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Separately and in combination a marine yeast Debaryomyces hansenii and a marine bacterium Stenotrophomonas rhizophila were evaluated for their biocontrol potential against Fusarium proliferatum on muskmelon fruit. The results show that the mixture of yeast and bacterium in vitro reduced the growth of F. proliferatum, possibly due to either by direct parasitism, nutrient competition, lytic enzymes, biosurfactants and/or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Disease incidence and lesion diameter caused by F. proliferatum on muskmelon was reduced significantly, especially when fruit was inoculated with the mixture of D. hansenii + S. rhizophila. These results indicated that D. hansenii, S. rhizophila and their combination treatments were effective for the postharvest biocontrol of fruit rot on muskmelon.

Ethnobotany is an adequate tool to identify the most import wild edible plants used by local people and to develop strategies for its sustainable use and policy making. This research records the wild edible plants used by the inhabitants of the Sierra la Laguna Biosphere Reserve, in Mexico, and identified priority species for sustainable development. The employed quantitative approach included the application of a food-oriented index named Food Significance Index (FSI), which integrated cultural, agricultural and food parameters; moreover, it used multivariate analysis to identify priority edible species for use and/or conservation. Fifty taxa were identified as the most important wild edible plants in the reserve, integrated into five priority groups. Foods in priority group 1 had the highest culinary diversity by grouping three fruits (Ficus petiolaris, Stenocereus thurberi, and Cyrtocarpa edulis), one almond-like seed (Cnidoscolus maculatus), one vegetable (Matelea cordifolia), and one condiment (Capsicum annuum). Priority groups 2-5 were selective for one or two types of food, such as fruits, teas, or seeds. Since group 1 was the most diverse, the FSI and the employed strategy permitted to identify the priority wild edible plant species with the highest potential for food security. The selected six species should be included in the future management program of the reserve as the priority wild edible plants to develop strategies for conservation, sustainable use, and improvement of the local population income. General policies to manage the selected six species are outlined.

Because the high biodiversity of Mexico about 12% of the country's total area is included as a Natural Protected Areas (NPAs); however, in the last years, according to the official data, an astonishing number of mining concessions covering 28% of the total area of the country has been granted already. The objective of this work is to quantify the geographical overlap of mining concessions with the federal NPAs of Mexico including the exploration/exploitation status of minerals to be extracted. We use geo-referenced polygons of the NPAs and those of mining exploration and exploitation concessions until 2010 and calculated their overlap extension with the application of ArcView GIS 3.3 (ESRI; Redland, CA, U.S.A.). Our results showed that a total of 1609 mining concessions covering an area of 1,486,433 ha geographically overlaps with the NPAs. With the exception of Natural Monuments (NM), all the different categories of NPAs in Mexico showed mining concessions; 75% of Natural Resources Protection Area (NRPA); 63% of Biosphere Reserve (BR); 47% of Protected Area for Flora and Fauna (PAFF); 22% of Sanctuary (S); and 15% of National Park (NP). The impacts of metal mining activities on NPAs are not only limited to biodiversity and affectation to human communities, but they also have a radius of influence not yet evaluated since most of the NPAs have a special role in supplying watersheds and aquifers. Obviously, currently in Mexico a NPA decree does not represent an obstacle to megamining projects; in consequence, their real environmental impacts are underestimated. It is a priority to legally support canceling the mining concessions already granted in the NPAs and stop granting new ones in the future. In the proportion to which environmental authorities continue to openly accept mining concessions within the NPAs, through modifying management programs that allow these activities, they may cause a significant increase in rejections of local people toward the changes in management programs and on the promotion of new NPAs in Mexico.

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of two different production systems, open-field and shade-enclosure, and four gypsum doses, to find the best environmental option in terms of physiological, morphometric characteristics and with optimum yield in two crops, oregano and thyme in Baja California Sur, Mexico. One cultivar of oregano and one of thyme were grown in shade-enclosure and open-field environments and evaluated for photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll, leaf area, fresh and dry biomass and yield. The results showed significant differences between environmental conditions, crops and their interaction. Gypsum doses had no significant effect on any of the variables measured. For both species shade-enclosure variables measured were more favorable than open-field. In general, of the two crops, oregano performed better than thyme under shade-enclosure conditions, except for Chl a, b, total and leaf water potential which were higher in thyme.