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

We analyzed the interactions between nectarivores birds and paramo plants at Cajas National Park, Azuay, Ecuador, using citizen science information from the eBird platform. Our analysis was based on clues extracted from photographs and videos available on this platform. A total of 24 interactions were identified between eight nectarivores birds and 14 plant genera. At the network level, we calculated connectance (C), and at the species level, we calculated degree (D), or the number of interactions of each species. We used the platform R to visualize the interactions network and calculate each index. We found that the endemic hummingbird Violet-throated Metaltail, Metallura baroni, and Blue-mantled Thornbill, Chalcostigma stanleyi, as well as genus Gynoxys, showed the majority of interactions, suggesting their importance for the ecosystems of Cajas National Park.

The high volumes of corn imports that are reported annually for Colombia place it in seventh place worldwide in this business year, causing high dependence on international markets that can be easily altered by global events such as the one that occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The importance of corn as a raw material and as a vital food for the Colombian family basket justifies great regulatory, political, institutional and technical efforts in search of increasing in a competitive and sustainable way the more than 393,000 hectares reported in 2019 and the yields in the traditional and technified production systems that range between 2.3 t.ha-1 and 5.4 t.ha-1 respectively. Currently, in Colombia multiple institutions of a trade union, national and even international offer technologies that allow for production models for the various existing socioeconomic contexts, however, finding new technological developments in terms of: efficient use of natural resources to exploit competitive advantages and new offers of planting materials for both varieties and hybrids, have become one of the main lines of work to meet the transversal technological demands in the country. Likewise, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as head of the agricultural sector, leads the formulation and execution of programs and/or projects that leverage the integration of the corn chain and its growth or resurgence to reduce imports and achieve autonomy of this species for Colombia.

Due to the great maize genetic diversity, over the time selection have been practiced to obtain textures, flavors, aromas for specific uses. At present, this selection is still valid by farmers and also by researchers who take advantage of new technological advances to efficiently assist selection, and to identify maize with specific characteristics, so it is possible "to tailored" bio-fortified, specialty and quality maize varieties according to the main forms of uses, consumption, and exploitation, that provide greater value added, and that allow the development of bio-active compounds and functional foods. Likewise, for the selection of maize with greater digestibility that impact and make more efficient livestock production. The interdisciplinary interaction between maize breeding programs with researcher groups specialized in disciplines related to food technology, can generate bio-fortified specialty maize which contain bio-active and nutraceutical compounds. INIFAP's maize program at Bajío region in Mexico, has implemented strategies to generate improved bio-fortified, bio-active and functional maize varieties, which have an impact on the health and nutrition of consumers. With a view to influencing the strategies described above, emphasis has been placed on maize germplasm development, focused on implementing research lines to generate: high oil content maize; white kernel maize with nixtamalera-tortillera quality; yellow kernel maize; high-quality protein maize (QPM); pigmented (such blue maize); popcorn; forage quality; fusarium and Aflatoxin contamination resistance; among others. This paper presents the advances and achievements obtained in these research lines. Based on the presented information, it is possible to say that we are at the forefront of great challenges and opportunities in interdisciplinary maize research in Latin America. That will allow us to develop genetic materials that, in addition to face imminent production risks, we can select specialty bio-fortified maize varieties, with value added, which allow the development of bio-active components, functional foods and also development of new industrial products.

Maize area planted to maize in Peru is 500,000 ha, approximately 50% of each, hard yellow maize (MAD) and highland maize (MA); MAD is used by the animal feed industry and the MA for human consumption. Average area planted by farmers is less than 1.5 ha in both cases. Maize production has been increased in the last 60 years however the demand has not been satisfied for MAD, which has been covered by importing more than 3 million tons of corn / year, worth one billion dollars. There is a 5% surplus of MA for export.  MAD imports is higher than 70% of the demand, which means a problem for national food security; on the other hand, there are more than 500,000 farming units that are planting maize and therefore need to be included in country development policies to improve their livelihoods. A way to increase income for farmers planting MA is linking to the national and international market in order to increase the demand by producing transformed products based on corn as raw material, the increase in purple corn exports in recent years is a good indicator. For MAD a strategy to increase maize production is needed that may include all public and private members of the maize chain aimed to increase maize production according with national, regional, and local requirements. In both cases, suitable technologies and government policies are essential to increase maize productivity and profitability.  A training strategy must be developed for succeeding the maize Peruvian plan aimed to increase maize production. 

Corn (Zea mays L.) is the most important crop in Guatemala because it has an important role in the diet of the population. The production does not cover the national demand, especially yellow corn, seeing the need to import this cereal. Currently, the productivity of the crop is quite low, due to a series of limitations faced by small producers. The national average yield is 2,154 kg ha-1, which is lower than other corn producers in the region. Corn is usually planted under the rainy regime, however, the negative effect of the weather affects national production. Pests and diseases are another problem faced by producers, who often have limited access to the most important production inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides. The use of improved seeds is the key to increase productivity. The Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (ICTA) has generated varieties and hybrids of corn adapted to the productive systems of the country. Unfortunately, these technologies have not been disseminated to most farmers due to the lack of a promotion and adoption strategy, despite significant efforts being made in the country. ICTA has made new hybrids available to the public, such as ICTA HB-17TMA (white grain) and ICTA Grano de Oro (yellow grain). These cultivars have resistance to the Tar Spot Complex. Besides, the Institute has released ICTA HB-18ACP + Zn, the first biofortified hybrid in the world, which has high quality protein and high zinc content.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports a corn harvested area in Ecuador of 365,334 ha, with a yield of 4.58 tons per hectare (t ha-1), and a production of 1,479,700 tons (t). These data demonstrate the importance of corn cultivation in the country, whose production is mainly oriented towards human consumption and animal feed. In Ecuador, research related to plant breeding, plant nutrition, plant pathology, and entomology plays an important role; while the use of biotechnology and its applications to increase crop productivity is incipient. Advances in plant breeding have been one of the most important factors to improve crop productivity in the two most important corn-producing regions of the country (Costa and Sierra). The objective of this article is to describe the contribution of science and technology generated in the country for a profitable and sustainable corn production.

We present the first written record of the freshwater gastropod Stenophysa marmorata in Loja, Ecuador, a specimen collected in the rivers of the city of Loja. It is known that there are many species of freshwater molluscs that can be potential bioindicators of water, thus highlighting the importance of the contributions of this research for the knowledge of the malacological fauna of Ecuador.

This study aims to summarize the current situation of maize production in Spain in relation to the world situation. At present, the two main constraints to increasing the area cultivated with maize and increasing its yield in Spain are the availability of water and economic profitability. For this reason, this work summarizes the progress achieved to date, but also the potential improvements that could improve their economic performance without increasing (or even decreasing) their environmental impact. These techniques require inevitably an improvement of the use efficiency of the agronomic inputs (fertilizers, diesel, pesticides"¦), as well as, the improvement of water use. Therefore, farmers who wish to continue growing maize in Spain, in addition to being able to improve their yields and reduce their environmental impact, must, above all, improve their production margins.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most relevant crops in Argentina. Most of grain production is exported and about one third of the grain is used domestically as forage or destined to the industries of milling and ethanol production. The area cultivated with maize has consistently increased in the past ten years reaching a sowing area of 7,4 million hectares in 2020/2021, with a grain production of 60,5 million tons. Sustainable grain production might be intensified by tackling major yield constrains such as, crop nutrition, planting quality to achieve an efficient canopy, deficiencies in crop protection, cultivar choice, harvest time and harvest technology and, deficiencies in grain transportation and storage, among others. New government politics and better consolidation of the research and development networks are needed to achieve higher sustainable production with lower contamination levels.

Corn has experienced a true revolution in Brazil in the last 30 years (agricultural harvests from 1991/92 to 2021/2022). Currently, the country has established itself as the third producer and second exporter worldwide of this cereal, with a production of more than 100 million tons of this grain per agricultural year. In this period, soybean cultivation stands out as the great driver of technological advances, leading corn and other crops to more prominent positions and transforming grain production systems; previously monoculture or rotation, to more intensified systems, with two (or more) agricultural crops per year in the same area. The Brazilian Cerrado region, previously considered unsuitable for agriculture, is today the great barn of grain production in Brazil. In these three decades of escalation in corn production, some legal and technological milestones stand out, such as the Law for the Protection of Cultivars and its regulations (since 1997), the direct sowing system, the cultivation of corn in the second harvest (after soybean), and the use of biotechnologies. These factors were decisive for the growth of maize production to exceed by more than 3.6 times the volume of the 1991/92 agricultural season, while the area devoted to maize cultivation increased only 1.5 times. Increases in productivity are linked to technologies and knowledge applied to the management of production systems, soybean-corn, and not only in an isolated crop; allowing greater advances in the gross production of both grains (recent yields in the corn harvest are about 2.5 times higher than 30 years ago). This article shows data and facts that allowed Brazil to get out of a position of vulnerability, in terms of corn supply, to become an important player in the production and marketing of this cereal worldwide.