Vander Rocha Lacerda

Edamame (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) has been consumed for centuries in Asia and is becoming increasingly popular in the United States for its nutritional profile and culinary versatility. Typically boiled or steamed, edamame is a rich source of protein and fiber. This publication highlights its nutritional properties, common cooking methods, major marketing strategies, and current trends in domestic production. While most edamame consumed in the United States is still imported, domestic production is gradually expanding, including in Florida. This guide provides insights and an overview for consumers, Florida’s growers (especially small-scale and urban farmers), and Extension agents interested in exploring this emerging specialty crop.

Pitaya (Selenicereus spp.) cultivation has expanded in the Iberian Peninsula in recent years, driven mainly by increasing demand from the European market and by the crop’s good adaptability to Mediterranean conditions. However, the successful consolidation of this crop requires the adoption of cultural practices adapted to regional edaphoclimatic conditions and production systems. The present review aims to synthesise and critically analyse the scientific literature on pitaya cultural practices, integrating information from major producing regions worldwide and from Mediterranean environments, where data remain limited. Key topics include propagation methods for success in early development, training systems and pruning, soil management within the framework of sustainable orchard management practices and the crop’s versatility in integrating diverse agroecosystems. In addition, bibliometric analysis identified water requirements and irrigation strategies as key aspects for which region-specific guidelines are still required. This study emphasises the utilisation of floral induction techniques and the significance of supplementary manual pollination for ensuring higher productivity and superior fruit quality. Overall, this review provides a consolidated reference to support the development of sustainable and regionally adapted pitaya production systems in the Iberian Peninsula.

Among the nematodes that damage vegetable crops, root-knot nematodes ( Meloidogyne spp.) and reniform nematodes ( Rotylenchulus reniformis) are the most widespread and economically significant. Root-knot nematodes are sedentary endoparasites inducing galls that disrupt water and nutrient uptake, while reniform nematodes establish feeding sites within root tissue, impairing plant vigor. This report evaluates the efficacy of a relatively new nematicide, fluazaindolizine, for managing these nematode populations in ‘Clemson Spineless’ okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus L.) in a vegetable grower field in Homestead, South Florida. The trial was conducted from May to August 2024. Results indicate no significant reduction in nematode populations in treated versus untreated plots, highlighting the complexity of fluazaindolizine efficacy in nematode management under specific soil and environmental conditions.

This EDIS publication provides an overview of the growth stages of edamame (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), a promising new crop introduced in Miami-Dade County. This information covers the physiological changes that occur during each developmental stage and offers guidance on the timing of these processes. This information helps local small-scale growers understand the crop’s production cycle under south Florida’s climate.

As the world's population and demand for food continue to increase, sustainable crop cultivation is essential for ensuring food security and preserving the environment. Agro-industrial waste, such as coconut fiber, coffee grounds, eggshells, rice husk, and sawdust, due to their ecological nature, plays a fundamental role in improving the fertility, physical structure, and microbiology of the soil when used as organic fertilizers. This review explores emerging trends and innovations in utilizing these organic materials in sustainable agriculture. The review also emphasizes the scale of organic waste generation in the world's most populous countries, analyzing the potential benefits and limitations of using these wastes as fertilizers and soil improvers instead of sending waste to landfills. Furthermore, it evaluates the effectiveness, challenges, and prospects of adopting the use of organic materials in agricultural systems. Continued research, innovation, and knowledge dissemination are needed to optimize the use of natural fertilizers in agriculture. Maximizing the potential of agro-industrial waste as organic fertilizers is essential for promoting sustainable agriculture, reducing environmental impact, and enhancing global food security.

BACKGROUND: Pitaya is a fruit with high consumer acceptance and health benefits. Pitaya peel is a waste product with potential in the food industry, as an antioxidant enrichment and natural colouring. Therefore, there is an interest in recovering its constituents and searching for pitaya species with greater potential. This work aimed to obtain bioactive extracts from the dried peel of pitaya fruits of the species Selenicereus monacanthus (Lem.), S. costaricensis W. and S. undatus H. using supercritical fluids at different pressures (100, 250 and 400 bar) and ethanol–water 15% v/v or ethanol 100% as co‐solvents. The extraction yield, antioxidant activity, colour and total betalain content were evaluated.RESULTS: The extract obtained from S. monacanthus showed the highest extraction yield (49.6 g kg⁻¹), followed by S. costaricensis (27.5 g kg⁻¹) and S. undatus (17.7 g kg⁻¹) at 400 bar and 35 °C using ethanol 15%, v/v. The antioxidant capacity was strongly influenced by pressure, favouring the obtaining of betalain‐rich extracts at higher pressures, especially in the species S. costaricensis (0.6 g kg⁻¹) and S. monacanthus (0.3 g kg⁻¹). To improve the extraction of S. undatus (the most cultivated species), the procedure of subsequential extractions was applied. This procedure considerably increased the extraction yield, antioxidant activity and total content of betalains. The use of ethanol 100% provided more bioactive fractions and achieved a good separation of betalains.CONCLUSION: The supercritical extraction method can overcome the challenge of efficiently extracting compounds from pitaya peel, due to the presence of bioactive compounds of great polarity. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Tomatoes are one of the main vegetables found daily in world cuisine and are highly perishable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of 'Débora' tomato fruits over the post-harvest period in refrigerated storage, after immersion in solutions with different concentrations of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG). The experimental design was entirely randomized in a 4 × 5 double factorial scheme, with four treatments, AVG doses 0 (control), 500, 1,000, and 1,500 mg·L⁻¹, and five days of evaluation during the 28 d of refrigerated storage (days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28) with three replications. Physicochemical analyses were carried out on weight loss, respiration rate, firmness, hydrogen potential (pH), soluble solids, titratable acidity and external and internal fruit color parameters, luminosity, chroma, and °hue. Two-way ANOVA, Tukey's mean test (p < 0.05), and multivariate statistical analysis by principal components (PCA) were carried out. The PCA allowed us to infer that, as weight loss increased, firmness decreased, an effect that was minimized with AVG at a dose of 1,500 mg·L⁻¹, which may be related to the inhibition of the fruit's ethylene production rate. AVG delayed the post-harvest ripening of tomato fruit, reduced the respiration rate of the fruit, and the changes in external and internal chroma. The doses of AVG did not affect the luminosity and pH of the fruit pulp.

Pitaya is one of the fruit species whose demand has increased in recent years due to the numerous health benefits and lucrative price of the fruit and its by-products. In Europe, the Iberian Peninsula and other Mediterranean countries are the ones with favorable climatic conditions for its cultivation. This document describes much of the history of pitaya in the Iberian Peninsula and the difficulties related to its cultivation. A bibliographical survey was carried out on the culture of pitaya in the world, focusing on the edaphoclimatic requirements, and on the possibility of this becoming a consolidated crop in the Iberian Peninsula. The relatively low water requirement of pitaya makes this crop sustainable among crops that require irrigation. In addition, we provide a perspective for use and research of this emerging crop. There has been an exponential growth of scientific publications on pitaya in the last decade; however, much more needs to be researched to know how to increase productivity as well as the sensory quality of fruits in different regions. This sustainable crop is a good option to diversify fruit production in the Iberian Peninsula.

The propagation of Caryocar brasiliense (pequizeiro) is still little known. This study aimed to evaluate different osmotic conditions with polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the imbibition process and in the germination of pequi seeds, in addition to verifying the electrical conductivity to evaluate the viability of these seeds. The experiment was conducted with freshly dispersed pyrenes and with pyrenes stored for 90 days. The electrical conductivity of the aqueous solution was measured every six hours for up to 48 hours, using five replications with 20 seeds. The extracted seeds were placed in PEG solutions with osmotic potentials: 0.0; −1.0; −2.0; −3.0; −4.0 MPa, monitored at intervals of 12 hours to 60 hours, plus additional treatment with dry seeds without any type of imbibition. The design was completely randomized with four replications of 25 seeds for germination and four replications of ten seeds for monitoring water content during imbibition. Germination percentage, germination speed index (GSI), percentage of dead and live seeds at 40 days were evaluated. In seeds with longer storage time, the electrical conductivity was higher. Treatments that were not submitted to PEG showed higher GSI, lower mortality percentage and higher germination percentage with 40% and 37%, respectively. The electrical conductivity test was adequate.