Amelia Cristina Montoya Martinez

Sonora Institute of Technology | ITSON · Laboratorio de Biotecnología del Recurso Microbiano

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) represent an important food in the country's gastronomy due to their cost, nutritional contribution, and versatility. However, many plant diseases such as the common scab caused by Streptomyces species reduce its yield and quality. This study aims to determine Streptomyces species being the causal agent of common sca...

Bacillus strain PE1, which was isolated from potatoes harvested in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico, was evaluated as a potential biological control agent against Fusarium languescens. The draft genome sequence was obtained through Illumina NovaSeq sequencing, revealing a genomic size of 4,071,293 bp, with a G + C content of 44.13%, an N50 value of 357,305...

In this chapter, we review and exemplify how genome mining would help understand the mechanisms of bioactivity of BCAs. First, we review some of the most commonly produced secondary metabolites as well as their mechanisms of bioactivity in biological control. Then, currently, available techniques for sequencing and genome mining strategies are revi...

New Insights, Trends and Challenges in the Development and Applications of Microbial Inoculants in Agriculture provides information about how to develop high-quality microbial inoculants (biofertilizers and biopesticides) for increasing crop yields and quality and reducing the economic, environmental and health costs of food production. The book's...

Maize (Zea mays) is an influential crop in its production across the world. However, the invasion of many phytopathogens greatly affects the maize crop yield at various hotspot areas. Of many diseases, bacterial stalk rot of maize caused by Dickeya zeae results in severe yield reduction, thus the need for efficient management is important. Further,...

The use of plant-associated microorganisms is increasingly being investigated as a key tool for mitigating the impact of biotic and abiotic threats to crops and facilitating migration to sustainable agricultural practices. The microbiome is responsible for several functions in agroecosystems, such as the transformation of organic matter, nutrient c...

Plant diseases have a significant impact on crop production and can lead to substantial losses in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. Diseases in plants occur when their normal physiological functions are disrupted by pathogens or unfavorable environmental conditions. The interaction between the host plant, pathogen, and environment, known as...

Integrated disease management strategies in agriculture are essential due to global concerns about food security, sustainability, and limitations in agricultural production. Agricultural practices such as crop rotations, reduced agrochemical use, and the utilization of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) as biofertilizers and bioprotectants are...

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are beneficial bacteria that colonize plant tissues and roots, stimulating growth, enhancing nutrient availability in the soil, protecting plants from diseases, and improving plant tolerance to abiotic stress. PGPB can be free-living, symbiotic, rhizospheric, or endophytic. PGPB can improve plant growth and de...

Wheat production worldwide faces numerous challenges linked to climate change, exponential population growth, nutrient depletion in agricultural soils, and the increasing threat of phytopathogen occurrence. The application of beneficial microorganisms is a promising strategy for crop management as it favorizes nutrient uptake, improves soil fertili...

Jalapeño peppers (Capsicum annuum var. Jalapeño) represent one of the most important crops in Mexico. However, many plant diseases, such as wilt caused by strains of the genus Fusarium, reduce its yield. A sustainable alternative to control diseases is the use of biological control agents (BCAs), for example, beneficial microorganisms such as strai...

Sustainable ecosystem management leads to the use of eco-friendly agricultural techniques for crop production. One of them is the use of metal and metal oxide nanomaterials and nanoparticles, which have proven to be a valuable option for the improvement of agricultural food systems. Moreover, the biological synthesis of these nanoparticles, from pl...

Bacillus cabrialesii is a novel bacterial species isolated from wheat (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum) plants in the Yaqui Valley, Mexico, by our research team. Over years of research studying this strain at the cutting-edge level, it has shown different mechanisms of action. B. cabrialesii is strongly reported as a plant-growth-promoting bacter...

Strain TSO2T, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and biological control agent, was isolated from wheat rhizosphere sampled from the Yaqui Valley in Mexico. The strain was identified using a polyphasic approach. Based on its analysis of the full-length 16S rRNA gene, strain TSO2T was assigned to the genus Bacillus, which was supported by morphol...

El uso de microorganismos ha sido una alternativa para promover el crecimiento y biocontrol de plagas y enfermedades en diversos cultivos y agave. En este trabajo se estudió la inoculación de bulbilos de Agave tequilana con distintas micorrizas arbusculares sobre el crecimiento y control de la marchitez causada por Fusarium oxysporum. En invernader...

Nowadays, population growth, the global temperature increase, and the appearance of emerging diseases in important crops generate uncertainty regarding world food security. The use of agrochemicals has been the "go-to" solution for the control of phytopathogenic microorganisms, such as Magnaporte oryzae, causing blast disease in rice and other cere...

En México, más de 3.5 millones de toneladas de chile y tomatillo son producidas cada año; sin embargo, su rendimiento ha sido afectado por la presencia de enfermedades causadas principalmente por hongos fitopatógenos que reducen la calidad de los cultivos, afectando la disponibilidad de alimentos y materias primas. Fusarium es un género de hongos a...

Background The use of plant growth-promoting microorganisms represents a sustainable way to increase agricultural yields and plant health. Thus, the identification and tracking of these microorganisms are determinants for validating their positive effects on crops. Pangenomes allow the identification of singletons that can be used to design specifi...

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) are sedentary parasites of the roots of plants and are considered some of the most damaging pests in agriculture. Since RKN target the root vascular system, they provoke host nutrient deprivation and defective water transport, causing above-ground symptoms of growth stunting, wilting, chlorosis, and reduced crop yields. In...

The global population is projected to increase to near 10 billion people by the year 2050; therefore, food demand will increase. Different projections show that feeding that world population would require raising overall food production by 25 to 70 percent between now and 2050 —some authors go as far as 100%. In order to produce that amount of food...

Mango malformation disease (MMD) caused by Fusarium spp. is an important limiting factor in most production areas worldwide. Fusarium mexicanum and F. pseudocircinatum have been reported as causing MMD in Mexico. These two pathogens also cause a similar disease in Swietenia macrophylla (big-leaf mahogany malformation disease or BLMMD) in central we...

Tabebuia rosea (rosy trumpet) is an economically important Neotropical tree in Mexico that is highly valued for the quality of its wood, which is used for furniture, crafts, and packing, and for its use as an ornamental and shade tree in parks and gardens. During surveys conducted in the lower Balsas River Basin region in the states of Guerrero and...

Fusarium pseudocircinatum is the main causal agent of big-leaf mahogany malformation disease (BLMMD) of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) in Mexico. Although, BLMMD is the most important disease for this high-value timber species, there is a lack of information on the genetic variation present in geographically diverse isolates of F. pseudocircinatu...

Blue agave (Agave tequilana F.A.C. Weber var. Azul) is an important crop for Mexico, from which tequila is made. In 2018 1,138,800 t of agave were produced under aproduction system where the use of agrochemicals has become widespread; in particular, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers generates problems of environmental impact in the producin...

Blue agave (Agave tequilana F.A.C. Weber var. Azul) is an important crop for Mexico, from which tequila is made. In 2018 1,138,800 t of agave were produced under aproduction system where the use of agrochemicals has become widespread; in particular, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers generates problems of environmental impact in the producin...

We discovered that published polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for determining mating type (MAT) idiomorph failed to genotype some of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) isolates recovered from Mangifera indica (mango), Swietenia macrophylla (big-leaf mahogany), Annona muricata (soursop), Bursera sp., and Tabebuia sp. in Mexico. Thus...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of eight native consortia of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), a commercial strain and a control without AMF on the growth of Agave inaequidens. Agave seedlings were inoculated and kept under greenhouse conditions for 300 days. At 90, 180 and 270 days after inoculation, the number of leaves and pla...