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The Argemone genus includes weed species of great importance in traditional medicine due to biological activities attributed to secondary metabolites, mainly alkaloids, distributed in all tissues of this species. In addition, their seeds contain a large amount of oil (30 to 40%). For this reason, several authors have discussed the potential of this species as a non-edible source to produce multi-purpose raw materials and a low cost-crop for example in the production of biofuels such as biodiesel. Argemone species grows in poor soils with low water and nutrient requirements. This makes the Argemone species an attractive economical and environmentally friendly candidate for biofuels production. Furthermore, the Argemone species can also provide high-value by-products for the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industry. In this work, we compiled the ethnomedical information, biochemical features, and biofuel production efforts that have been published by testing different Argemone species, in order to compare the research efforts and analyze its biotechnological potential. After analyzing the literature, we conclude that the genus has great potential for high-value pharmaceutical products and energy production purposes, and also to control plant pests. We also consider that other species of the genus may have also potential applications in this field.

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Core Ideas Effect of the light intensity in the weight of the tuber in D. sparsiflora. Influence of the container in the development of the tuber in D. sparsiflora. Response to shade‐house period on the tuber weight of D. sparsiflora. Crop managing in D. sparsiflora. Dioscorea sparsiflora Hemsley (camote de cerro) is a wild species with agricultural potential that is not exploited as a crop but is collected for consumption and sale in western Mexico. The objective of the present research was to evaluate the effect of different light intensities (26,000, 18,000, and 14,000 lux), three shading periods (60, 90, and 180 d), and five types of containers two cylindrical (7 and 9 L), one rectangular (60 L), and two hydroponic channels: one 30 cm wide (45 L), and the other, 40 cm wide (60 L) on two D. sparsiflora accessions. The performances of two accessions (751 and 112) in previous treatments were also evaluated. The tuber weight was highest, with 18,000 lux (6.9 t ha−1), and had the highest yield when cultivated with a 60 d shading (33 t ha−1) and in the rectangular container (40 t ha−1). Accession 751 obtained the highest averages for tuber weight and diameter (43 t ha−1 and 73 mm, respectively).

Se presenta una sinopsis de las 15 formas cromáticas de Cotinis mutabilis (G. & P. 1833) que se distribuyen en México. La especie es redescrita y se incluye un estudio de sus formas, por lo que una nueva forma zaragozai se adiciona a las ya descritas. Se propone una lámina ilustrada a color de las formas; con base en el estudio de 1,486 ejemplares, se generaron mapas por forma cromática usando el programa Arc View. Se incluyen las dimensiones corporales máxima y mínima, el porcentaje de ocupación y la relación proporcional de cada color, así como también la distribución temporal y geográfica.