The predominant aim of the current study was to synthesize the nanofertilizer nanoparticles ZnO_MnO-NPs and FeO_ZnO-NPs using Andean blueberry extract and determine the effect of NPs in the growth promotion of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) and Andean lupin (Lupinus mutabilis sweet) crops. The nanoparticles were analyzed by visible spectrophotometry, size distribution (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Solutions of nanoparticle concentrations were applied to cabbage, with solutions of 270 and 540 ppm of ZnO_MnO-NPs and 270 and 540 ppm of FeO_ZnO-NPs applied to Andean lupin. Zinc was used in both plants to take advantage of its beneficial properties for plant growth. Foliar NPs sprays were applied at the phenological stage of vegetative growth of the cabbage or Andean lupin plants grown under greenhouse conditions. The diameter of the NPs was 9.5 nm for ZnO, 7.8 nm for FeO, and 10.5 nm for MnO, which facilitate the adsorption of NPs by the stomata of plants. In Andean lupin, treatment with 270 ppm of iron and zinc indicated increases of 6% in height, 19% in root size, 3.5% in chlorophyll content index, and 300% in leaf area, while treatment with 540 ppm of iron and zinc yielded no apparent increases in any variable. In cabbage, the ZnO_MnO-NPs indicate, at a concentration of 270 ppm, increases of 10.3% in root size, 55.1% in dry biomass, 7.1% in chlorophyll content, and 25.6% in leaf area. Cabbage plants treated at a concentration of 540 ppm produced increases of 1.3% in root size and 1.8% in chlorophyll content, compared to the control, which was sprayed with distilled water. Therefore, the spray application of nanofertilizers at 270 ppm indicated an important improvement in both plants’ growth.

Oil palm cultivation in Ecuador is important for the agricultural sector. As a result of it, the country generates sources of employment in some of the most vulnerable zones; it contributes 0.89% of the gross domestic product and 4.35% of the agricultural gross domestic product. In 2017, a value of USD $252 million was generated by exports, and palm contributed 4.53% of the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP). It is estimated that 125,000 hectares of palm were lost in the Republic of Ecuador due to Red Ring Disease (RRD) and specifically Bud Rot (BR). The current study aimed to generate an early detection of BR and RRD in oil palm. Image acquisition has been performed using Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) with Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) cannons, and multispectral cameras, in study areas with and without the presence of the given disease. Hereby, we proposed two phases. In phase A, a drone flight has been conducted for processing and georeferencing. This allowed to obtain an orthomosaic that serves as input for obtaining several vegetation indices of the healthy crop. The data and products obtained from this phase served as a baseline to perform comparisons with plantations affected by BR and RRD and to differentiate the palm varieties that are used by palm growers. In phase B, the same process has been applied three times with an interval of 15 days in an affected plot, in order to identify the symptoms and the progress of them. A validation for the diseases detection has been performed in the field, by taking Global Positioning System (GPS) points of the palms that presented symptoms of BR and RRD, through direct observation by field experts. The inputs obtained in each monitoring allowed to analyze the spatial behavior of the diseases. The values of the vegetation indices obtained from Phase A and B aimed to establish the differences between healthy and diseased palms, with the purpose of generating the baseline of early responses of BR and RRD conditions. However, the best vegetation index to detect the BR was the Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI).

Geospatial technologies are presented as an alternative for the monitoring and control of crops, as demonstrated through the analysis of spectral responses (SR) of each species. In this study, it was intended to determine the effects of the application of nanonutrients (Zn and Mn) in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitate L.) by analyzing the relationship between the vegetation indices (VI) NDVI, GNDVI, NGRDI, RVI, GVI, CCI RARSa and the content of chlorophyll (CC), from two trials established in the field and in the greenhouse, together with the calculation of dry biomass production in the field through the use of digital models and its further validation. The results indicated that for greenhouse experiments no significant differences were found between the VIs in the implemented treatments, rather for their phenological states. Whereas in the field assays it was evidenced that there were significant differences between the VIs for the treatments, as well as for the phenological states. The SR issued in the field allowed the evaluation of the behavior of the crop due to the application of nanonutrients, which did not occur in the greenhouse, in the same way. The SR also enabled the spectral characterization of the crop in its phenological states in the two trials. All this information was stored in a digital format, which allowed the creation of a spectral library which was published on a web server. The validation of the dry biomass allowed, by statistical analysis, the efficiency of the method used for its estimation to be confirmed.