BUD rot (BR) is the most serious disease of oil palm in Latin America; in Equator has caused more than 150 million USD of losses. The aim of this work was to determine the incidence, progression and disease intensity of BR in E. guineensis. Incidence and disease progression was determined from data of oil palm enterprises: Palesema, PDA, Palpailón, Energy & Palma y Alespalma during 2006-2013. Disease intensity was determined at 2013. Incidence was 66.75 % and disease intensity was 46 %. Based on projections of accumulative incidence a polynomial equation was built that predicted 78.30 % of cumulative incidence for 2014, indicating exponential growth of BR from 2009 to 2013. Magnitude of damages based on incidence, disease progression and infection index indicated the occurrence of a lethal form of BR in San Lorenzo, province of Esmeraldas, Equator.

The “in vitro” growth inhibition of M. phaseolina by four rhizobacteria as well as disease management on field with the use of biological media and natural products were evaluated. Although none of the tested bacterial strains achieved completely inhibit the growth of the pathogen in vitro through both bioassays employed, the control of disease under controlled conditions was more efficient with the use of B. cepacia and P. fluorescens. During field assessments, M. phaseolina was the most prevalent fungal pathogen in bean crops, however, all tested treatments significantly reduced the impact of the disease. Despite the fact that moisture conditions prevailing during the crop assessments did not encourage the development of M. phaseolina, the effectiveness of the treatments for full protection of bean plants toward this soilborne fungus. Field assessments in two different locations and weather conditions show that treatment of bean seeds with biological media (B. subtilis and P. fluorescens) allows crop protection against disease caused by M. phaseolina.

The effects produced by the Xanthomonas albilineans (Ashby) Dowson on stalks with acute symptoms of the disease have been addressed by different authors, however, is unknown the effects that may occur in seropositive asymptomatic stems to the bacteria. This work has as objective to study the impact of the presence of bacteria in the colonized tissues, as well as the relationship between the concentration of cells and the expression of symptoms. In 900 stems of 14 cultivars detected the bacteria by serology and identified the variables Brix of stem with handheld refractometer, as well as the contents of fructose, glucose and sucrose whit High Performance Liquid Chromatographic. The presence of the bacterium X. albilineans in asymptomatic stems affects the sugar content of the same, which constitutes a contribution to the knowledge of the pathogen - host relations for this disease. The stems are colonized by the bacteria, but the amount of UFC/g of tissue or per ml/juice does not mean that a cultivar is more or less susceptible. In stalks with symptoms the cell density increases toward the foliage, while that in the asymptomatic happens to the contrary.

Malanga (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) is an important food crop for over 400 million people in the tropics and subtropics. In order to determine the response of different varieties of malanga Xanthosoma to dry rot, a series of experiments were conducted in the period between 2012 and 2014. The experiments were performed on loamy Soil at the National Research Institute in Tropical Crops and Roots (INIVIT). We determined the incidence and severity of damage, yields and percent of losses at harvest. The lowest values of incidence and the highest total return was achieved in clons ‘INIVIT MX-95-2’, ‘INIVIT MX-95-1’ and ‘INIVIT MX-2007’. Clones of malanga Xanthosoma belonging to the group purple, showed lower incidence that of white and yellow groups. These results will allow selecting cultivars of malanga with greater resistance to the dry rot and with this to diminish the losses in the harvest.

With the purpose to analyze the behavior of a group of sugarcane cultivars in the presence of brown rust (Puccinia melanocephala Sydow and P. Sydow) in the area of the Territorial Sugarcane Research Station Oriental Center Camagüey, it was carried out an experiment with 11 sugarcane cultivars (C1051-73, C132-81, C266-70, C323-68, C86-12, C86-503, C86- 56, C88-380, C90-530, Co997, SP70-1284) and six patterns of well-known reaction PR980 (I grade), Ja64-11 (II grade), C334-64 (III grade), My5514 y Ja60-5 (IV grade) y B4362 (V grade). The evaluations were made at the plant and ratoon shoot at the ages of three, four, five, six and nine months in the leaves +1, +3 y +5. The evaluated parameters were: length and the number of pustules, size of the biggest pustule, and the occupied area by pustules. It was made an analysis of variance and Tukey’s test to find the differences between the cultivars. The statistical packet SPSS such as the main additive and multiplicative interactions (AMMI Models) were used. There are differences in every analyzed factors (cultivar, leaf and evaluation moment) and in the analyzed variables (TPM and occupied area by pustule). The resistance patterns kept the expected behavior and the biggest cultivars percentage behaved like resistant.

In evaluating the effect of the chitosan on the growth of postures of tobacco an experiment was developed in an area located in the CCSF “Luis Ramírez López”, state of Granma, in the campaign 2013-2014, using the seeds of the variety Corojo 2006. The investigation was developed in stonemasons to open field, applying chitosan to a dose from 350 mg ha-1 to the 15, 20 and 25 days after the germination and a treatment control. A design was continued totally randomized with four treatments, and three repetitions by treatment, they were evaluated the variables: longitude of the leaves (cm), the width of the leaves (cm), height of the plants (cm), number of leaves (OR), the width of the shaft (cm), dry and fresh mass of the leaves and the root (g). Finally, it was carried out the economic valuation. The obtained data were evaluated through an analysis of variance of simple classification and a test of stocking comparison by Tukey. The obtained results allowed to reach the conclusion of the beneficial effect of the chitosan on the indicators of quality of the postures, benefiting the producing with 51 025.50 CUP ha-1 when the bioestimulant applies to the 25 days after germinating the seeds.

The work was developed in the municipality of Abreus, Cienfuegos province between January and February 2013. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of the watery extract of Euphorbia lactea Haw for the control of Plutella xylostella L. in the cabbage crop (Brassica oleracea L.). Bioprepared was obtained fractioning pieces among 3 to 5 cm of young shafts of E. lactea in mature plants of 2 - 3 m of height. 3 kg of the vegetable fractions was deposited in 10 L of water, (proportion 0,3 kg L-1), remaining the mixture in rest during 24 hours. It was removed twice a day in favor of the pointers of the clock. The pH was evaluated at the beginning, and at 24 hours to the bioprepared and to the different concentrations of the watery extract. Concentrations were compared at 12,5 %, 25 %, 50 %, with a control or witness without treatment, as much in laboratory as in field, against larvae of P. xylostella. The watery extracts of E. lactea obtained the highest larvacide effect in the first 24 hours, being the L1 larval stadiums more susceptible. The watery extract E. lactea in proportions of 0,3 kg L-1 to the concentrations of the 25 % and 50 % achieves technical effectiveness against P. xylostella under laboratory and field conditions, without manifesting toxicity to the cabbage crop.

The work was carried out with the data obtained of 30 profiles of Brown soils classified according to the effect of erosion. With the objective of determining, by means of a multivariate analysis, the effect of the erosion on the chemicals properties of the Brown soils was carried out a Discriminant and Principals Components Analysis. It was evaluated the chemicals variables pH in water, pH in KCl, organic matter, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and S, T and V values. The Multivariate Analysis allowed establishing that magnesium is the only chemical property that evidence contraposition with the other variables, due to the harmful effect that this base exerts on the soil aggregates, which can accelerate or stressing the action of the erosive processes in the Brown soils. In the Principals Components Analysis, then components represented by the influence of the soil reaction, the absorbing complex and magnesium accumulate 78.75 % of the variance. The Discriminant Analysis explains the 97.06 % of the total of the variation in the two first axes, with the 93.33 % of good classification, with all the groups conformed by the categories of erosion well told apart among themselves.

To develop a system that increase the precision in the resistance evaluations to sugarcane brown rust disease through the use of the quantitative sampling, six cultivars of differential behavior versus the disease (PR980, My5514, Ja60-5, C334-64, C323-68 and B4362) were studied. A random block experimental design with three replications was used in a heavy infections conditions obtained from the cultivar highly susceptible B4362. The evaluations were done at three and five months of age, in the three-thirds: bottom, half and top of the +1, +3 and +5 sugarcane plant leaves of 10 plants for replica. The variable total leaf area affected of the leaf and in each third was analyzed. In 2 cm2 were observed the long and wide of the biggest and more frequent pustule, the total of pustule and the area of the biggest and more frequent pustule, and the area percentage occupied by the most frequent pustule by each cm2 were determined. Variance analysis and Tukey tests as well as confidence intervals analysis to determine the coefficient to use as constant of the pustule width, due to the little variation of this parameter were realized. The +3 leaf represented the half infection of the incidence of the brown rust, constituting for it the most appropriate to carry out the observations and the half third. An equation was also obtained to calculate the area occupied by pustules with a high level of confidence.

The carbon footprint in the sugar cane sector in Villa Clara province was determined by using as cases study two Agricultural Production Cooperatives (CPA) dedicated to sugar cane cropping. For this purpose, the environmental aspects associated with the sugar cane cultivation, from the land preparation for the industry delivery, were quantified. Data matching to each environmental aspect were collected and subjected to triangulation using Participatory-Action Research techniques and tools. CO2 -eq emissions per hectare show significant differences between the study cases, matching the higher value to the “Jesús Menéndez” CPA. The consumption of energy sources, non-organic materials and the industrial gasses, as well as the use of soil, are the environmental aspects with the higher burden on the carbon footprint in both study cases, with percentage values upper than 11 % out of total CO2 -eq emissions. The CO2 -eq average annual emissions in relation to the physical production are significantly higher at the “Jesús Menéndez” CPA, that’s why the crop of one tonne of sugar cane in the CPA implies a higher economic cost compared with the “4 de abril” CPA. It is concluded that the productive systems of both cases studies have a similar performance regarding their contribution to the global warming.

The use of the ecological fertilizer foliar HerbaGreen in the cultivation of potato, Ajiba variety, combined with different levels of chemical fertilization (NPK) was evaluated. The research was carried out at UBPC “La Rosita”, corresponding to the “Vladimir Ilich Lenin” Crop Company, in the municipality of Jovellanos, Matanzas province. Four fertilization treatments were established (25, 50, 75 and 100 % of the NPK dose) plus the application of the HerbaGreen product at a dose of 1 kg ha-1 in 200 L of water, in addition to the control (100 % NPK Without the ecological fertilizer). Three applications were made during the biological cycle of the crop. From the leaves, stems and roots, was determined the concentration of starch, carbohydrates and total soluble protein and starch concentrations in tuber yield and its components. The use of the HerbaGreen allowed reducing the amounts of chemical fertilizer in the potato crop. The treatment of 100 % of NPK plus the HerbaGreen product showed significantly higher yields than the other treatments.

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) originating of the Malay Archipelago (Southeast Asia) is currently an important crop in regions tropical and subtropical. In Cuba It is cultivated since ancient times and its fruits they are very appreciated by the population because to its contribution of nutrients and pleasant taste, these can be consumed as fresh fruit (green or ripe), in juices or different types of preserves (MINAGRI-IIFT, 2011).