Noé Ortiz

The aim of this study was the evaluation of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) pollen production during the 2021 and 2022 seasons in the Mexicali Valley, Mexico. Twelve seed-propagated male palms of 20 years of age and similar vigor were selected and grouped into four groups with phenotypic characteristics of the common female cultivars in the area (Medjool, Deglet Noor, Khadrawy, and Zahidi). The pollen was extracted manually, with average production among all individuals of 780.94 and 777.11 g, in 26 and 24 inflorescences, respectively, for each year. Likewise, the flowering period on average was 47 and 41 days for each year. The pollen extracted from the earliest four inflorescences averaged 38.7 and 32.55 g, while that of the latest one produced 10.70 g and 18.28 g for each year, respectively. Seedling male palms with a phenotype similar to the Deglet Noor cultivar produced the greatest amount of pollen with 1250.98 and 1114.26 g on average for each year, produced during a late,...

Poster Setup: Saturday starting at 8:00 a.m. Posters should be removed by 6:30 p.m. Oral Presentations: attend your session 20 min in advance to load your file onto the computer Schedule at a Glance Friday, December 10 7-10 p.m. Mixer and Registration (Atrium, Biosciences Complex) Saturday, December 11 8:30-9:30 a.m. Registration, coffee (Atrium) 9:15-9:30 a.m. Opening Remarks (Rm 1103) 9:30-10:15 a.m. Plenary Talk: Maria J. Harrison, Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, "The arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis: an underground association" (Rm 1103) 10:15-10:30 a.m. Coffee and refreshments (Atrium) 10:30-11:15 a.m. Plenary Talk: Normand Brisson, University of Montreal “The Whirly Transcription Factors: Defense Gene Regulation and Beyond” (Rm 1103) 11:30-1:00 p.m. Lunch and posters (Atrium) 1:00-2:30 p.m. Oral presentations (concurrent sessions; Rms 1102, 1103) 2:30-2:45 p.m. Coffee and refreshments (Atrium) 2:45-4:00 p.m. Oral presentations (concurrent sessions; Rms ...

Molecular markers have become a very important resource for genetic studies in crops. Due to their genome-wide abundance, it has increased its use for genetic studies in genomes of animals and plants. They have been used in the germplasm of the date palm to identify genetic diversity, sex determination and gene characterization. RAPD, RFLP, AFLP, ISSR and SSR are DNA based molecular markers that have been used to perform genetic diversity analyses. Advantages and disadvantages have been judged based on the level of polymorphism they capture, the quality of template DNA needed, the development cost, the reliability and the level of skill required. Simple sequence repeats (SSR) are DNA based molecular markers that have been used to perform genetic diversity analyses, sex determination and gene characterization in date palm. The SSR markers satisfy most requirements for accurate analysis of genetic diversity. The current study assess the performance of 255 SSR microsatellites that were...

The present investigation aimed to assess the effect of pollen sources on the mass, dimension, oil content and fatty acid profile of the seeds from female palms of the Medjool date cultivar. The palms were pollinated with Deglet Noor, Khadrawy, Medjool and Zahidi cultivars. In addition, three palms were pollinated as the treatment control. The fatty acids were evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The surface morphology of date seed powder was examined using SEM, before and after n-hexane interaction. The seeds of the Medjool treatment had the greatest mass (1.42 g), but the lowest oil content (5.37% w/w); the control seeds showed smaller mass (1.21 g), but higher oil content (13.57% w/w). The proportion of fatty acids varied significantly among the treatments with respect to the control. The most abundant fatty acids were oleic (C18:1), lauric (C12:0), myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), linoleic (C18:2), and stearic (C18:0). Together these fatty acids presented a comp...

Date palm pollen (DPP) plays a very important role in the fertilization process, since its viability and the pollination method influence on the quality, development, and yield of the fruit. In the present study, a broad review of its main characteristics, consumption, and DPP production are presented, as well as a description of its extraction methods and viability tests. The evolution of the pollination methods used in the date palm is also presented, from its natural pollination to the use of specialized mechanical and electrical devices, as well as the use of dry DPP and the current trend towards the use of DPP in liquid suspension. Likewise, the efficiency of the methods of natural pollination (wind); traditional (strands placement); dusting hand; dusting with manual, mechanical, or electric pollinator; and liquid pollination were evaluated from the fruit set percentage (FSP). Finally, starting from a scientometric analysis, the pollination methods were widely discussed, conclu...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pollen source on the nutritional composition of seeds of the ‘Medjool’ date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) under conditions of northwest Mexico. The content of nutrients (protein, lipids, fiber, and ash), sugars (total, reducing, and non-reducing), and most abundant minerals, were evaluated, as well as antioxidant activities. The pollen of four cultivars (‘Deglet Noor’, ‘Khadrawy’, ‘Medjool’, and ‘Zahidi’) was selected. Four groups of three bunches were pollinated in each of the female palms. For the four treatments, the following ranges were obtained: Seeds had a weight of 1.32–1.41 g and low concentrations of protein (4.44–5.49 g/100 g) and lipids (9.62–10.19 g/100 g). The content of dietary fiber and ash was 59.65–72.59 g/100 g and 1.09–1.42 g/100 g, respectively. Total sugars content was 4.50–6.96 g/100 g, while the insoluble solids were 92.21–96.03 g/100 g. The predominant mineral was potassium with 399.97–459.79 mg/100 g dry ...

The aim of this study was the characterization of fatty acids, antioxidant activity, some physical properties, nutrient content, sugars, and minerals in the pulp and seeds of the date cultivar ‘Medjool’ (Phoenix dactylifera L.) grown in Mexico. The samples were obtained at maturity (Tamar) in the 2017 harvest season in the valleys of San Luis Rio Colorado and Mexicali, Mexico. The following average values were obtained on a % dry weight basis for pulp and seeds, respectively: protein, 3.14% and 4.84%; lipids, 0.75% and 9.94%; fiber, 6.34% and 66.79%; total sugars, 75.32% and 5.88%; reducing sugars, 70.26% and 4.40%; and sucrose, 5.06% and 1.46%. Analysis of the minerals revealed that the most abundant elements for the pulp were: potassium, 851.98 mg/100 g; magnesium, 142.97 mg/100 g; and phosphorus, 139.40 mg/100 g, whereas for the seeds, they were potassium, 413.36 mg/100 g; sulfur, 151.36 mg/100 g; and phosphorus, 92.42 mg/100 g. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revea...

The Date palm (Phoenix dactilifera L.) was introduced to Mexico during the Spanish colonization, but its commercial production did not develop until the second half of the past century. A literature and field research, including a trip to the oases missions and main commercial production areas, allowed us to identify the actual status for this crop in Mexico. While the date culture in the old oases is fading, in the commercial production zones it is in active development. San Luis Rio Colorado and Mexicali Valley region, comprise 97% of the commercial crop production area of the country. The main cultivar is Medjool with 94% of the growing area; actual yields are around 7.9 ton/ha. Ongoing government support and motivated growers training will lead to the application of better crop practices. It is expected to increase yields around 10 ton/ha in the next 5 years. Commercial date production is focused on exports, the internal market is growing, as well as the transformation of the pr...

Hypoplasia and ovarian cysts are the most common ovarian pathologies in cattle. In this genome-wide study we analyzed the signal intensity of 648,315 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and identified 1338 genes differentiating cows with ovarian pathologies from healthy cows. The sample consisted of six cows presenting an ovarian pathology and six healthy cows. SNP signal intensities were measured with a genotyping process using the Axiom Genome-Wide BOS 1 SNPchip. Statistical tests for equality of variance and mean were applied to SNP intensities, and significance p-values were obtained. A Benjamini-Hochberg multiple testing correction reveled significant SNPs. Corresponding genes were identified using the Bovine Genome UMD 3.1 annotation. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) confirmed differentiation. An analysis of Copy Number Variations (CNVs), obtained from signal intensities, revealed no evidence of association between ovarian pathologies and CNVs. In addition, a haplotype f...

El manejo de la polinización en el cultivo de palma datilera, es un proceso clave en el éxito de la cosecha de dátiles. El presente trabajo es una revisión de las técnicas más comunes tanto de extracción de polen, como de polinización en la palma datilera (Phoenix dactylifera L.). Asimismo se hace un análisis de la influencia de las fuentes de polen de los cultivares Deglet Noor, Khadrawy, Medjool y Zahidi sobre la calidad física y nutricional del dátil cultivar Medjool en México, donde se muestra que el uso de polen de machos criollos derivados de la variedad Khadrawy inducen mayor peso de fruto y semilla, así como mayor contenido de azucares, minerales y fenoles.