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Laurel wilt (LW) is a lethal disease of trees in the Lauraceae plant family, including the economic significant commercial crop avocado, Persea americana. To date, an estimated one-half billion native trees have been destroyed by the disease in the southeastern United States, including the loss of significant and diverse taxa in the Everglades. In the US state of Florida, laurel wilt has spread rapidly throughout the South Florida commercial avocado production area. Since its arrival in 2011, LW has been responsible for the death of about 7000 trees or 1% of the production area. Given the destructive nature of this disease, there are major concerns over the future of the Florida avocado industry. Cost-effective management of LW remains an elusive goal, and current recommendations rely heavily on the early detection and destruction of affected trees (sanitation) in an effort to slow the spread of the disease. An empirical economic model is used to determine when all trees in an orchard affected by LW would need to be destroyed due to negative net returns.

Factores tecnológicos asociados a las brechas en el rendimiento en cultivos de palma de aceite de la Zona Central en Colombia Elizabeth Ruiz A. 1 , Eloina Mesa F. 1 , Mauricio Mosquera M. 1 , and Juan Carlos Barrientos F. ABSTRACT RESUMENThis study builds on the results from a previous study (Ruiz, 2017), aimed to identify and quantify yield gaps in a sample of lots from small and medium scale producers, all suppliers of the same mill. The technical staff from the mill provides technical assistance to the aforementioned growers. This study was aimed at identifying what technological factors are associated with such gaps. Regarding the methodological approach, first, it was used the technology balance index (TBI) in order to quantify technology adoption. The TBI allows for rating technology adoption at oil palm crops by considering five processes (which comprehend 25 cropping practices). The processes evaluated are establishment, weeding and pruning, fertilizing, pests control and harvesting. The TBI assigns a category for each practice: high if it is fully adopted, intermediate if it is partially adopted and low if it is not adopted at all. Secondly, in order to determine those practices affecting yield gaps; we used a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). MCA allowed to synthesize data into two dimensions with 51% of the variability given by the data gathered (qualification of the adoption of 25 crop management practices). Thirdly, we used cluster analysis in order to group lots according to adoption of technology. Then we related the obtained groups with the yield records. MCA results indicated that proper establishment, harvest and nutrition practices are the ones causing most of the variability in terms of technology adoption. The groups resulting from CA, provided evidence that a greater adoption of technology, leads greater yields (i.e. smaller yield gaps).Este estudio se basa en los resultados de un estudio previo (Ruiz, 2017), dirigido a identificar y cuantificar las brechas de rendimiento en una muestra de lotes de productores de palma de aceite de pequeña y mediana escala que son proveedores de la misma planta extractora El personal técnico de la planta proporciona asistencia técnica a los productores antes mencionados. Este estudio tuvo por objetivo identificar cuáles son los factores tecnológicos que están asociados a las brechas en el rendimiento. Con respecto a la metodología, en primer lugar, se utilizó el Índice de Balance Tecnológico (IBT) para cuantificar la adopción de tecnología. El IBT permite valorar la adopción de tecnología en cultivos de palma de aceite considerando cinco procesos (que comprenden 25 prácticas de manejo del cultivo). Los procesos evaluados fueron el establecimiento, desmalezado y poda, fertilización, control de plagas y cosecha. El IBT asigna una categoría para cada práctica: alta si es plenamente adoptada, intermedio si se adopta parcialmente y baja si no se adopta. En segundo lugar, con el fin de determinar las prácticas que se asocian a las brechas de rendimiento, se...

Adopting technology regarding agricultural crops has traditionally been associated with high costs. Producers have thus often abstained from adopting better agronomical practices and have consequently lost the benefits they could otherwise have obtained by implementing better criteria for managing their crops.This research builds on results by Ruiz et al., (2017) who found three typologies of oil palm lots, regarding adoption of technology and yields on oil palm crops from Colombia. This work was aimed at evaluating the typologies found by Ruiz et al. (2017) from an economic standpoint by using different economic assessment methods, in order to determine the benefits of technology adoption at the Colombian oil palm agroindustry. The methods used were aimed at estimating: unit cost, net present value (NPV), net income, land use efficiency, generation of income and competitiveness.Results indicate that the cost of producing a ton of fresh fruit bunches from oil palms (FFB) on lots having high adoption of technology was 2.5% to 8% lower when compared to lots having lower adoption of technology (Typologies 2 and 3. respectively). Technology adoption enables greater yearly net income to be obtained in mature oil palm crops in typology 1, than the one obtained at typology 2 and typology 3. The adoption of technology allows the grower to obtain net income equivalent to a legally-established yearly minimum wage (LEYMW), using less land. Finally, it was concluded that at average CPO prices for the period 2005-2015, the Colombian growers that participated in this study, may be competitive at the European market, which is the main destination of Colombian exports of crude palm oil (CPO).

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