Location: Mexico
Challenging the Sustainability Narrative: Unveiling the hidden socioecological costs of plant-based alternatives.
This thesis investigates the hidden socio-ecological costs associated with plant-based alternatives, with a particular focus on avocados produced in Michoacán, Mexico. This study employs a convergent mixed-methods design using three distinct components: Lifecycle Analysis (LCA), Emergy Analysis (EmA) and Political Ecology (PE). The LCA revealed a carbon footprint of 5.96 kg CO₂e per 1kg avocado, placing avocado production on par with other high-impact animal food sources, such as poultry. The
Phytophthora root rot induces compositional and functional changes in avocado rhizosphere bacterial communities
Understanding how plant pathogens modulate the rhizosphere microbiota is essential to integrated disease management. Here, we assessed the compositional and functional shifts in the avocado rhizosphere bacteriome induced by Phytophthora cinnamomi to elucidate the microbial functions modulated by the infection and identify taxa potentially recruited by the plant as a defense response. Through metabarcoding with metatranscriptomics, we showed that Phytophthora root rot (PRR) induced compositional shifts
Long-Term Trajectory Analysis of Avocado Orchards in the Avocado Belt, Mexico
Avocado orchards are among the most profitable and fastest-growing commodity crops in Mexico, especially in the area known as the “Avocado Belt”. Several efforts have been made to monitor their expansion; however, there is currently no method that can be easily updated to track this expansion. The main objective of this study was to monitor the expansion of avocado orchards from 1993 to 2024, using the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) algorithm and Landsat 5, 7, 8, and 9
Diversity of Culturable Endophytic Fungi Associated with Avocado Orchards Under Organic and Conventional Management
Endophytic fungi constitute a great resource for the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. However, their diversity may be altered by agrochemicals used in conventionally managed agrosystems. Here we explored the culturable diversity of endophytic fungi associated with avocado (Persea americana Mill.) in conventional and organic orchards from three counties of the world’s leading productive region. In total, 529 endophytic fungal isolates were obtained from branches and roots of
Valorization of waste biomass via an integrated gasification system for the co-production of dimethyl ether and urea
Energy and chemicals such as urea have a large carbon footprint associated to greenhouse gas emissions and must be developed sustainably for the sake of society. This work presents the simulations of a system to produce Dimethyl Ether (DME) and urea from the air gasification of waste biomass coupled with carbon capture technology. The potential of different waste biomasses (avocado stone, palm tree husk and sugar cane bagasse) in the co-production of DME and urea was assessed in terms of reaction,
Estimation of the forest area required for water sustainability of avocado in the south of the State of Mexico
This study analyzes the relationship between forest cover and water supply required for avocado (Persea americana) cultivation, in order to determine a balance between these two; based on the “Water Yield” model, which makes it possible to quantify water production in a specific watershed. The results obtained enable establishing the amount of forest needed to provide adequate water supply for avocado, in the context of the growing demand for this agro-food product worldwide. In this sense, it