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Sustainability of Tropical Crops in a Changing Environment

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Horticultural and Floricultural Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2022) | Viewed by 8919

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elsa Martinez Ferri

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Ecofisiología de Cultivos, Fruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea (IFAPA) Unidad Asociada de I+D+i al CSIC, 29140 Málaga, Spain
Interests: water use efficiency; tolerance to water stress; abiotic and biotic stresses; irrigation management; optimize water productivity; strawberry and avocado plant breeding
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Clara Pliego

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Genómica y Biotecnología, Fruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea (IFAPA) Unidad Asociada de I+D+i al CSIC, 29140 Málaga, Spain
Interests: avocado rootstock breeding; water stress; abiotic and biotic stresses; tolerance of avocado to the soil-borne pathogen R. necatrix
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural products and fruits from tropical crops are widely used and consumed worldwide. In recent years, consumer demands for tropical products have increased, leading to crop intensification, which involves the use of more resources per cultivation area, and to their expansion to new cropping regions. Consequently, tropical crops can be subjected to natural resource limitations and great disease incidence, which can be aggravated by the climatic change impact on specific tropical and subtropical areas, compromising their sustainability and increasing the risk of environmental breakdown.

The development of new, better-adapted cultivars and the adoption of new environmentally friendly techniques and optimized crop management practices for increasing crop resource-use efficiency in a changing environment have been identified as possible solutions to ensure food and environmental sustainability of tropical crops.

In this Special Issue, we would like to bring together the most recent research on tropical crops (avocado, mango, banana, persimmon, cocoa, papaya, etc.) focusing on strategies and solutions to improve crop resource use efficiency and to safeguard tropical crops feasibility, while maintaining profitability under contrasting conditions. We welcome research articles, reviews, and opinion articles dealing with any of these topics:

Crop management practices, including studies dealing with plant density, soil management, fertigation, irrigation, canopy and crop load management, weed and pest control, cover crops, mulching, etc.;
Identification and use of genotypes (cultivars and rootstocks) tolerant to abiotic and biotic stresses, and molecular and physiological mechanisms associated;
Use of alternative fertilizers (e.g., compost, biochar) or nonconventional water resources (e.g., saline, reclaimed water) for crop production;
New cropping systems and intelligent tools for integrative crop management and for optimizing resource productivity, biodiversity, and soil health;
Tropical crop’s performance and ecophysiological response under climatic change scenarios.

Dr. Elsa Martinez Ferri
Dr. Clara Pliego
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

tropical crops
water and nutrient productivity
sustainable management practices
plant breeding efficient cropping systems
environmentally friendly techniques
plant response to stress
climatic change scenarios
disease and pest control
alternative resources

Related Special Issue

Sustainability of Tropical and Subtropical Crops in a Changing Environment in Agronomy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1921 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Avocado Embryogenic Lines Susceptible or Resistant to Rosellinia necatrix Exudate

by Ana Moreno-Pérez, Adela Zumaquero, Elsa Martínez-Ferri, Carlos López-Herrera, Fernando Pliego-Alfaro, Elena Palomo-Ríos and Clara Pliego

Agronomy 2023, 13(5), 1354; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13051354 - 12 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1572

Abstract

Avocado embryogenic cultures were selected for resistance to the culture filtrate (CF) of Rosellinia necatrix, the causal agent of White Root Rot disease. A resistant callus line was obtained through recurrent selections in progressively increasing concentrations of fungal CF (from 60% to 80%). RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology was used to compare the transcriptomic profiles of the avocado embryogenic-callus-resistant line L3 (capable to survive in the presence of 80% CF) and control line AN-9 (not exposed to CF), after 24 h of growth in a medium containing 40% CF. A total of 25,211 transcripts were obtained, of which 4,918 and 5,716 were differentially expressed in the resistant and control line, respectively. Interestingly, exposure of embryogenic callus lines to 40% of R. necatrix exudates induced genes previously reported to be related to avocado defense against fungal diseases (lignin biosynthesis, Pathogenesis Related (PR) proteins, WRKY (WRKYGQK) Transcription Factor (TF), NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) TF, proteinase inhibitors and Ethylene Response Transcription Factor (ERF), among others), which were accumulated in greater amounts in the resistant line in comparison to the susceptible one. This research will contribute to the understanding of avocado defense against this pathogen, thereby aiding in the selection of resistant avocado rootstocks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Tropical Crops in a Changing Environment)

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17 pages, 1470 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Economic Impact of the Persea Mite in Spanish Avocado Crops

by Eduardo Torres, Carlos Álvarez-Acosta, Modesto del Pino, María Eva Wong, Juan Ramón Boyero, Estrella Hernández-Suárez and José Miguel Vela

Agronomy 2023, 13(3), 668; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030668 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1513

Abstract

The Persea mite, Oligonychus perseae Tuttle, Baker & Abbatiello (Acari: Tetranychidae), is an economically important foliar pest of avocados in Spain. The effects of this mite on the foliar damage, production losses and economic impact were assessed in two avocado, cv. Hass, orchards located in the main growing areas of Spain (Northern Tenerife and Málaga) for 3 and 5 consecutive years, respectively. The economic injury level (EIL) for the optimization of the use of acaricides to control this mite was also established, considering three spraying strategies: (i) mite-free treatment (<50 mites per leaf), (ii) conventional treatment (50–150 mites per leaf), and (iii) control treatment (the absence of spraying). Persea mite populations were sampled fortnightly and foliar damage was estimated. At the end of each season, fruits were harvested, weighed and production losses were quantified. The cumulate mite-days (CMDs) had a significant effect on the percentage of leaf area damaged (PLAD) and yield reduction. High numbers of the Persea mite caused extensive damage to leaves, so a loss in tree yield was evident. However, for the middle population level, there was no evidence of yield losses. The quantitative EIL was estimated at a PLAD of 17%, equivalent to a CMDs of 178 mites per leaf, which is the amount of damage that should not be exceeded. In Northern Tenerife, with a mild climate, the Persea mite can reach significant populations that are maintained throughout the months. In avocado orchards in Málaga, the summer is hotter and drier, so the presence of the mite exists for a shorter duration in the seasons, with less damage to the leaves. In Tenerife, yield loss can be compensated by chemical treatments that permit pest control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Tropical Crops in a Changing Environment)

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16 pages, 865 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Intensification of Cassava Production towards Food Security in the Lomami Province (DR Congo): Role of Planting Method and Landrace

by Vincenzo Tabaglio, Andrea Fiorini, Valènce Ndayisenga, Andrè Ndereyimana, Andrea Minuti, Roger Nyembo Nyembo, Dieudonnè Nyembo Ngoy and Giuseppe Bertoni

Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010228 - 11 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2844

Abstract

Cassava is a mainstay crop for food security in Africa, its tubers being a large source of carbohydrates for the human diet. In some regions (e.g., the Democratic Republic of the Congo; DRC), leaves are also consumed as a source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Cassava adapts well to a range of soil-climate conditions and requires low inputs, yet yields are often unsatisfactory because of failures in disseminating improved genotypes and agricultural practices. The aim of this study was to test the effect of (i) seedbed preparation for planting cassava (i.e., flat, mounds, and ridges) and (ii) local landraces (i.e., Kakuanga, Kasongoy, Kasonie, Ndunda, and Ngoymuamba) on yield components and their nutritional quality in the Lomami province (DRC). In-depth measurements of yield components were performed, including the number of tubers and stems per plant, leaf biomass, stem biomass, root yield, and peeling yield. Tubers and leaves were also analyzed for chemical composition. Our results demonstrated that mound and ridge seedbed preparations may highly increase tuber yield (+32–68%) compared with flat. This is not the case for leaves and stems, which were not affected. The Ngoymuamba landrace showed a tuber yield about three times larger than Ndunda, which represented the common productivity values (5–8 Mg ha⁻¹). No effect of seedbed preparation was observed and only minor differences between landraces were observed for the chemical composition of roots and leaves. We concluded that selecting the best-performing seedbed preparations × landraces could have a significant potential for achieving in a relatively short time the goal of “Zero Hunger” and improving the diet in the DRC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Tropical Crops in a Changing Environment)

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13 pages, 4885 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Temperature and Elevated CO₂ Modify Phenology and Growth in Pepper Plants

by Jade M. Pereyda-González, Clelia De-la-Peña, Wilmer Tezara, Roberto Zamora-Bustillos, Rubén H. Andueza-Noh, Jehu G. Noh-Kú, María Carrera-Marín and René Garruña

Agronomy 2022, 12(8), 1836; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12081836 - 3 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2178

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of temperature and CO₂ on seed emergence, seedling quality, and phenological stage of Capsicum chinense and Capsicum annum cultivated in four controlled growth chambers (C1: 30 °C and 400 μmol CO₂ mol⁻¹; C2: 40 °C and 1200 μmol CO₂ mol⁻¹; C3: 30 °C and 1200 μmol CO₂ mol⁻¹; C4: 40 °C and 400 μmol CO₂ mol⁻¹). Neither temperature nor elevated CO₂ influenced seed emergence, although differences were observed in seedling mortality, with high temperature affecting seedling survival in both species; the mortality rate at 40 °C was 20 and 53% in C. annuum and 45 and 58% in C. chinense at 400 and 1200 μmol CO₂ mol⁻¹, respectively. Differences were also observed in growth parameters, where positive effects were observed on leaf area, which reached 45.9 cm² in C. annuum and 23.9 cm² in C. chinense with elevated CO₂ at 30 °C, but negative effects were observed with high temperature. CO₂ enrichment increased flower and fruit production per plant. However, high temperature delayed flower phenology, increased flower abortion and inhibited fruit set. Elevated CO₂ counteracted the detrimental effects of high temperature on growth parameters and flower number, but this was not sufficient to prevent flower abortion and the detrimental morphological characteristics of fruit caused by a temperature of 40 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Tropical Crops in a Changing Environment)

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