,81. King Grass Morado can reduce its actual water requirement by up to 80 % without being affected in growth variables.

Effect of fulvic acid on the growth of hydroponic pea (Pisum sativum L.) microgreens

Aldo Gutiérrez — 2025-06-30

Fulvic acid is a widely recognized biostimulant due to its benefits in traditional crops; however, its application in hydroponic systems, particularly in microgreen production, is not well documented. This study evaluated the effect of fulvic acid on the growth of hydroponic pea microgreens (Pisum sativum L.). The experimental design was completely randomized and consisted of four treatments (n=5): nutrient solution (NS), fulvic acid solution 0.01 % (FA), NS + FA, and water (control). After 12 days, growth and biochemical parameters were measured. The results showed that NS and NS+FA treatments significantly increased stem length (7.73 cm and 7.28 cm), fresh weight (0.613 g and 0.618 g), and yield (6.15 kg.m^-2) compared to the FA treatment or control. The FA treatment increased stem diameter (2.38 mm) but did not significantly increase biomass. Biochemical analysis showed that FA and control had higher nitrate content, while NS and NS+FA reduced nitrate accumulation. Antioxidant capacity, chlorophyll content, and color index were similar among treatments. However, the pH increased with the application of fulvic acid. Fulvic acid alone moderately improved growth but was less effective than the nutrient solution. The combination of fulvic acid with a complete nutrient solution did not produce additive effects, highlighting the importance of balanced nutrition in hydroponic microgreen production.

Single-nucleotide polymorphism panels in the racial authentication of Hairless pigs in Mexico

Clemente Lemus-Flores — 2025-06-30

Massive genotyping panels of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were evaluated to create an authentication and racial identification strategy for the Hairless pig. Three populations of Hairless pigs from the states of Nayarit (n=10), Oaxaca (n=10) and Yucatán (n=143), Mexico, were genotyped with the porcine-GGP-50K chip, and genotypes for the Duroc (n=66), Hampshire (n=33), Landrace (n=95), Large White (n=47), Pietrain (n=42) and Iberico hairless (n=15) breeds were added. Three strategies involving previously reported SNP panels and a fourth strategy involving the combination of all SNP panels was evaluated. Using canonical discriminant analysis (CDA), the canonical correlations and percentages of racial discrimination were obtained, and with the first two canonical variables, distance trees between populations were constructed. Racial separation was achieved with all four strategies; the greater the number of SNPs used, the better the identification of the Hairless pig. The combined panel with 96 SNPs achieved 100 % racial assignment and had the greatest canonical correlation in the CDA, revealing a racial grouping of the three Hairless pig populations close to the Iberian population. With SNP panels, it is possible to achieve the racial authentication of the Hairless pig and discriminate it from other pig breeds.