The management of Mediterranean mountains need to know whether or not the flora is adapted to respond to fire and, if so, through what mechanisms. Serpentine outcrops constitute particular ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin, and plants need to make an additional adaptive effort. The objective of this study is to know the response to fire of the main members of the group of serpentine plants, which habit the Spanish Mediterranean ultramafic mountain, to help in their management. For this purpose, monitoring plots were established on a burned ultramafic outcrop, which was affected by fire in August 2012.They were located in the Mediterranean south of the Iberian Peninsula, Andalusia region. The dominant vegetation of this serpentine ecosystem had been studied previously to fire; it was a shrubland composed of endemic serpentinophytes (small shrubs and perennial herbs) included in Digitali laciniatae-Halimietum atriplicifolii plant association (Cisto-Lavanduletea class) in an opened pine forest. The post-fire response of the plants was studied in the stablished burned plots by field works through permanent 200 x 10 m transect methods, consisting on checking whether they were resprouters, seeders, both of them or if they showed no survival response. Additional information about fire related functional traits is provided for the studied taxa from other studies. Of the total of plants studied (23 taxa), 74% acted as resprouters, 30% as seeders, some of which also had the capacity to resprout (13%), and only 9% of the plants did not show any survival strategy. The presence of a resprouting burl was not high (17%), although serpentine small shrubs such as Bupleurum acutifolium and the generalist Teucrium haenseleri had this kind of organ. The herbaceous taxa Sanguisorba verrucosa, Galium boissieranum and Linum carratracense were seen to be resprouters and seeders. The serpentine obligated Ni-accumulator, Alyssum serpyllifolium subsp. malacitanum, did not show any survival strategy in the face of fire and therefore their populations need monitoring after fires. In the studied ecosystems no species had traits that would protect the aerial part of the plant against fire, although most of the species are capable of post-fire generation by below ground buds. Our results show that the ecosystem studied, composed of taxa with a high degree of endemism and some of them threatened, is predominantly adapted to survival after a fire, although their response capacity may be decreased by environmental factors.

The market demand for uniformity and productivity of commercial carrot roots has prioritized hybrid materials over open-pollinated varieties. In this sense, the objective of this work was to estimate the combining ability of carrot genitors for root productivity and resistance to leaf scorch. The experiments were conducted in Gama, DF, in the agricultural years 2012/13 and 2013/14. We evaluated 33 carrot hybrids, originated from crosses between three male-sterile populations, with 11 male-fertile S2 lines, all the genitors being of tropical origin. At 90 days after sowing, the severity of the leaf blight disease was estimated in the plots. At 100 days after sowing, harvesting was performed and root yield characters were evaluated. Analysis of variance and partial diallel analysis were performed for each year and jointly for both years. It was found that additive and non-additive genes are important in the manifestation of root yield and leaf blight resistance traits in carrot hybrids. The male-sterile parents with higher overall combining ability for root productivity are strains LM-649 and LM-650 and, among the male-fertile, strain LM-555-2-2. The best hybrids for root yield and leaf blight resistance are LM-649 × LM-555-11-1, LM-650 × LM-555-7-1 and LM-650 × LM-554-8-1.

The xanthorrhiza species of the genus Arracacia belongs to the Apiaceae family and is known for its ability to generate tuberous reservoir roots that are harvested annually and marketed fresh in South American countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. In Colombia, arracacha is planted mainly in 15 departments and the regional cultivars are differentiated by the color of the leaves, petiole and tuberous root, the best known being amarilla común or paliverde, yema de huevo, and cartagenera. There are studies that have characterized regional materials by applying a limited number of descriptors, but they do not allow knowing the morphology and phenotypic differentiation of each one; therefore, their definition and characterization constitute a support in breeding programs that allow the efficient use of the genetic potential and increase the knowledge about the diversity of cultivars. Phenotypic characterization and description of three cultivars was performed during two production cycles (2016 and 2018) in two phases (vegetative and productive) applying 74 morphological variables (42 qualitative and 32 quantitative) organized in seven groups of variables: plant, leaf, leaflet, petiole, propagule, stock and tuberous root. A factorial analysis for mixed data (FAMD) was performed, which incorporated a multivariate analysis with all variables and identified 11 discriminant variables, 8 qualitative and 3 quantitative, which can be used in processes of characterization of arracacha materials. A morphological description of each cultivar was made, which means that this is the first complete characterization study of regional arracacha materials in Colombia.

Twenty-two tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes were examined for correlation and path analysis in the randomized block design under open field conditions. Total fruit yield showed a significant positive correlation with the number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, lycopene content, and percent seedling survival in the field at both the genotypic and phenotypic levels. A strong correlation between these characters revealed that selection based on these characters would consequently improve the total fruit yield. Path analysis showed that the number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, percent seedling survival in the nursery, and number of locules per fruit exhibited high positive direct phenotypic effects on total fruit yield, whereas the number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, percent seedling survival in the field, and pollen viability had very high positive direct genotypic effects. Therefore, to increase the yield, it would be profitable to prioritize these traits in the selection program.

Personality traits refer to enduring patterns of emotions, behaviors, and thoughts that shape an individual’s distinct character, influencing how they perceive and engage with their environment. This quantitative study aims to underscore the influence of personal factors and the role of educational institutions in mapping sustainable green entrepreneurial intentions among university students in Saudia Arabia. To examine the impact of personality traits and entrepreneurship education on students’ green initiatives, the research employs a quantitative research method, collecting data through a structured questionnaire survey from 494 participants who enrolled in the entrepreneurship education at King Faisal University. Structural equation modeling via SmartPLS 3 is employed for data analysis. The study reveals significant associations between the need for achievement, proactiveness, risk-aversion, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurship education with green entrepreneurial intentions. Our research findings demonstrate that the inclusion of entrepreneurship education in the curriculum has a noteworthy and favorable influence on the intention to engage in green entrepreneurship (β = −0.105, t = 3.270, p < 0.001). Additionally, it is worth noting that the desire for achievement remains significantly associated with the intention to engage in green entrepreneurship (β = 0.120, t = 3.588, p < 0.000). Furthermore, the proactive behavior of individuals has a positive and constructive impact on the intention to engage in green entrepreneurship (β = 0.207, t = 4.272, p < 0.000). Similarly, the inclination to avoid risk is found to have a beneficial and significant influence on the intention to engage in green entrepreneurship (β = 0.336, t = 4.594, p < 0.000). Lastly, it is worth highlighting that individuals’ belief in their own abilities, referred to as self-efficacy, is positively and significantly linked to the intention to engage in green entrepreneurship (β = 0.182, t = 2.610, p < 0.009). The research carries social, economic, and academic implications by emphasizing the positive contribution of green entrepreneurs to the future. Practical recommendations for policymakers and decision-makers are provided.