Characteristics and trends of scientific-technical publications on plantations and agroforestry systems

Abstract

Forest plantations management demands generating knowledge and developing innovative technologies that make their production process more efficient. The objective of this research was to analyze the characteristics and trends of scientific publications from the Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Conservación y Mejoramiento de Ecosistemas Forestales (National Center for Disciplinary Research in Conservation and Improvement of Forest Ecosystems) from Mexico produced from 1994 to 2021, by the Plantations and Agroforestry Systems research program. A documentary review was performed in scientific journals and documents with an editorial committee; the compiled information was systematized and analyzed through graphs prepared in Microsoft Excel®. A total of 36 documents were found for three periods: 18 documents from 2019-2021 (52.78%), 14 documents from 2008-2018 (38.89%), and three (8.33%) from 1994-2007. Specifically, 30 scientific articles, five technical guidelines, and one book chapter were published from 1994 to 2021. The main research topic from 1994 to date was conservation. Their keywords analysis indicates that the main study subject was the Pinus genus. Regarding their geographical scope, 40 works were carried out at five levels: one international, twelve national, seven regional, fourteen states level, five municipal, and one local. Most of the studies (77.78%) were published in Mexican journals and publishers. The number of reported species in these documents amounted to 90. To increase its impact in the coming years, it is advisable to strengthen the research carried out with other institutions and researchers.