Analysis of Copra and Coconut Oil Markets in Mexico

Objective: To assess the economic impact of the implementation of different production systems (real, traditional, intensive and organic) on the profits of copra-producing states and major coconut oil companies.Design/Methodology/Approach: A linear programming model was formulated which considered the main costs and production revenues, and the transport costs of the copra and coconut oil market, in order to maximize the profit of copra producers and the oil industry simultaneously. Results: The states that were most suitable in the distribution of copra were Guerrero and Tabasco, which proved to be the main suppliers of all the production systems evaluated; within production systems, the intensive system presented a higher level of profit in the scenarios raised. Study Limitations/Implications: The model considered the sale of copra as the sole income of producers, leaving aside the marketing of other products and economic transfers, thus underestimating their total profit. Future research is required to help collect data on alternative sources of income for producers. Findings/Conclusions: Increasing copra production without taking into account the installed capacity in the industry results in the creation of a copra surplus in most producing states, which would result in a fall in the prices of this product, therefore reducing the profit of most states

Analysis of Copra and Coconut Oil Markets in Mexico

Abstract Objective: To assess the economic impact of the implementation of different production systems (real, traditional, intensive and organic) on the profits of copra producing states and major coconut oil companies. Design/methodology/approach: A linear programming model was formulated which considered the main costs and production revenues, and the transport costs of the copra and coconut oil market, in order to maximize the profit of copra producers and the oil industry simultaneously. Results: The states that were most suitable in the distribution of copra were Guerrero and Tabasco, which proved to be the main suppliers in all the production systems evaluated; within production systems, the intensive system presented a higher level of profit in the scenarios raised. Limitations/implications: The model considered the sale of copra as the sole income of producers, leaving aside the marketing of other products and economic transfers, thus underestimating their total profit. Future research is required to help collecting data on alternative sources of income from producers.  Findings/conclusions: Increasing copra production without taking into account installed capacity in the industry results in the creation of a copra surplus in most producing states, which would result in a fall in the prices of this producto, therefore, reducing the profit of most states.Objective: To assess the economic impact of the implementation of differentproduction systems (real, traditional, intensive and organic) on the profits of copra-producing states and major coconut oil companies.Design/Methodology/Approach: A linear programming model was formulatedwhich considered the main costs and production revenues, and the transport costs ofthe copra and coconut oil market, in order to maximize the profit of copra producersand the oil industry simultaneously.Results: The states that were most suitable in the distribution of copra wereGuerrero and Tabasco, which proved to be the main suppliers of all the productionsystems evaluated; within production systems, the intensive system presented ahigher level of profit in the scenarios raised.Study Limitations/Implications: The model considered the sale of copra as thesole income of producers, leaving aside the marketing of other products and economic transfers, thus underestimating their total profit. Future research isrequired to help collect data on alternative sources of income for producers.Findings/Conclusions: Increasing copra production without taking into account theinstalled capacity in the industry results in the creation of a copra surplus in mostproducing states, which would result in a fall in the prices of this product, thereforereducing the profit of most states

Genetic transformation of garlic (Allium sativum L.) with tobacco chitinase and glucanase genes for tolerance to the fungus Sclerotium cepivorum

Garlic yield and quality have decreased due to white rot disease caused by Sclerotium cepivorum Berk. A transformation protocol to introduce tobacco chitinase and glucanase genes into garlic embryogenic calli using Agrobacterium tumefaciens has been established. LBA4404 strain having pC2301CHGLU plasmid with TaCh, glu, gus and nptII genes (coding for chitinase, glucanase, β-glucuronidase and neomycin phosphotransferase, respectively) was used. 30 putative transgenic clones were obtained from inoculated calli after six months. Histochemical assay revealed high gus activity in 43% of the clones. Molecular analysis of transgenic plants showed 92% of the clones carried TaCh gene. Eight culture media for plant regeneration from transgenic calli were evaluated; MTDZ-1 (thidiazuron 1 mg/l) medium induced the highest number of plants (38.4 plants). Transgenic plants were grown in the greenhouse and they developed normally. S. cepivorum in vitro bioassays showed 41 to 60% of mycelial invasion in the transgenic plants, and 80% in non-transgenic plants (control). Transformed plants were not completely resistant, but they showed a delay in fungal infection. This is the first report on the introduction of fungal resistance genes in garlic.Keywords: Allium sativum, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Sclerotium cepivorum, glucanase, chitinaseAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(22), pp. 3482-349

Biofortification with copper nanoparticles (Nps Cu) and its effect on the physical and nutraceutical quality of hydroponic melon fruits

Currently the use of nanoparticles is having an impact on agricultural production. There is evidence that copper nanoparticles have a strong impact on the growth and development of different crops. Biofortification specifically with (NPs Cu) improves the nutritional quality of food and its consumption has a positive influence on the health of humanity. The objective of this study consisted in evaluating the foliar application of copper nanoparticles (NPs Cu), on the weight of the fruit, nutraceutical quality and concentration of copper in melon fruit pulp. The treatments consisted of five doses of Cu NPs: 0, 1.8, 3.6, 5.4, 7.2 and 9.0 mg L -1 sprinkled foliarly. The variables evaluated were fruit weight, polar and equatorial diameter, firmness, total soluble solids, bioactive compounds and copper content in melon pulp. The results obtained indicated that the foliar application of NPs Cu, improved the physical and nutraceutical quality and the concentration of Cu in melon fruits. The highest weight and the best diameters of the fruit were obtained with the highest concentrations of NPs Cu (7.2 and 9.0 mg L-1). The concentration of 3.6 mg L-1 Cu NPs presented the highest antioxidant capacity with a value of 117,713 mg equiv. Trolox * 100 mg -1 PF, and higher content of phenols with 243.68 mg ac. gallic / 100 g FP, exceeding the concentration of 1.8 mg L -1 by 39% and the control treatment by 48%. The 3.6 and 5.4 mg L-1 treatments obtained the highest amount of flavonoids with values ​​of 149.903 and 148.29 mg QE / 100 g -1 FP, respectively. Regarding the copper concentration in the melon fruit pulp, the 9.0 mg L-1 treatment presented the highest concentration with a value of 5.39 mg kg -1 PS; The results show that, statistically, there is a correlation between the copper nanoparticles and the phytochemical variables in melon fruits. It is concluded that the use of Cu NPs can be an alternative to enrich melon fruits, and could help to solve the copper deficiency in the diet of the population

EFFECT OF AGRONOMIC BIOFORTIFIATION WITH IODINE ON THE YIELD AND NUTRACEUTICAL QUALITY OF SALADETTE TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Iodine is not considered an essential nutrient for terrestrial plants like tomato. However, it can increase the concentration of secondary metabolites as a reactive mechanism to oxidative stress in tomato fruit. In humans, iodine is essential for thyroid metabolism and the development of cognitive abilities, being associated with lower risks of certain types of cancer. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of foliar applications of iodine on the yield, commercial and nutraceutical quality, and iodine concentration in tomato fruits. The treatments were five increasing concentrations of potassium iodide (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 µM L-1). The results showed that the foliar application of high doses of iodine improved crop yield, but had no influence on some commercial quality variables, such as soluble solids and firmness. Nutraceutical quality concentrations improved, except for lycopene content, which decreased with foliar applications of iodine. Therefore, iodine biofortification can be a viable alternative to improve the nutritional quality of tomato fruits, being a potential strategy to reduce or prevent iodine deficiency

Competitividad y rentabilidad de la producción de frutillas en Jalisco

During 2017, Jalisco was the second state with the highest contribution to the national agricultural GDP (SIAP, 2020). The cultivation of berries is an important socioeconomic activity in this state, which include cranberry (Vacciniumspp.), raspberries (Rubus idaeus) and blackberries (Rubus ulmifolius). Jalisco is the main producer of raspberry, the second of blackberry, and the fourth of strawberry (Fragariaspp.) at the national level (FIRA, 2016). However, it is perceived that unlike strawberry and blackberry crops, the cultivated area of raspberries increased in recent years, this increase cannot be explained by changes in price or yield but by other factors. The objective of the study was to determine if there were distortions in the markets that couldhave influenced the choice of producers in Jalisco for a particular type of berry. It was started from the hypothesis that of the berries, the raspberry had a greater competitive or comparative advantage. To measure the degree of market distortion, the methodology of the policy analysis matrix was applied. The results indicate that the three types of berries were profitable; however, some economic distortions benefited the raspberry and blackberry crops, and negatively impacted the strawberry crop, in addition there was a large subsidy to the profits of the raspberry crop. It is concluded that distortions created by the market and the government influenced the choice of the type of berry to be sown by producers, favoring raspberry productionDurante 2017, Jalisco fue el segundo estado con mayor aportación al PIB agrícola nacional (SIAP, 2020). El cultivo de berries es una importante actividad socioeconómica de este estado, los cuales incluyen el arándano (Vaccinium spp.), frambuesa (Rubus idaeus) y zarzamora (Rubus ulmifolius). Jalisco es el principal productor de frambuesa, el segundo de zarzamora, y el cuarto de fresa (Fragaria spp.) a nivel nacional (FIRA, 2016). Sin embargo, se percibe que a diferencia de los cultivos de fresa y zarzamora, la superficie cultivada de frambuesa incrementó en los últimos años, dicho incremento no puede ser explicado por cambios en el precio o rendimiento sino por otros factores. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar si hubo distorsiones en los mercados que pudieron haber influido en la elección de los productores de Jalisco por algún tipo de berry en particular. Se partió de la hipótesis, que de los berries, la frambuesa tuvo una mayor ventaja competitiva o comparativa. Para medir el grado de distorsión del mercado se aplicó la metodología de la matriz de análisis de políticas. Los resultados indican que los tres tipos de berries fueron rentables; sin embargo, algunas distorsiones económicas beneficiaron a la frambuesa y zarzamora, e impactaron negativamente al cultivo de fresa, además existió un gran subsidio a las ganancias del cultivo de frambuesa. Se concluye que distorsiones creadas por el mercado y el gobierno influyeron en la elección del tipo de berry a sembrar por los productores, favoreciendo la producción de frambuesa