This study concerns the ecological and economic features of a particular category of complementary foods in ethnic Peru—comprising of insects, crustaceans, snails, and mushrooms— grouped as chitin-bearing foods (CBFs). Data collection was through participatory methods and semistructured interviews with 242 individuals in eight communities/villages from four ethnic populations. We found that, in Peruvian Amazonian Amerindian communities, CBFs are the most relevant protein source during the rainy season. Shrimp (Macrobrachium sp.), crab (Hypolobocera peruviana), palmweevil (Rhynchophorus palmarum), leaf-cutter ants (Atta cephalotes), and Lepidoptera larvae are common in the Amazonian diet. In Awajún and Ashaninka communities, most interviewed subjects declared significant consumption of CBFs, while a low percentage ate vertebrates every week during the rainy season and even in the dry season. In contrast, highland Quechua people occasionally consume larvae of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera and Quechua-Lamas populations (in the Amazonian region from historical times) consume the most accessible CBFs on a weekly basis. Traditional technologies and methods of semi-cultivation are evidence of a growing economic interest for CBFs. Relevant species have a high nutritional value in terms of chitin, fatty acids, and proteins, as well a high acceptance by the indigenous population. We conclude that Amazonian Amerindians manage these foods not only as a remedy for food shortage during the rainy season, but also as a stable forest resource and year-round agricultural by-product. We conclude that these traditional food practices should be incorporated within local and national agri-food policies to develop their economic potential and bring their social benefits into rural and peri-urban areas of Peru.

Peru is a megadiverse country with native species of all kinds, including dye plants, which have been used for hundreds of years by the local population. Despite the fact that many of these natural dyes are of a superior quality compared to synthetic ones and do not have the harmful effects that the latter may cause to human health, due to the lack of documentation and dissemination, ethnobotanical knowledge is unfortunately being lost with the passing of generations. In order to preserve and spread such valuable knowledge, this study conducted a comprehensive taxonomic, phytogeographic, and ethnobotanical inventory of dye plants based on periodical botanical explorations in selected locations of Northern Peru during the span of two decades. A critical review of the specialized bibliography was then carried out and the findings were verified with the personal knowledge and experience of both the researchers and the local and regional people. The results of the inventory record 32 species of dye plants from Northern Peru distributed in 22 families, of which the following stand out due to the number of species: Fabaceae (5), Anacardiaceae (2), Annonaceae (2), Asteraceae (2), Berberidaceae (2), Rosaceae (2), and Solanaceae (2). Of the 32 dye species identified, four are considered endemic from Peru: Berberis buceronis J.F. Macbr., Caesalpinia paipai Ruiz & Pav., Coreopsis senaria S.F. Blake & Sherf., and Lomatia hirsuta (Lam.) Diels. The study also found that species such as Bixa orellana L., Indigofera suffruticosa Mill., Sambucus peruviana, and the lichen Usnea baileyi (Stirton) Zahlbr have not been commercially exploited in Peru despite the fact that they already constitute a great economic source for several countries.

El hombre a través de su historia, ha empleado la flora, en el tratamiento de múltiples enfermedades; muchas constituidas en pandemias y causantes de millones de muertes. Esta investigación determinó las "plantas frías" y "plantas calientes" como recursos para la prevención y/o tratamiento del COVID-19, al demostrar que estarían relacionadas a los pHs alcalinos y ácidos, para ayudar a resolver esta pandemia. Se ejecutaron exploraciones botánicas a distintas localidades del norte del Perú, aplicándose 96 entrevistas semiestructuradas según el método "bola de nieve", a fin de recabar información de: "nombres vulgares", "partes empleadas del vegetal", "tipos de preparado", "formas de administración", "enfermedad tratada" y el tipo de "planta fría" o "planta caliente" utilizada. Esta información fue analizada y complementada con la referida en tesis, artículos científicos y libros sobre la materia. Se registra para el norte del Perú, un total de 83 especies de plantas medicinales entre "frías" y "calientes", como recursos potenciales en la prevención y/o tratamiento del COVID-19, distribuidas en 72 géneros y 39 familias; de ellas, el 77,10 % (64 especies) son "plantas frías" y el 22,9 % (19 especies) "plantas calientes".

Between 2016 and 2017, we conducted structured interviews with herbalists in market stands in the providence of Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru in order to create a catalog of plants with anticarcinogenic properties. Herbalists shared information about species they use in cancer treatment, including common names, part of the plant used, methods of preparation, plant state, and frequency and method of administration as medicine. We combined this information with the Shannon-Wiener diversity and evenness index to complete a quantitative analysis of the anticarcinogenic species. Our results demonstrate that 46 different species representing 24 genera and 19 families are locally used in cancer treatment, with a Shannon-Wiener index of 3.6 and 0.9 respectively. Our catalog thus represents a great variety of species and source of potentially useful knowledge for fighting cancer.

En el Perú hay dos especies endémicas de algodón, G. barbadense L. y G. raimondii Ulbrich, que han sido utilizadas desde las culturas preincas. Actualmente, en el Perú se busca reevaluarlas y rescatarlas en vista de una mayor demanda del mercado, que busca evitar el uso de colorantes artificiales. El presente estudio se llevó a cabo con el propósito de contribuir al conocimiento de la caracterización del fruto, semilla y fibra de un ecotipo de G. raimondii, conocido como “algodón silvestre”. Se utilizó material vegetal del Distrito de San Benito, Provincia de Contumazá, Departamento de Cajamarca. La fase experimental se llevó a cabo en el Laboratorio de Genética y Biología Molecular de la Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, que consistió en las mediciones de la longitud y del ancho de frutos, semillas y fibras, así como el número de lóculos y semillas. Se consideró un análisis estadístico del tipo descriptivo con 60 repeticiones por cada componente. El fruto tuvo una longitud promedio de 2,14 cm y 1,46 cm de ancho, con cuatro lóculos. Las semillas tuvieron una longitud promedio de 5,74 mm y un ancho de 3,25 mm, con un promedio de 23,6 semillas por fruto. En promedio, la fibra tuvo 11,95 mm de largo y 7,34 um de ancho. La caracterización del fruto, semilla y fibra del “algodón silvestre” G. raimondii permite diferenciarlo del “algodón pardo” (G. barbadense) y del ecotipo “algodón verde” (G. raimondii). Se recomienda continuar con estudios moleculares que permitan dilucidar el grado de emparentamiento de estas especies y ecotipos.

An integrated rearing system for Cantareus aspersus under environmental conditions in an experimental orchard is proposed. In this study, the natural behaviour, circadian rhythms and suitable rearing conditions of the edible snail were optimised to produce homogeneous growth and low variability. The growth was standardised, and growth pattern fit was assessed with various models. One thousand fry were cultured in the orchard, and a random sample of 100 snails were measured weekly for 23 weeks. The rearing system had the following characteristics: snails and earthworms were included in the experimental rearing orchard; a homogeneous group of juvenile snails of the same age and size and high rearing density (500 snails/m2) was used; snails were fed with layers mash ad libitum; and mixed and fringes vegetation was planted in the orchard. A commercial size of 60% of snails was achieved in 21 weeks and 95% in 23 weeks. The different models showed a good fit, and the quadratic model obtained the best fit. This experimental snail orchard proposal can be extended to other areas, although it must be corrected according to different environmental conditions and fit to other species of interest. This experimental model could constitute a viable alternative to traditional models of animal experimentation with mammals, and given its high adaptability, it could be applied in different fields of science.

Determinación de las concentraciones adecuadas de 2,4 diclorofenoxiacético y Kelpak en el enraizamiento de estacas de Vaccinium floribundum Kunth "pushgay" Determination of adequate concentrations of 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic and Kelpak in the rooting of stakes of Vaccinium floribundum Kunth "pushgay"

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