ABSTRACT:The crop load level of an apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) tree impacts fruit yield and quality parameters, tree vigor and biennial bearing. The optimal crop load is that which allows for consistent annual cropping and fruit quality acceptable to the market. We evaluated the effect of crop load on yield and fruit quality of two low-chill apples cv. 'Caricia' and 'Eva', growing in a mild winter area. During 2010 and 2011 crop load was manually adjusted from 2 or 3 to 17 fruits cm −2 of trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA). Fruit yield was positively related to crop load in both cultivars but mean fruit weight diminished as the crop load increased. For both cultivars, the production of non-commercial and small-sized fruit increased, whereas production of middlesized fruit diminished as the fruit load increased. Shoot length was not affected by crop load in 'Eva' whereas it was reduced in 'Caricia'. Red skin color (RSC %) had a quadratic response to crop load in 'Caricia'. On the other hand, the RSC % of 'Eva' fruit was adjusted to a negative logarithmic model as an effect of crop load increment. No biennial bearing was observed in either cultivar. This research study suggests that the maximum limit of crop load for both cultivars is 7 fruits cm −2 of TCSA, and the lower limit of crop load was 3 fruits cm −2 of TCSA for 'Eva' and 5 fruits cm −2 of TCSA for 'Caricia'.

The discovery of new pharmaceutical identities, particularly anti-infective agents, represents an urgent need due to the increase in immunocompromised patients and the ineffectiveness/toxicity of the drugs currently used. The scientific community has recognized in the last decades the importance of the plant kingdom as a huge source of novel molecules which could act against different type of infections or illness. However, the great diversity of plant species makes it difficult to select them with probabilities of success, adding to the fact that existing information is difficult to find, it is atomized or disordered. Persicaria and Polygonum constitute two of the main representatives of the Polygonaceae family, which have been extensively used in traditional medicine worldwide. Important and structurally diverse bioactive compounds have been isolated from these genera of wild plants; among them, sesquiterpenes and flavonoids should be remarked. In this article, we firstly mention all the species reported with pharmacological use and their geographical distribution. Moreover, a number of tables which summarize an update detailing the type of natural product (extract or isolated compound), applied doses, displayed bioassays and the results obtained for the main bioactivities of these genera cited in the literature during the past 40 years. Antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, anticancer, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-diabetic, antipyretic, hepatoprotective, diuretic, gastroprotective and neuropharmacological activities were explored and reviewed in this work, concluding that both genera could be the source for upcoming molecules to treat different human diseases.

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El empleo constante y excesivo de fungicidas sintéticos en la industria fruti-hortícola ha provocado profundas alteraciones en el medio ambiente y en la salud humana. En este contexto, explorar fuentes naturales antifúngicas resulta de importancia económica y medioambiental. Se propuso estudiar la actividad de cinco aceites volátiles obtenidos de las especies vegetales nativas Dysphania ambrosioides, Baccharis frenguellii, Baccharis salicifolia, Lippia alba y Lippia turbinata contra hongos fitopatógenos de los géneros Botrytis, Colletotrichum, Rhizopus, Fusarium y Monilinia, aislados de frutillas y duraznos con sintomatología. La evaluación se realizó mediante el método de difusión en agar adaptado para muestras volátiles y se determinaron los porcentajes de inhibición fúngica para cada muestra en estudio utilizando el software ImageJ®. Se analizó el perfi l químico de cada aceite por CG-EM y se determinaron los compuestos mayoritarios. Los resultados indicaron un alto potencial antifúngico de todas las muestras evaluadas, particularmente el producto obtenido de L. alba.