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Objective: To verify the risk factors associated with the use of agrochemicals, through the degree of compliance with Mexican regulations on the Good Use and Management of Pesticides (BUMP). Design/Methodology/Approach: One-hundred producers, selected from a group of 300 producers who make up the register of the Sistema Producto Nopal in Morelos, Mexico, answered the questionnaire. The questionnaire included plot information, market data, and open questions about the compliance with the checklist for the recognition of areas where Good Use and Management of Pesticides (BUMP) standards are applied in the primary production of vegetables of the National Service of Health, Food Safety and Agro Food Quality (SENASICA) Results: Out of all the one-hundred producers surveyed, 57 were recognized in BUMP and 43 were not. Whether producers complied or not with these regulations and could have access to the export market depended on the crop area and the economic income it represents. The greatest non-compliance was caused by the non-authorized use of pesticides in the production of nopal, which represents a contamination risk for the worker, the environment, and the consumers. Study Limitations/Implications: Studies should be carried out about the impact on the health of farm workers and the environment resulting from the inappropriate use of pesticides. Findings/Conclusions: Although the implementation of BUMP in the nopal cultivation minimized the risks of contamination or poisoning, the non-authorized use of synthetic pesticides for its cultivation poses contamination risks to the worker, consumer, and environment. Therefore, strategies must be generated in the domestic market to guarantee the same food safety than in the international market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. There is little information on tropical dry forests regarding cerambycids and their relationship with seasonality, vertical stratification, and physical characteristics of the wood they require to develop. 2. In this work, we determined whether cerambycids in a tropical dry forest of central Mexico differed in the selection of oviposition sites in two different strata throughout two seasons; the relationship between the time of exposure of branches and the emergence of cerambycids; the emergence of these insects in relation to the physical characteristics of the wood and its relationship with stratification and seasonality; and if there was a seasonal shift between strata by cerambycids. Branch segments from 81 woody plant species were cut and exposed to allow the cerambycids to oviposit; the branches were harvested in four 2‐month periods and placed in emergence chambers. For each plant species, we measured the density, decomposition rate, and offered volume of wood. 3. There was a greater quantity of generalist species of stratum (15) and season (12), and we found six important habitat indicator species: three species were significantly associated with the canopy and the dry season, two species preferred the dry season but not strata, and one species preferred both strata in the dry season and the ground during the rainy season. Cerambycid species generally selected soft and ephemeral wood resources. 4. Branch selection by cerambycids in Central Mexico is not random choice; it is determined by season, stratum, density, and especially by host type, decomposition, and volume. Finally, there is a greater abundance of cerambycids in the ground and a greater richness of species in the canopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report on the presence of Frankliniella schultzei in geranium (Pelargonium hortorum) and periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) plants in greenhouses in the State of Morelos, Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: We sampled geranium and periwinkle plants in greenhouses in the municipality of Jojutla, Morelos, Mexico. The collected specimens -of light to dark brown color- were processed, mounted on glass slides to be observed through a conventional light microscope, and identified with taxonomic keys. Results: The specimens collected in the geranium and periwinkle plants presented morphological traits that conform to the species Frankliniella schultzei. Study limitations/Implications: Monitoring the species is necessary because its presence has been identified in at least two regions of Mexico: West and Center. Findings/Conclusions: Frankliniella schultzei had only been located in western Mexico. This report shows that the species is also found in the central region of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the morphological and biochemical variations of achacha (Garcinia humilis (Clusiaceae) (Vahl) C.D. Adam) in three ripeness stages of consumption. Design/Methodology/Approach: The morphological and biochemical variables of fruits in three ripeness stages were evaluated to identify the preferred stage for consumption. We collected 15 fruits from 10 productivestage trees (n=150) for each ripeness stage for their subsequent evaluation in the laboratory. The morphological and biochemical variables were evaluated in each one. Each fruit was considered an experimental unit. The morphological and biochemical variables were evaluated for each unit. Results: Delaying the harvest for a few days increases the weight, length, diameter, and pulp:seed ratio of the fruits and decreases the firmness of the epicarp and the acidity. The °Brix increases and the fruits lose a considerable weight during storage. The pulp of the ripest fruits had light and unsaturated colors. Study Limitations/Implications: Changes in the conditions of the production systems and the variation in the availability of rainwater throughout the year and from one year to another can cause variation in fruit quality. Findings/Conclusions: The ripest fruits had outstanding biochemical parameters for its consumption and better morphological characteristics (length, total weight, diameter, and pulp:seed ratio). With adequate training, the results enable the color of the epicarp and the pulp variables to be used as a harvest index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Informacion Tecnica Economica Agraria is the property of Asociacion Interprofesional para el Desarrollo Agrario (AIDA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)