Comparison of biology between Helicoverpa zea and Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) reared on artificial diets.

The objective of this study was to compare growth and development of Helicoverpa zea Boddie and Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae that were feeding on an artificial diet. Neonate larvae of H. zea and H. armigera were collected in maize fields cultivated at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa Maize & Sorghum, in Sete Lagoas (Minas Gerais) and in farmers? cotton fields in Luís Eduardo Magalhães (Bahia), respectively. Bioassays were conducted in the laboratory using individual larvae in 50 mL plastic cups fed a white bean?based artificial diet and maintained at a temperature of 26 ± 2 °C and a relative humidity of 47 ± 10%. The following larval biological parameters were evaluated: number and duration of instars, survival of larval instars and pupae, larval biomass, larval head capsule size, and larval length. An adaptation index was computed for comparison of development of the 2 species. Significant differences were observed between the species for all variables except for the number of instars and pupal survival. Although H. armigera larvae developed faster and were smaller than H. zea larvae, the diet tested can be considered adequate for rearing both species in the laboratory.

Comparison of biology between Helicoverpa zea and Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: noctuidae) reared on artificial diets.

2016

Diversity of actinobacteria in the rhizosphere of the typical mangrove tree Rhizophora mangle.

2009

The diversity of ammonium-oxidizing archaea and anammox bacteria in brazilian mangroves sediments.

2009

Influence of nitrogen sources on the enzymatic activity and grown by Lentinula edodes in biomass Eucalyptus benthamii.

Lignocelulose é o componente mais abundante do meio ambiente e recurso orgânico renovável no solo. Alguns fungos filamentosos têm desenvolvido a habilidade de degradar e utilizar celulose, hemicelulose e lignina como fonte de energia. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar o efeito de três fontes de nitrogênio (sulfato de amônio, nitrato de potássio e farelo de soja) na atividade enzimática de Lentinula edodes EF 50 utilizando como substrato serragem de E. benthamii. Foi aplicado um planejamento experimental de mistura com três repetições no ponto central constituído de sete tratamentos (T) de iguais concentrações em nitrogênio de sulfato de amônia, nitrato de potássio e farinha de soja cozida. Foram determinadas a atividade enzimática da avicelase, carboximetilcelulase, β-glicosidase, xilanases e manganês peroxidase. Foram avaliados o teor de umidade, pH, atividade de água (aw) e análise qualitativa do crescimento micelial em 8 tempos de cultivo. Os resultados mostraram efeito negativo na produção das enzimas nos tratamentos com máxima concentração de sulfato de amônia e nitrato de potássio. Os tratamentos com farinha de soja cozida expressaram maiores atividades enzimáticas, nos tempos de 3, 6 e 9 dias de cultivo exceto na atividade do manganês peroxidase. A maior produção foi observada no tratamento com sulfato de amônia e farinha de soja cozida (83.86 UI.L?1) em 20 dias de cultivo.

Survival and preference of cotton boll weevil adults for alternative food sources.

2016

Intensity of bitterness of processed Yerba Mate leaves originated in two contrasted light environments.

The bitterness intensity of beverage prepared from the leaves produced on the males and females of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), grown in the forest understory and monoculture, was evaluated. The leaves were grouped by their position (in the crown and on the branch tips) and by the leaf age. The leaf gas exchange, leaf temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density were observed. Inter and intra-specific competition for light and self-shading showed the same effect on yerba mate beverage taste. All the shading types resulted in bitterer taste of the processed yerba mate leaves compared to the leaves originated under the direct sun exposure. The leaves from the plants grown in the monoculture showed less bitterness than those grown in the forest understory. This conclusion was completely opposite to the conventionally accepted paradigm of the yerba mate industries. The leaves from the tips (younger leaves) of the plants grown in the monoculture resulted a beverage of softer taste; the males produced less bitter leaves in any light environment (forest understory or in the crown in monoculture). The taste was related to the photosynthetic and transpiration rate, and leaf temperature. Stronger bitterness of the leaves provided from the shade conditions was related to the decreased leaf temperature and transpiration in the diurnal scale.

Calibration of the maximum carboxylation velocity (Vcmax) using data mining techniques and ecophysiological data from the Brazilian Semiarid region, for use in Dynamic Global Vegetation Models.

The semiarid region of northeastern Brazil, the Caatinga, is extremely important due to its biodiversity and endemism. Measurements of plant physiology are crucial to the calibration of Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) that are currently used to simulate the responses of vegetation in face of global changes. In a field work realized in an area of preserved Caatinga forest located in Petrolina, Pernambuco, measurements of carbon assimilation (in response to light and CO2) were performed on 11 individuals of Poincianella microphylla, a native species that is abundant in this region. These data were used to calibrate the maximum carboxylation velocity (Vcmax) used in the INLAND model. The calibration techniques used were Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), and data mining techniques as the Classification And Regression Tree (CART) and K-MEANS. The results were compared to the UNCALIBRATED model. It was found that simulated Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) reached 72% of observed GPP when using the calibrated Vcmax values, whereas the UNCALIBRATED approach accounted for 42% of observed GPP. Thus, this work shows the benefits of calibrating DGVMs using field ecophysiological measurements, especially in areas where field data is scarce or non-existent, such as in the Caatinga

Effect of temperature on immatures of Stiretrus decastigmus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

2016