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Tree tomato (Solanum betaceum) is susceptible to nematode attack; for this reason, grafting is used as an alternative to reduce this impact. In this study, the bioactive compounds of the fruit (shell, pulp, and seed jelly) of two tree tomato ecotypes (‘giant orange’ and ‘giant purple’) were evaluated in both control and grafted plants grown at different altitudes (2010–2250, 2260–2500, 2510–2750 and 2760–3000 masl). Commercial quality, vitamin C, organic acids, phenolics, carotenoids and antioxidant activity were determined by microextraction and quantified by liquid chromatography (RRLC) or spectrophotometry (microplate reader). The results showed high concentrations of vitamin C, organic acids and antioxidant activity in the seed jelly, organic acids in the pulp and phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and antioxidant activity in the shell. The main phenolics were ferulic acid, caffeic acid and luteolin, while the main carotenoids were lutein, B-cryptoxanthin and B-carotene. Multivariate analysis showed that tree tomato quality was mainly influenced by altitude and fruit part and that grafting positively affected soluble solids for both ecotypes and all altitudes.

Avocado demand has increased in recent years due to the nutraceutical properties that this fruit has and its positive impacts on human health; however, avocado production also requires sustainable alternatives to improve its cultivation. The objective of this study was to carry out characterization of the mineral content and phytochemical compounds in avocado fruit of the Hass variety grown using sustainable agricultural practices in Ecuador. Our results show an increase in fruit quality traits, such as firmness, and in the content of soluble solids, protein, fiber, fat, carotenoids, Ca, Mg, Zn and stearic acid in the pulp of the avocado Hass variety, as well as an initial trend of yield increase with the application of sustainable practices. Moreover, antioxidant activity was associated with polyphenol content. There were positive correlations of Mg with K and Ca, and of flavonoids with linolelaidic, linoleic and linolenic acids. Overall, our results indicate that avocado can be used as a functional and nutritional food due to its phytochemical composition and the mineral content of its pulp, which contributes to the promotion of its consumption and encourages healthy eating. In addition, the use of sustainable practices, such as fertigation and the application of microorganisms, is also promoted for growing avocado.

Agroforestry systems allow conservation of natural resources and promotion of sustainable agriculture in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Nevertheless, the benefit of the associated species that are part of these production systems needs to be demonstrated. The aim of this study was to find out the influence on the crop yield, carbon sequestration, presence of earthworms, and the nutritional contribution of legume species associated with the naranjilla (Solanum quitoense) crop in an agroforestry system. The research was carried out in the Palora Experimental Farm of INIAP, using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments were made up of cultivation systems (agroforestry systems with or without 50% fertilization) and monoculture as a control, with two levels of conventional fertilization (50 and 100%). In the agroforestry arrangements, Gliricidia sepium and Flemingia macrophylla were used to supply biomass. The results showed that during the three evaluation cycles, the yield of naranjilla was influenced by the quality of the biomass added to the soil and not by the amount of synthetic chemical fertilizer that was supplied. The biomass of G. sepium and F. macrophylla provided a greater amount of Mg, Mn, Zn, B, and Fe; elements that contributed to crop yield and the presence of earthworms. The results suggest that the use of legume species in agroforestry systems positively influenced naranjillla productivity, favoring sustainable agriculture in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Seed is a fundamental tool to carry out breeding processes and for the propagation of the crops; however, seed propagation generally has low and irregular germination. Passion fruit (Passiflora) species are economically important for Ecuador, which is the main exporter of passion fruit concentrate in Latin America. Ecuadorian farmers propagate new plants by seeds to establish new passion fruit orchards or to extend their cultivated area. The objective of this research was to determine the differences in germination and seedling development with the application of priming methods in five genotypes of passion fruit belonging to three different taxa that are of commercial use in Ecuador. The genotypes used were: INIAP 2009 and P10 (P. edulis f. flavicarpa), Gulupa (P. edulis f. edulis), and local germplasms POR1 (P. edulis f. flavicarpa) and PICH1 (P. maliformis). The priming methods were: water (control), hydrogen peroxide at 15%, potassium nitrate at 1%, PEG 6000 at −1.2 MPa, and gibberellic acid at 500 ppm. The results showed that there was a genotype-response depending on the priming method. Nevertheless, Polietilenoglicol (PEG 6000) could be considered as a promising method to encourage seed germination and promote seedling growth in the Passiflora species. More research regarding the use of this compound has to be carried out in order to determine in depth the physiological processes related to its functions to improve seed germination as well as production of vigorous seedlings.

Babaco is a fast-growing herbaceous shrub with great commercial potential because of the organoleptic properties of its fruit. Babaco mosaic virus (BabMV) is a potexvirus in the family Alphaflexiviridae affecting babaco in all the provinces that produce this crop in Ecuador. BabMV was recently described but it has been affecting babaco for decades and, since many potexviruses are serologically indistinguishable, it may have been previously misidentified as papaya mosaic virus. Based on the coat protein (CP) gene, we aimed to study the distribution and epidemiological patterns of BabMV in babaco and chamburo over the years and to model its three-dimensional structure. Sequences of the CP were obtained from thirty-six isolates from plants collected in the main babaco-producing provinces of Ecuador between 2016 and 2021. The evolution rate of BabMV was estimated at 1.21 × 10−3 nucleotide substitutions site−1 year−1 and a time of origin of the most recent common ancestor around 1958.80. From molecular dynamics simulations, compared to other proteins of BabMV—RDRP, TGB1, and Alkb domain—the CP exhibited a higher flexibility with the C and N terminals as the most flexible regions. The reconstructed viral distribution provides dispersion patterns which have implications for control approaches of BabMV.

There are several species of passion fruit grown in South America. However, there is a lack of information about the mineral content in their pulp. Thus, the objective of the present research was to determine the mineral content in the pulp of different germplasms of passion fruit [Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa (INIAP 2009 and P10), P. alata (Sweet passion fruit), P. edulis f. edulis (Gulupa) and Passiflora sp. (Criollo POR1 and Criollo PICH1)] grown in Ecuador and to determine their relationship with relevant fruit quality traits. The results showed that high Mg content was associated with less peel thickness, soluble solids was negatively related to K and B content, and vitamin C was negatively related to S content. INIAP 2009 had high titratable acidity and fruit weight but low N and Na; P10 showed the highest contents of N, K, Na, Mn and fruit weight but less P, Mg, and Fe; sweet passion fruit showed high S, Zn, Cu, soluble solids, and peel thickness but low K, Ca, B, and titratable acidity; Gulupa had high Mg, B, and Zn but low S, Fe, and Mn; Criollo POR1 showed high N and Fe but low Zn; and Criollo PICH1 showed high P, Ca, Mg, and Cu but low soluble solids and peel thickness. These results provide additional information on passion fruit germplasm grown in Ecuador and constitutes a reference for further breeding programs.

Tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cav.) is an Andean fruit crop that is grown in Ecuador. It is an exceptional source of minerals and vitamins, thus has nutraceutical properties. The objective of this research was to carry out a phytochemical characterization of a breeding population composed of 90 segregants. Pulp (including mesocarp, mucilage, seeds and placenta) was ground and sieved in order to obtain the liquid pulp to be lyophilized for the chemical analyzes. Antioxidants compounds were determined by spectrophotometry and vitamin C by reflectometry. Data were analyzed by principal components, grouping, and variance analyses; in addition, Z Score estimation was carried out to select elite individuals. There was a broad variability in the data obtained for the breeding population, polyphenol content varied from 5.11 to 16.59 mg GAE g−1, flavonoids from 1.24 to 6.70 mg cat g−1, carotenoids from 50.39 to 460.72 µg β-carotene g−1, anthocyanins from 1.06 to 240.49 mg cy-3-glu 100 g−1, antioxidant capacity from 49.51 to 312.30 µm Trolox g−1, and vitamin C from 78.29 to 420.16 mg 100 g−1. It can be concluded that tree tomato is a good source of beneficial biocompounds and has a high antioxidant capacity.

Tropical fruits are in high demand for their flavor and for their functional composition because these compounds are considered nutraceuticals. Passion fruit production is of economic importance to Ecuador; however, several Passiflora species are grown and each has to be analyzed to identify their phytochemical composition. In this study, the polyphenol, flavonoid, carotenoid, vitamin C, sugar and organic acid contents were determined. Six different Passiflora spp. germplasms were analyzed, coming from Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa, Passiflora alata, Passiflora edulis f. edulis and unidentified Passiflora species (local germplasm). Measurement techniques included reflectometry for vitamin C, spectrophotometry for antioxidant compounds and HPLC for sugars and organic acids. Data were analyzed by principal component analysis, correlation and analysis of variance. Results showed that INIAP 2009 and P10 showed a high amount of polyphenols, antioxidant activity and citric content. Sweet passion fruit had the lowest vitamin C content while Gulupa showed the highest content. In terms of the local germplasm, POR1 showed the lowest content of flavonoids while PICH1 had high flavonoid and carotenoid content. Polyphenols were the main compounds that influenced antioxidant activity. This phytochemical information adds value to passion fruit as a nutraceutical source.

An application of a balanced nutrition will improve the soil as well as enhance the yield of naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lam.) grown in the Ecuadorian Amazon. A field experiment was carried out in Palora, 16 de Agosto (Morona Santiago province) and Fátima (Pastaza province) to find which variables are related with the yield of the naranjilla crop and the yield response when the crop receives complete nutrition with N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S plus lime and with the omission of each of these nutrients. A Random Complete Block Design with three replications was used in the three environments. The naranjilla crop had higher yields (18.14 Mg ha−1) in the complete treatments (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S) and without S and Mg, consequently, these two last nutrients did not limit the production. When N, P, K, and Ca were not applied, the yields fell to 14.62 Mg ha−1. The main environmental effect showed that Palora had the highest fruit yields (19.73 Mg ha−1), followed by 16 de Agosto (13.57 Mg ha−1) and finally Fátima with 11.04 (Mg ha−1). These preliminary results showed that with the treatments without S (18.55 Mg ha−1), without Mg (18.42 Mg ha−1) and complete (17.46 Mg ha−1) the highest yields were obtained, consequently, the production was not affected by the absence of these elements; the opposite happened when N, P, K, and Ca were not present.

Andean blackberries (Rubus glaucus Benth) are fruits rich in phytocomponents with high antioxidant activity. In this work, the changes in the total polyphenol content (TPC), the total flavonoid content (TFC), and the total anthocyanin content (TAC) of four blackberry varieties at three maturity stages (E1-25%, E2-50%, and E3-100%) were measured. The antioxidant activity (AA) was evaluated using the 2,2’azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazolin 6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. TPC and TFC content decreased with the increase in the maturity stage. The blackberry Brazos cultivar presented TPC values of 51.26, 38.16, and 31.59 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry weight (DW) at E1, E2, and E3, respectively. The TAC and soluble solids increased with the increase in the maturity stage of the fruits. The Andimora variety at E3 presented a high TPC content, and the Colombiana variety presented a high TFC content. The blackberry Colombiana cultivar presented TAC values of 1.40, 2.95, and 12.26 mg cy-3-glu/100g DW at E1, E2, and E3, respectively. The blackberry Colombiana cultivar presented a high AA value at 1278.63 µmol TE/g DW according to the ABTS method and 1284.55 µmol TE/g DW according to the FRAP method. The TPC and TFC showed a high correlation with the AA according to the ABTS and the FRAP methods. The Pearson correlation between the TFC and AA/ABTS has a value of r = 0.92. The TFC and AA/FRAP present a value of r = 0.94.

Neoleucinodes elegantalis (Guenée) is an oligophagous species of plants in the Solanaceae family that has a broad geographical distribution in the tropical zones of South America. It is the most important insect pest of naranjilla (Solanum quitoense Lamarck), a crop grown in threatened areas of the tropical old-growth forest in Ecuador. In this study, two host-specific populations of N. elegantalis were collected from infested fruit of naranjilla and tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cavanilles) in different locations. Sexually virgin adult insects (93 females and 103 males) were dissected to extract their genitalia to measure 12 morphological variables in females and six in males, resulting in six and four informative variables respectively. Using univariate and multivariate analysis of variance, it was found that the Solanaceous host was the main factor differentiating the area measurements of the seventh abdominal segment and ostium bursae in female genitalia, and cornuti length in male genitalia. Principal components generated with these measurements were employed in a logistic regression model for the classification of the Solanaceous host. Female genitalia of individuals from S. betaceum showed significantly larger ostium bursae relative to female genitalia from S. quitoense. For males, individuals collected from S. betaceum showed longer cornuti length than samples collected from S. quitoense. The results suggest genotypic differentiation according to the Solanaceous host or phenotypic plasticity in N. elegantalis. Further molecular and bio-geographical studies are needed to properly differentiate N. elegantalis populations that would help in the control of this pest.