Black Sigatoka, caused by the leaf fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet, is a major constraint to banana production around the world. In Ecuador, the biggest banana-exporting country in the world, this disease has become increasingly aggressive. This has resulted in more fungicide applications, which have significantly increased costs in production and for the environment. Consequently, many banana growers have shifted to organic production, which produces greater economic returns as a result of higher sale prices. In addition, production costs are lower as no fungicides are applied. These organic bananas receive substantial amounts of organic products. This study describes the black Sigatoka disease and nutrient status in an organic banana plantation and compares it with a conventionally fertilized and fungicide-treated plantation. Black Sigatoka symptoms were evaluated in the vegetative and flowering stages under both production conditions and in vitro conditions. Univariate and multivariate descriptive statistics were used to analyze the parameters. Disease symptoms were more severe in leaves from the organic field than in leaves from the inorganic field, but the nutrient status (soil and foliar) did not differ between the two farms. Banana plants from the organic farm had 12 functional leaves at flowering and eight functional leaves at harvest. Average banana yields were over 40% lower for organic versus inorganic management; however, the average price received for organic bananas was over two times higher. Profit-cost analysis has shown that the organic banana farm was substantially more profitable than the inorganic one during the time period analyzed. These results indicated that bananas can be grown commercially without fungicides, and the lower productivity levels are compensated by higher prices of organic fruits in international markets. In addition, organic production has beneficial impacts on social and environmental issues.
For the last 10 years, the Partnership for Citrus Workers Health (PCWH) has been an evidence-based intervention program that promotes the adoption of protective eye safety equipment among Spanish-speaking farmworkers of Florida. At the root of this program is the systematic use of community-based preventive marketing (CBPM) and the training of community health workers (CHWs) among citrus harvester using popular education. CBPM is a model that combines the organizational system of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and the strategies of social marketing. This particular program relied on formative research data using a mixed-methods approach and a multilevel stakeholder analysis that allowed for rapid dissemination, effective increase of personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, and a subsequent impact on adoptive workers and companies. Focus groups, face-to-face interviews, surveys, participant observation, Greco-Latin square, and quasi-experimental tests were implemented. A 20-hour popular education training produced CHWs that translated results of the formative research to potential adopters and also provided first aid skills for eye injuries. Reduction of injuries is not limited to the use of safety glasses, but also to the adoption of timely intervention and regular eye hygiene. Limitations include adoption in only large companies, rapid decline of eye safety glasses without consistent intervention, technological limitations of glasses, and thorough cost-benefit analysis.
ABSTRACT:The objective of this study was to identify and characterize yeast strains isolated from the ruminal ecosystem that are capable of enhancing fermentation in bovines that consume high-fibre diets recommended by livestock feed guidelines in Cuba. The yeasts were isolated from the rumen of Holstein cows that had been fed a biofermented product. Isolated colonies were purified, identified, and characterized using biochemical and molecular methods, and their effects on ruminal fermentation were compared by measuring in vitro gas production. Thirteen new strains enhancing gas production with potential use as additives in ruminal fermentation were identified and named Levica. These strains grew successfully in detection medium for non-Saccharomyces wild yeasts and had long survival periods in the rumen. PFGE analysis found four karyotypes and homology of D1/D2 domain of gene 26S rDNA sequence was similar to that of I. orientalis, R. mucilaginosa, P. guilliermondii, and C. tropicalis. Phylogenetic analysis classified the strains into clades A and B. Clade A was further divided into groups AI, AII, BI, and BII. The AI cluster contained Levica (L)23, L24, L29, L33, and formed a monophyletic group with I. orientalis, while group AII contained L18 and formed a monophyletic group with R. muciloginosa. The BI cluster contained L13, L15, L17, L27, L28, and L32, all derived from P. guilliermondii. Cluster BII was composed only of L25 located in a separate subclade, forming a monophyletic group with C. tropicalis. The most useful strain for preparing microbial feed products to improve ruminal fermentation was L25 because it showed an increase in gas production.
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