Paula Aguilera

Universidad de La Frontera · Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus

Intercropping is especially relevant for low-income farmers when crop production is developed in soils under the new scenario produced by climatic change, mainly water shortage and low availability of nutrients especially P. An example of this would happen in volcanic soils of Southern Chile with high P fixing capacity and where most cereals are cr...

Currently, effective ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems and the reduction of gas emissions have been considered solutions to mitigate and counteract the negative effects of climate change. Moreover, mycorrhizas are currently widely recognized as fundamental components of plant communities and key modulators of ecosystem functioning. Cons...

Grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) were one of the first fruit species to be domesticated and nowadays are the world’s most economically important fruit crop. Nowadays, at global level, viticulture is facing various challenges that need to be addressed, based on scientific support. On one hand, water scarcity in the frame of climate change scenarios is...

The possibility of modifying terpene production in plants is a defensive strategy that has been studied in conjunction with their biosynthetic pathways. A biotic factor such as Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) could modify terpene production in Trifolium pratense L. In this work, the enzymatic production of monoterpenes in Superqueli INIA cultiva...

The crop Vitis vinifera (L.) is of great economic importance as Chile is one of the main wine-producing countries, reaching a vineyard area of 145,000 ha. This vine crop is usually very sensitive to local condition changes and agronomic practices; therefore, strategies to counteract the expected future decrease in water level for agricultural irrig...

Background: Tomato is widely consumed throughout the world for its flavor and nutritional value. This functional food largely depends on the implementation of new strategies to maintain the nutraceutical value, e.g. lycopene concentration, and overcome the challenges of sustainable production and food security. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fu...

Globally, soil acidity is a restrictive condition for agricultural production in a large surface. The aim of this study was to assess arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) diversity in cereal species roots exposed to aluminum (Al) phytotoxic level at different plant phenological stages. A microcosm experiment was conducted in a soil-less system. AMF c...

Biological activities determine quality, sustainability, health, and fertility of soils. The purpose of this study was to evaluate chemical and biological characteristics of soils from Ecuadorian highlands subjected to different management practices, as well as the density and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Soils from naturalized...

Conventional tillage (CT) is a soil management system commonly used by small farmers in the Ecuadorian highlands; they remove the soil during seedbed preparation to eliminate weeds, improve soil aeration, avoid compaction, and develop adequate rooting space. CT causes changes in physical, chemical, and biological soil properties but, in the long ru...

Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient for plants; however, in excess, it can have negative effects on their physiological and biochemical characteristics. We evaluate photosynthetic performance, antioxidant activity, and organic acid exudations to clarify the mechanisms involved in highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) under Mn excess...

Background: New evidence has shown that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can contribute to the aluminum (Al3+ ) tolerance of host plants growing in acidic soils with phytotoxic levels of Al3+ . The aim of this study was to investigate the role of AM fungi isolated from naturally occurring Al3+ acidic soils in conferring host tolerance to Al3+ tox...

Acidity and P deficiency are the two most serious limitations of agricultural soil productivity worldwide especially in developing countries where food production is crucial. The main negative effect is assigned to free Al where water and nutrient acquisition are severely restricted. In Chile, the acid soils, like Andisols and Ultisols, account for...

This review covers the nature, characteristics, and reactivity of soil organic matter (SOM) in volcanic soils and the phosphorus (P) accumulation mainly via the formation of stable complexes with organic and inorganic constituents to form P-containing macromolecules derived from both pedogenesis and fertilization. With the time, P accumulates as or...

Abiotic stresses have strong impact on agriculture, decreasing the stability of agroecosystems worldwide, due mainly to water and nutrient limitations and the presence of toxic elements. Several studies have demonstrated that soil microorganisms can improve plant growth, even more when plants are under stressful conditions, being probably the most...

While arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in Chile have been widely documented in agro-ecosystems, there is a knowledge gap regarding AM fungal diversity in Chilean temperate rainforests. AM fungal communi- ties of these forests are affected by several factors: the mountain systems of Chile (Coastal Range or Andes Mountains), the mycorrhizal dominanc...

Wheat cropping in Chile is mainly located in the Central Southern area on acidic volcanic soils commonly with high aluminum (Al) levels. Introduction of Al-tolerant wheat cultivars has improved production, but the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in augmenting the Al stress resistance of Al-resistant genotypes is mostly unknown. In the pr...

In Chile, cereals cultivation is mainly in volcanic soils with pH values typically between 4.5–5.5 and high levels of exchangeable aluminum (Al) and low P availability. In this context, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provide or enhance protection against this environmental stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the breed...

Southern Chilean pristine temperate rainforests have been floristically stable during the Holocene, thus representing a pre-industrial baseline of forest ecology. Given this and its edaphic limitations, it is imperative to better understand these forests ecological patterns of mycorrhizal symbiosis. Therefore, here we compare the arbuscular mycorrh...

Acidic conditions limit crop production on 40 % of the world’s soils. These soils are characterized by a pH between 4.5 and 5.5, low phosphorus (P) availability, high contents of aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn), and low soil basic cations. Edaphic conditions of acidic soils limit plant growth, mainly due to Al3+ phytotoxicity, which reduces water...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have an important role on the ecosystem stability promoting water and nutrient acquisition by plants and allowing their growth under stress conditions including drought and salinity. This study aimed at describing the colonization of native AMF associated to pioneer plant species growing at the mouth of lake Budi,...

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi contribute to agricultural productivity by improving plant nutrient and water acquisition, and modifying some physiological traits under various environmental stresses. Notwithstanding, there is a lack of knowledge about the ecology and behavior of AM fungi in acidic soils with high levels of exchangeable aluminum...

A hydroponic experiment was carried out to determine the root exudation patterns in two Cu-metallophytes (Oenothera picensis and Imperata condensata) and two agricultural plants (Lupinus albus and Helianthus annuus). Plants were grown in nutrient solution at increasing Cu doses (0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2mgCuL(-1)), and plant growth, root elongat...

The aim of this work was to establish the effect of the dose of liquid cow manure (LCM) on some chemical properties and biological activity in an Andisol. This study was carried out under laboratory conditions using an Andisol and LCM from a dairy farm located in the South of Chile. The dose of LCM were the equivalent to 0 (SO), 100 (S100), 200, (S...

The application rate of liquid cow manure (LCM) in the field and the stabilization time of amended soils before application of pre-plant herbicides are factors that determine their efficiency. This study includes evaluation of residual atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine) in soil and amended soils with equivalent rate of...

The liquid cow manures (LCM) are used as amendments applied for soil, increasing organic matter, nutrient levels and also constitute a form disposal of animal wastes. This contributes to soil fertility, nutrient cycling and to prevent pollution of waters resources as rivers and streams near to the dairy farms. Incorporating LCM includes a high dens...