Proyectos

Chile is one of the world’s largest producers of avocados contributing to its economy growth. Increased production and international competition, in addition to changes in production conditions, require Chilean producers to focus on developing competitive advantages. Recently, a new problem for Chilean Hass exported avocado has appeared and it is known as “black spot”, which caused rejections of up to 20%. The causes of this disorder are still unknown and sometimes associated to physiological or pathological disorders. The symptoms visible after storage are variable and the causes of the black spot symptoms are not known in the literature and there is no scientific consensus regarding the causesof black spot disorder in avocado. Preliminary work of our group at PUCV has analyzed fruit from orchards from different agro-ecological regions during the season 2017/2018 and recorded different incidence of black spot associated to climatological conditions and to the defense mechanisms of the fruit. A deep study for better understanding the causal factors of black spot is needed. In this project we hypothesized that black spot development in Hass avocado epidermis is driven by an imbalance of oxidative stress markers and antioxidant defense system. Thus, the main objectives of this proposal are to evaluate the balance/imbalance between oxidative stress markers and antioxidant defense systems of Hass avocado epidermis at different levels (enzymatic, transcriptomic and metabolomic) and its correlation to “black spot” development under different scenarios. We will use a metabolomics approach (GC-MS, HPLC and transcriptomics) to monitor changes in antioxidant defense system, reactive oxygen species and fruit quality parameters of stored Hass avocado combined with chemometrics for data integration. Fruits from 2 different orchards (high and no incidence of black spot based on historical data) during two subsequent harvests and two different seasons (early and late season) will be collected and stored in two different storage conditions for subsequent laboratory analyses. The results of this study are expected not only to provide more foundation into the biochemical processes associated to black spot of ‘Hass’ avocados but also provide potential ‘biomarkers’ involved in this disorder, which may help to implement postharvest protocols to reduce this problem in practice. Important variables or biomarkers found will be also used in model building to predict black spot development during storage. This project will generate scientific and academic publications, extension and training of young researchers and will strengthen the network with our national and international key partners. The findings of this project will help growers, agronomists, and packing houses achieve significant cost savings during postharvest handling and storage of avocados.

The aim of this proposal is to develop a high-resolution (interdecadal) quantitative reconstruction of SWW intensity variability over SSA during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene, based on the analysis of aeolian lithic particles deposited in a closed-basin lake. With this reconstruction we expect to answer this question: Are the different proxies responding synchronously to the SWW changes? if not, what other factors may be influencing the record? What is the maximum time delay between proxies?, and what is the resolution necessary to see this lag? Addressing this issue in the study of the dynamics of SWW during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene will contribute to reconcile conflicting interpretations of SWW based on different climate proxies in Patagonia. For this, this quantitative reconstruction will be accompanied by the reconstruction of precipitation changes– associated to SWW dynamics – using indirect proxies: pollen analyses in the same lacustrine sediments,and the study of a fjord sedimentary record to evaluate changes in sediment runoff. The comparison of direct and indirect proxies of changes in SWW activity from two different locations in the study area will permit to evaluate 1) local versus regional changes in environmental conditions, and 2) timing and lag between the different proxies and other climate records of the region (for example, Antarctic climate records). Our results will provide important insights into paleoclimatic dynamics of SSA by improving previous qualitative reconstructions for this belt and helping to decipher the magnitude and timing of SWW past intensity changes. This will support current efforts to better understand future climate projections in the region and adequately assess mitigation strategies against its effects.

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The EVE project aims at facilitating the interaction and cooperation between scientists and Civil Protection Agencies (CPs) to timely anticipate to volcanic disasters. Built upon the previous EC ECHO funded project VeTOOLS, the aim of EVE is to combine the knowledge on the past eruptive behaviour of the volcanoes with the analysis of real time monitoring in order to construct the European volcano EWS. EVE will offer an easy and rapid way to forecast in real time how, when and where a new eruption may occur, thus allowing to predict the most probable eruption scenarios and their potential impacts. EVE will facilitate scientific and technical cooperation at regional and international scales by defining common actions and protocols to forecast volcanic scenarios and their potential impacts, in real time during a volcanic crisis.

Este proyecto de carácter nacional busca entregar un espacio en la red donde se pueda encontrar las herramientas necesarias para realizar vigilancia, pronóstico, investigación y control de la plaga emergente Drosophila suzukii. Busca articular información técnica, proyectos, artículos de investigación e investigadores. Además entrega información en tiempo real a los beneficiarios, productores, investigadores, asesores, sobre las detecciones validadas a nivel comunal.

Este proyecto de carácter nacional busca entregar un espacio en la red donde se pueda encontrar las herramientas necesarias para realizar vigilancia, pronóstico, investigación y control de la plaga emergente Drosophila suzukii. Busca articular información técnica, proyectos, artículos de investigación e investigadores. Además entrega información en tiempo real a los beneficiarios, productores, investigadores, asesores, sobre las detecciones validadas a nivel comunal.

Este proyecto busca desarrollar un sistema de control de ruta que optimice costos de operación, minimizando el impacto económico de la degradación de baterías de ion-litio en una flota de vehículos eléctricos.