The horticultural sector increasingly faces challenges associated with climate change and water scarcity, highlighting the need for strategies such as deficit irrigation to improve water-use efficiency while maintaining product quality. This study evaluated the effects of deficit irrigation on the postharvest quality of Roma-type tomato fruits grown under greenhouse conditions in Bogotá, Colombia. Two irrigation regimes were applied from the flowering of the first truss to harvest: full irrigation (100% ETc) and deficit irrigation (50% ETc). After harvest, fruits were stored for 22 d at 3°C and 80% relative humidity. Total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, color index, firmness, roundness, weight loss, ethylene production, and respiration rate were evaluated. Deficit irrigation significantly affected respiration rate and fruit roundness (P<0.05). Respiration rate increased by 57% under deficit irrigation, while roundness values were higher in fruits from the deficit irrigation treatment than in those from the full irrigation treatment (1.06 vs. 0.93). No significant treatment effects were detected for the other variables. Overall, both treatments maintained acceptable commercial quality under the storage conditions evaluated. These findings suggest that deficit irrigation may be a viable water-saving strategy for greenhouse tomato production without substantially affecting the postharvest quality attributes assessed.
Tetranychus urticae poses a critical challenge in ornamental nurseries due to its rapid reproduction and ability to develop resistance to pesticides. In potted rose crops in San Antonio del Tequendama, Colombia, the release of the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus proved to be a key tool for breaking the pest life cycle. The results revealed that efficacy was highly dependent on density and developmental stage: a release rate of 150 individuals m-2 reduced the egg population by 49-50% and the nymph population by 52-55% compared to the untreated control, outperforming lower release rates (50 and 100 individuals m-2) in controlling immature stages, while its impact on adults was limited. For Integrated Pest Management (IPM), these findings position N. californicus as a preventive and targeted control agent at early stages. Given that chemical treatment achieved the greatest overall reduction in the pest population but carries risks of resistance, the strategic use of N. californicus at high rates (150 individuals m-2) allows for the biological control of eggs and nymphs. This reduces initial population pressure, minimizes the need to apply synthetic acaricides, and extends the useful life of chemical tools within a sustainable ornamental production system.
Cold storage is a fundamental strategy for extending the postharvest life of yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa); however, its effectiveness may vary by genotype. This study compared the postharvest quality of two yellow passion fruit accessions subjected to different cold storage times (7.5 ± 1.2°C), each followed by 48 h of simulated shelf life (SL). We used a completely randomized 2×3 factorial arrangement, with two accessions (ACN and ACQ) and three cold storage times (15, 22 or 29 d) + SL. No significant interactions were detected between the evaluated factors. Accession significantly affected weight loss, soluble solids, firmness, and pulp yield. In contrast, storage time mainly affected weight loss and titratable acidity. Accession ACQ showed greater weight loss and higher soluble solids, whereas accession ACN exhibited lower weight loss, higher titratable acidity, and higher pulp yield. Principal component analysis explained 60.09% of the total variance in the first two principal components, with weight loss and other physicochemical variables contributing to the differentiation among accessions and storage times. The results indicate that genotype strongly influenced the postharvest behavior of yellow passion fruit during cold storage, providing relevant information for accession selection and fresh-market commercialization strategies.
Potato diseases represent a growing threat to global food security, and climate-driven disease modeling has become an essential tool for anticipating outbreaks and informing management decisions. However, forecasting tools remain inconsistently applied and often lack adaptation to local conditions. This study synthesizes recent advances in climate-based modeling of potato diseases through a combined bibliometric and perspective-based analysis, aiming to identify research gaps, characterize key climatic drivers, and propose a framework for model selection. Three modeling approaches were evaluated: deterministic, probabilistic (frequentist and Bayesian), and artificial intelligence–based methods. Temperature, relative humidity, leaf wetness duration, precipitation, and wind speed emerged as the most influential climatic drivers. Late blight remains the most extensively modeled disease worldwide, which leaves other economically important diseases underrepresented. Each modeling approach presents distinct trade-offs: deterministic models offer biological interpretability but require calibration before transfer to production contexts; frequentist models depend on statistical assumptions (independence, homoscedasticity, and low multicollinearity), which are often violated in biological systems; Bayesian models provide greater flexibility for handling uncertainty and integrating limited or heterogeneous datasets, although reliable still depend on high-quality data; and artificial intelligence methods effectively capture nonlinear interactions but require large, balanced datasets and raise concerns regarding interpretability and overfitting. A geographical gap was identified in Colombia, where climate-based disease modeling remains scarce despite the country’s importance as a potato-producing region. These findings emphasize the need for context-sensitive model selection, rigorous data quality control, and transparent validation practices to support more reliable disease forecasting systems and evidence-based crop management.
The cultivation of potato (Solanum phureja) in high-Andean acid soils faces productivity challenges due to low availability of mineral nutrients. To address this, the present study introduced a novel fertilization strategy using mineral-enriched lactoferments. This research evaluated the agronomic impact of applying lactoferment at 10% and 15%, combined with 25%, 50%, and 75% mineral fertilizer enrichment, on crop growth, phenology, and yield using a randomized complete block design with 9 treatments and 4 replicates, totaling 36 experimental units. The enriched treatments significantly enhanced plant emergence (P<0.05), with emergence rates ranging from 94% to 97%. These treatments improved vegetative growth, as shown by a 10-15% increase in stem diameter compared to conventional management of chemical fertilizers. The most effective treatment (15% lactoferment + 75% mineral enrichment) achieved the highest yield of 26.69 kg per plot (equivalent to 88.97 t ha⁻¹), outperforming the chemical fertilizer control by 35%. Statistical analyses clustered the enriched treatments into regions of high vigor and production, revealing a positive correlation between tuber weight and organic matter content in soil. The mineral-enriched lactoferments represent a novel, eco-friendly, and high-yielding alternative for enhancing S. phureja productivity and mitigating the limitations of conventional management in acid Andean soils.
