Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

The role of urban marketing and the governance of local governments in Ecuador is analysed according to the Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomy and Decentralization (COOTAD). The governance debate shows the potential that local governments can have in assuming this competence to attract Direct Foreign Investment (FDI). The mainstreaming of integrated quality in this work is the product of urban marketing in the construction of the branding or image of Ecuador and its economic positioning in the regional and international arena. It is concluded that the local government is coordinating commercial and institutional agendas in Public-Private Alliances (PPP) to ensure economic, socio-political and technological development in Ecuador.

Calidad integrada: un desafío sistemático organizacional Marcia Almeida-Guzmán y Wilson Araque Jaramillo, editoresQuito: Corporación Editora Nacional / Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, 2019

From the Quality Control Department to the Quality Culture

The population density of the aphid Melanaphis donacis (Passerini) was studied in experimental plots of Arundo donax (L.) at the Antumapu Campus of the University of Chile, La Pintana (33° 34' 08'' S 70° 38' 40'' W) and on wild populations at Rinconada de Maipú (33° 30' 0.17" S and 70° 49' 12.25" W), both in the Mediterranean zone of Chile. Sampling started upon the first colonization of the plants by the aphid on December 14, 2012, and continued every 15 days through December 14, 2013. Samples were taken from the 3rd leaf from the apex, and a total of 36 samples were collected per sampling date. The aphid occurred throughout the growing season of A. donax, especially in summer, with higher densities in the experimental plots than in the wild populations and means of 243 and 147 aphids leaf-1, respectively. The main natural enemies observed were the coccinellids Eriopis connexa (Germar) and Hippodamia convergens (Guérin-Méneville) and the syrphid Allograpta pulchra (Shannon). The predator populations followed the growth curves of the aphid population and of A. donax.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the biomass production and the potential use of the elephant grass hybrid Carajas for animal feeding and bioenergy production under different cutting frequencies. A randomized block design with a 3×3 factorial arrangement was used to evaluate the potential of the grass as animal feed (in natura, silage and hay form; cutting at 60, 75 and 90 days). A randomized block design with three treatments (three cutting intervals, 60, 75 and 90 days) was also used to evaluate the grass for biomass production and its potential use as an energy source in briquette form. The total forage biomass, leaf blade and stem biomass, dry matter, neutral and acid detergent fiber contents, mass and higher heating value increased with cutting interval, whereas the crude protein, ash and moisture contents decreased with cutting interval. Regardless of the cutting interval, the in natura material presented higher values of all content parameters than silage and hay. The Carajas hybrid can be used as animal feed in in natura, silage and hay form, and the recommended cutting interval for use as animal feed is 60 days. The Carajas hybrid also shows potential for use in bioenergy production in briquette form, with a suggested cutting interval of 90 days.

Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) has invaded most continents in the world, including South America. In Chile, it became invasive after 2010, turning into a dominant species in coccinellid guilds in alfalfa crops, where it coexists with the introduced species Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) and the native species Eriopis chilensis Hofmann, the populations of which declined after the invasion of H. axyridis. One of the echanisms attributed to the success of invasive species is the enemy release hypothesis (ERH), which predicts that natural enemies will have a lesser impact on the invasive species in the newly invaded areas than on resident species. Dinocampus coccinellae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a cosmopolitan parasitoid of coccinellids, which vary in their suitability to parasitism according to species and location. The present study evaluated whether H. axyridis is a less suitable host than H. variegata and E. chilensis for D. coccinellae by assessing each step in the parasitism process, from oviposition to adult emergence in field and laboratory conditions. In the field, successful parasitism in H. axyridis (7%) was significantly lower than in H. variegata (33%) and E. chilensis (36%). H. axyridis was also the only species in which failed parasitoid larval development was greater than successful parasitism (adult emergence). In the laboratory, D. coccinellae never successfully oviposited in H. axyridis, while it did in the other two species. These results suggest that in Chile, H. axyridis is a less suitable host than the resident species for D. coccinellae. This mechanism, among others, may explain the dominance of this species in this early stage of invasion.

The ability of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) to attenuate and control several microorganisms was studied, especially for a disease that affects the health and productiveness of crops. For this purpose, the antifungal capacity of TiO2 nanoparticles obtained from two synthesis procedures was evaluated: the first procedure involved green chemistry using an aqueous extract prepared from African palm oil (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) leaves; the second procedure followed the Pechini sol-gel method. The nanoparticles obtained by the green chemistry method and the Pechini sol-gel technique had average sizes of 14.60±0.44 nm and 12.30±0.54 nm as determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The antifungal properties of TiO2 NPs were evaluated on the fungus Fusarium solani Mart. isolated on Sabouraud culture medium. A factorial experimental design was implemented with two variables: (1) exposure time ranging from 24, 48, and 72 h; (2) nanoparticle concentration between 100 and 400 mg L-1. All measurements were performed in quintuplicate. The results show that the TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized by the Pechini method inhibited the fungus by 96.16±0.85% with a nanoparticle concentration of 400 mg L-1, while the TiO2 nanoparticles obtained from the green chemistry method generated a high inhibitory activity of approximately 98.51±0.02% at the four experimental concentrations.

To operate within the safe and just operating space captured by the doughnut metaphor, sustainability transitions are needed in the food system. Niche food systems with highly distinct practices and organization constitute a treasure chest of alternatives from which society can build new futures. Policy has little awareness of niche food systems and their potential contributions to sustainability transitions. Importantly, this limits society’s ability to adapt. Here, we review findings from an ongoing scientific project into different components of the vegetable food systems in Chile and Uruguay. The aim of the project is to investigate options for transitioning to low- or no-pesticide vegetable food systems. The results show: 1. the presence of promising alternative vegetable food systems in Chile, which are, however, highly marginalized and disempowered; 2. a diversity of vertical and horizontal producer arrangements in Uruguay and the need for value-driven as well as market-driven engagement; and 3. major possibilities for improving production systems to arrive within the doughnut by taking a systems perspective at the farm scale that includes the farm families and their networks. Consequences of these findings for alternative vegetable food systems are discussed.