Alejandro Ismael Monterroso-Rivas

Bosque mesófilo de montaña y escenarios de cambio climático: una evaluación en Hidalgo, México

Forest decline in Desierto de los Leones National Park in Mexico City affects Abies religiosa, a dominant and hard-to-root species in the region. As a result of this decline, the species requires propagation in the region through rooting of cuttings. In this study, a method of vegetative production was developed to determine whether the effect of origin, age of the material, type of hormone used and the presence of decline symptoms affect the rooting capacity of cuttings of this species. Three experiments were conducted, and only the third one produced rooting of cuttings. In this experiment, a substrate composed of peat moss and perlite was used to test rooting of cuttings of two origins, with and without symptoms, generated in two growing seasons and using two auxins (indolbutyric acid and naphthalene acetic acid), keeping the soil moisture between 75-80 %. The combination of these factors produced 16 treatments, which were replicated 50 times. Data were processed by factorial analysis of variance. Results indicate that early December is the best time to collect plant material for rooting of A. religiosa cuttings, as they are the youngest, and that those that received indol-butyric acid rooted the best. Origin and decline symptoms had no effect on rooting. Recibido:14 de junio de 2011 Aceptado: 06 de marzo de 2013 doi: 10.5154/r.rchscfa.2011.06.038 http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas PALABRAS CLAVE: Propagación vegetativa, procedencia, auxinas, edad de estaca, ácido indol-3butírico, ácido naftalenacético.The below-canopy light environment influences the survival, the tree regeneration growth and the development of the understory plant species. Therefore, there has been much interest in measuring the below-canopy light environment. Several instruments, techniques and methods have been developed to measure directly or to estimate indirectly the below-canopy light environment. To date, many comparisons of direct and indirect methods for the measuring and estimation of below-canopy light environment have been conducted in order to determine the best way to measure the light in the understory. In this review a scientific description of the currently instruments, techniques and methods used to measure or to estimate the below-canopy solar radiation is shown. The nature and properties of the different methods, techniques and instruments are commented. Finally, the choice of equipment to meet the needs of the researcher in this topic is supported. Recibido: 29 de febrero de 2012 Aceptado: 12 de febrero de 2013 doi: 10.5154/r.rchscfa.2012.02.014 http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas PALABRAS CLAVE: Radiación solar, luz, medición directa, estimación indirecta, ambiente bajo el dosel arbóreo.The usefulness of forest species in agricultural production systems is an option that helps to reduce the pressure in natural forests; they can also be used in treeless areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional quality, germination, development of seedlings grown in nursery and variety of uses of Leucaena lanceolata S. Watson ssp. lanceolata. Edible material and seeds were collected in Tomatlán, Jalisco. Bromatologic analyses, scarification tests and the evaluation of seedlings grown in nursery using three soils with different pH values were performed. The experimental design was completely randomized, with Tukey (P≤0.05) test for media comparison. A survey study, bibliographical revision and review of specimens in the herbariums were used to know the local and potential diversity of uses of this specie. Results show high content of dry matter (97.40 %) and crude protein (29.05 %), greater germination using heat treatments, better seedling development in slightly acid soil (6.57) and the diversity of uses including firewood, forage and timber among others. L. lanceolata represents a viable option to be used in dry tropical silvopastoral systems due to the high nutritional value and the diversity of uses in rural areas. Recibido: 27 de septiembre de 2011 Aceptado: 01 de febrero de 2013 doi: 10.5154/.r.rchscfa.2011.09.070 http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas PALABRAS CLAVE: escarificación, materia seca, proteína cruda, pH,

Multi-temporal assessment of vulnerability to climate change: insights from the agricultural sector in Mexico

Vulnerability to climate change was evaluated for three different time periods: 1990, 2000, and 2010. Our objective was to discuss the scope of a multi-temporal assessment of vulnerability. The method used 55 indicators—with emphasis on the agricultural sector in Mexico—of which 27 were updated for the year 2010 and 33 were retrospectively estimated for the year 1990. The results show that in the 20-year study period, the exposure of the municipalities (and inhabitants) has increased, and sensitivity and adaptive capacity have decreased. The number of municipalities vulnerable to climate change declined over the 20-year period. We found that calculating vulnerability by adding exposure and sensitivity and subtracting adaptive capacity (E + S − AC) can lead to unintentional underestimation of total vulnerability. When rating vulnerability, care must be taken in what is reported: the results differ for the number of inhabitants versus the number of municipalities. Our previous published vulnerability evaluation was for the year 2000, so we wanted to evaluate the sensitivity of some variables and the vulnerability formula itself we used in that moment. It is possible to evaluate the vulnerability multi-temporally, which allows to evaluate the sensibility and calibration of the variables and indicators used and the reconsideration of their application.

Land suitability levels for rainfed maize under current conditions and climate change projections in Mexico

An assessment of land suitability classes for rainfed maize (spring–summer agricultural cycle) with current climate conditions (1950–2000) and projected climate change scenarios was carried out for Mexico. The method considered the most restrictive factors or agroclimatic requirements from different variables needed by rainfed maize. These factors were analyzed spatially in a geographic information systems (GIS) context, resulting in areas classified into four suitability levels: high, medium, low, and not suitable for maize. We considered two general circulation models (GCM): HADGEM2-ES and MPI-ESM-LR; one radiative forcing concentration representative concentration pathways (RCP) 8.5 Wm−2 and the far period (2075–2099). Results at a national-level analysis showed that under actual conditions, 57.5% of the area of Mexico presents some level of suitability for rainfed maize. The high suitability class is 11.4% of the country, while 20.7% and 25.3% had medium and low suitability levels, respectively. Other results showed that with the HADGEM2-ES and MPI-ESM-LR projections of climate change models, 50.4% and 46.7%, of Mexico’s continental area, respectively, present some level of suitability for the rainfed maize crop. In the first case, with respect to the present climate conditions, the HADGEM2-ES model presented an area decrease of −2.4% and the MPI-ESM-LR model of −5.5% in the high suitability level for the rainfed maize crop. Results at a state-level analysis showed there are five states (Jalisco, Campeche, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Michoacán) in the interval of more than 50,000 km2 of surface with high and medium suitability levels, with a maximum extent change between the present to the projected climate conditions of −46% for the HADGEM2-ES and −57% for the MPI-ESM-LR. In general, the MPI-ESM-LR model showed the most adverse projected conditions for rainfed maize growth.

Proyección y probabilidad de cambio de uso de suelo en Zoquiapan, México: consideraciones para su manejo forestal

Introduccion: La dinamica del uso de suelo y cambios de la cubierta vegetal es crucial para la gestion de los recursos naturales. Objetivo: Analizar el cambio de uso de suelo en la microcuenca Zoquiapan, entre 1989 y 2009, y estimar la tendencia de cambio para el ano 2020. Materiales y metodos: Se obtuvieron dos imagenes de satelite (21 de marzo del 2009 y 7 de marzo de 1989), correspondientes al sensor Landsat, y se procesaron en el software IDRISI©. Las clases estudiadas fueron bosque, pastizal y uso agricola. Se aplico el comando Markov-Markovian transition estimator, para estimar el vector estacionario de la cadena entre los anos de estudio y conocer las tendencias futuras de cobertura vegetal. Resultados y discusion: Entre 1989 y 2009, la superficie agricola y de pastizales se redujo 1.86 y 88.63 ha, respectivamente; la superficie forestal incremento 90.5 ha. Para el ano 2020, la microcuenca Zoquiapan tiene baja probabilidad de cambio. Las probabilidades de permanencia son de 94 % para uso forestal, 88 % para el pastizal y 91 % para la actividad agricola. Conclusion: La microcuenca Zoquiapan no ha tenido algun cambio significativo de uso de suelo. Las zonas cubiertas por bosques presentan baja probabilidad de cambio, siempre y cuando continuen los esfuerzos de conservacion hasta ahora realizados

Potential Yields of Maize and Barley with Climate Change Scenarios and Adaptive Actions in Two Sites in Mexico

Maize is a grain of great importance for Mexican food; and along with barley and its industrial applications represent two crops economically important for the country. With climate change scenarios, distribution and yields of grains could be affected, putting the food security of much of the population at risk. In this work, potential yields of maize and barley were modeled with climate change scenarios and two adaptation actions were evaluated. In order to model yields, the AquaCrop FAO model was used. This model has a water approach and has been widely used in Mexico. Two study cases were chosen and their climate, soil, phenological and management information was compiled. Baseline models were calibrated using four concordance indexes. Once calibrated, we tested the response of yields to 28 climate change scenarios; considering five General Circulation Models, two RCP and three time horizons. Two adaptation actions were evaluated: changing planting date and increase of organic mulches. Results show that yield of maize in the near future (2015–2039) would fall 50% average, while barley yields would decrease in 40%. Adaptation measure based on changing planting date was as effective as increasing mulches in both cases. Maize could gain 1 ton/ha by taking this action, while barley could gain 250 kg/ha in the place studied.

Impact of Climate Change on Soil Organic Carbon Content on Agricultural Soils of Mexico

Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) content for Mexico’s agricultural land were estimated using the carbon accounting model of the IPCC guidelines (IPCC 2006) and the FAO soil organic matter decline model (Ortiz et al. 1994) for the short- and medium-term time horizons for a RCP of 8.5 W/m2 of radiative forcing with the HADGEM and GFDL models. All models show a significant decrease in the surface with higher content of organic matter while the soils with lower organic matter content increase considerably. The variation between the models is relatively low among them, associated to both establishing an increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation which are the fundamental factors that define the mineralization of the SOC in the methods used.

Potential Distribution of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Relation to Alternate Hosts in Mexico

Abstract The spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is one of the most important pests of berry crop production in Mexico. The purpose of this research was to model the potential distribution of D. suzukii in the Mexico relative to 4 non-crop hosts using Maximum Entropy Ecological Niche Modeling. Spotted wing drosophila records were collected from a survey conducted in commercial blackberry plots and non-cultivated areas between 2013–2015. The data for the presence of non-crop hosts in the country and the bioclimatic variables used in the modeling were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and WorldClim websites, respectively. For climatic variable selection, a principal component analysis on climatic variables was conducted prior to the MaxEnt modeling. The results demonstrate that the potential distribution of spotted wing drosophila was primarily in central Mexico. However, other suitable locations in the southeastern portion of the county were identified, which were not previously known. Likewise, the joint modeling depicted areas of coincidence between the spotted wing drosophila distribution and 4 alternating non-crop hosts commonly distributed in the berry-producing region, which includes the states of Michoacán, Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Mexico. This joint modeling of the potential distribution of spotted wing drosophila and non-crop hosts partly explains how the populations of the pest sustain themselves during seasons of low or no commercial berry production in Mexico.

Cloud forest and climate change scenarios: an assessment in Hidalgo, México

Forest decline in Desierto de los Leones National Park in Mexico City affects Abies religiosa, a dominant and hard-to-root species in the region. As a result of this decline, the species requires propagation in the region through rooting of cuttings. In this study, a method of vegetative production was developed to determine whether the effect of origin, age of the material, type of hormone used and the presence of decline symptoms affect the rooting capacity of cuttings of this species. Three experiments were conducted, and only the third one produced rooting of cuttings. In this experiment, a substrate composed of peat moss and perlite was used to test rooting of cuttings of two origins, with and without symptoms, generated in two growing seasons and using two auxins (indolbutyric acid and naphthalene acetic acid), keeping the soil moisture between 75-80 %. The combination of these factors produced 16 treatments, which were replicated 50 times. Data were processed by factorial analysis of variance. Results indicate that early December is the best time to collect plant material for rooting of A. religiosa cuttings, as they are the youngest, and that those that received indol-butyric acid rooted the best. Origin and decline symptoms had no effect on rooting. Recibido:14 de junio de 2011 Aceptado: 06 de marzo de 2013 doi: 10.5154/r.rchscfa.2011.06.038 http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas PALABRAS CLAVE: Propagación vegetativa, procedencia, auxinas, edad de estaca, ácido indol-3butírico, ácido naftalenacético.The below-canopy light environment influences the survival, the tree regeneration growth and the development of the understory plant species. Therefore, there has been much interest in measuring the below-canopy light environment. Several instruments, techniques and methods have been developed to measure directly or to estimate indirectly the below-canopy light environment. To date, many comparisons of direct and indirect methods for the measuring and estimation of below-canopy light environment have been conducted in order to determine the best way to measure the light in the understory. In this review a scientific description of the currently instruments, techniques and methods used to measure or to estimate the below-canopy solar radiation is shown. The nature and properties of the different methods, techniques and instruments are commented. Finally, the choice of equipment to meet the needs of the researcher in this topic is supported. Recibido: 29 de febrero de 2012 Aceptado: 12 de febrero de 2013 doi: 10.5154/r.rchscfa.2012.02.014 http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas PALABRAS CLAVE: Radiación solar, luz, medición directa, estimación indirecta, ambiente bajo el dosel arbóreo.The usefulness of forest species in agricultural production systems is an option that helps to reduce the pressure in natural forests; they can also be used in treeless areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional quality, germination, development of seedlings grown in nursery and variety of uses of Leucaena lanceolata S. Watson ssp. lanceolata. Edible material and seeds were collected in Tomatlán, Jalisco. Bromatologic analyses, scarification tests and the evaluation of seedlings grown in nursery using three soils with different pH values were performed. The experimental design was completely randomized, with Tukey (P≤0.05) test for media comparison. A survey study, bibliographical revision and review of specimens in the herbariums were used to know the local and potential diversity of uses of this specie. Results show high content of dry matter (97.40 %) and crude protein (29.05 %), greater germination using heat treatments, better seedling development in slightly acid soil (6.57) and the diversity of uses including firewood, forage and timber among others. L. lanceolata represents a viable option to be used in dry tropical silvopastoral systems due to the high nutritional value and the diversity of uses in rural areas. Recibido: 27 de septiembre de 2011 Aceptado: 01 de febrero de 2013 doi: 10.5154/.r.rchscfa.2011.09.070 http://www.chapingo.mx/revistas PALABRAS CLAVE: escarificación, materia seca, proteína cruda, pH,