Biodiversidade e abundância da ictiofauna associada ao cultivo orgânico de Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931)

The expansion of shrimp farming has caused a series of environmental impacts, often as a result of lack of planning and adequate management. Organic aquaculture has emerged as an alternative to conventional shrimp farming, and differently, aims at the economical, ecological and farming potential of other organisms, such as fishes, oysters and seaweeds. The present study aimed at evaluating the biological diversity and abundance of the ichthyofauna associated to Litopenaeus vannamei organic culture at PRIMAR farm (Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil). The sampling period consisted of four culture cycles (1, 2, 3, and 4) accomplished in four grow-out ponds (V1, V7, V2, and V4) in 2005. The first two culture cycles were carried out during the rainy season, and the last two cycles, during the dry season. Environmental (temperature, salinity, transparency, and rainfall), biodiversity (diversity and uniformity and abundance indexes) of the ichthyofauna, and shrimp productivity data were collected throughout these four culture cycles. The results obtained for the environmental variables showed that both salinity and transparency oscillated in a significant way (p < 0.001) between culture cycles. In relation to the abundance of the ichthyofauna, fifty four species associated to the organic culture of Litopenaeus vannamei were collected and identified at PRIMAR. For the biodiversity criterion, larger species richness (S = 46) and uniformity (E = 0.59 ± 0.16) were observed during cycles 3 and 4 than in cycles 1 and 2 (S = 41 and E = 0.15 ± 0.12). A positive and significant correlation was obtained for the transparency with diversity and uniformity of fish species between cycles 1 and 2 (wet season) and cycles 3 and 4 (dry season) (p < 0.017 - Shannon Index; p < 0.008 - Pielou Index, respectively). A correlation could not be established between shrimp productivity and fish biomass. However, fish biomass decreased from cycles 1 and 2 to cycles 3 and 4, concomitant with an increase in shrimp productivity, most probably due to a higher (from 58.0% to 71.0%) shrimp survival. Regarding the culture potential of the ichthyofauna, three species (Mugil curema, Mugil liza and Chaetodipterus faber) were identified as potential farming alternatives, either singly or in consortium with Litopenaeus vannamei. A fourth species (Centropomus undecimalis) was indicated as an alternative for single culture or in consortium with other fish species. In conclusion, the large diversity of estuarine fishes associated to Litopenaeus vannamei farming observed at PRIMAR clearly indicated the ecological feasibility for organic aquaculture in northeastern Brazil

Estudo da reidratação do feijão verde (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) desidratado por micro-ondas com e sem pré-tratamento osmótico

The green bean has organoleptic and nutritional characteristics that make it an important food source in tropical regions such as the Northeast of Brazil. It is a cheap source of protein and important for nutrition of rural population contributing significantly in subsistence farming of the families from Brazil s northeast. It is consumed in entire region and together with the dry meat and other products composes the menu of typical restaurants, being characterized as an important product for economy of Northeast. The green bean is consumed freshly harvested and has short cycle, being characterized as a very perishable food, which hampers your market. The drying method is an alternative to increase the lifetime and provide a reduction volume of this product making easier your transportation and storage. However is necessary to search ways of drying which keep the product quality not only from the nutritional standpoint but also organoleptic. Some characteristics may change with the drying process such as the coloring, the rehydration capacity and the grains cooking time. The decrease of drying time or of exposure of the grains to high temperature minimizes the effects related with the product quality loss. Among the techniques used to reduce the drying time and improve some characteristics of the product, stands out the osmotic dehydration, widely used in combined processes such as the pretreatment in drying food. Currently the use of the microwaves has been considered an alternative for drying food. The microwave energy generates heat inside of materials processed and the heating is practically instantaneous, resulting in shorter processing times and product quality higher to that obtained by conventional methods. Considering the importance of the green beans for the Northeast region, the wastefulness of production due to seasonality of the crop and your high perishability, the proposal of this thesis is the study of drying grain by microwaves with and without osmotic pretreatment, focusing on the search of conditions of processes which favor the rehydration of the product preserving your organoleptic characteristics. Based on the analysis of the results of osmotic dehydration and dielectric properties was defined the operating condition to be used in pretreatment of the green bean, with osmotic concentration in saline solution containing 12,5% of sodium chloride, at 40°C for 20 minutes. The drying of green bean by microwave was performed with and without osmotic pretreatment on the optimized condition. The osmotic predehydration favored the additional drying, reducing the process time. The rehydration of dehydrated green bean with and without osmotic pretreatment was accomplished in different temperature conditions and immersion time according to a factorial design 22, with 3 repetitions at the central point. According to results the better condition was obtained with the osmotically pretreated bean and rehydrated at a temperature of 60°C for 90 minutes. Sensory analysis was performed comparing the sample of the green bean in natura and rehydrated in optimized conditions, with and without osmotic pretreatment. All samples showed a good acceptance rate regarding the analyzed attributes (appearance, texture, color, odor and taste), with all values above 70%. Is possible conclude that the drying of green bean by microwave with osmotic pretreatment is feasible both in respect to technical aspects and rehydration rates and sensory quality of the product

Sistema de produção misto de caprino na região central do estado do Rio Grande do Norte

This study aimed to evaluate the performance and profitability of Canindé goats kept under semi-intensive management in mix farming system. 84 animals were used, being 81 does e three bucks.. The means of fertility rate at parturition, prolificacy and percentages of pregnant, kid survival and reproductive rate were compared by Tukey test at significance level of 5.0%. The kid weights from birth to weaning were submitted to variance analysis considering sex and birth type and the means were compared by Tukey test at 5.0% of significance. The percentages of fertility rate by ultrassographic were 91.36 and parturition 74.84. The prolificacy was 1.53. Independently of sex the mortality rate of kids from birth to weaning was 12.3. The average weights of offspring were 2.11 and 1.92 kg and 6.74 and 6.84 kg for male and female offspring at birth and weaning, in this order. The average weights of kids, meaning PN, P28, P56, P63, in the first season of kidding were 2.11 ± 0.46 kg, 3.63 ± 1.04 kg, 5.96 ± 158 kg and 6.74 ± 1.79 kg. There was significant differences (P<0,05) only to birth weight of kids sons of buck 135. However, the fertility at parturition for first and second breeding seasons (BS) were 87.65 and 62.96, respectively (P<0.05). The prolificacy was 1.58 and 1.47 to first and second BS in this order. The percentages of offspring survival from birth to weaning, to first and second BS were 92.86 and 80.00, respectively. From the first BS the reproduction rate was 1.28 while in the second was 0.74. After weaning the duration of lactation was 104 days to first breeding parturition and 38 days in the second one. The total milk production was 853.50 kg. The kids weight gain was influenced by season of year, wet and dry and buck (P<0.05). Were concluded that the seasons of year when breeding season and parturition occur strongly affected the productive performance and profitability of production system

Dinâmica de reprodução e comportamento reprodutivo de branchoneta Dendrocephalus brasiliensis Pesata, 1921 como incremento na produção de alimento vivo para peixes ornamentais

Reproductive behavior of Dendrocephalus brasiliensis Pesta, 1921(Crustacean: Anostracan). The reproductive behavior of fresh water Anostracan has been poorly investigated in carcinology specialized literature, specifically in relation to Dendrocephlaus brasiliensis Pesta, 1921, with abundant data just about the geographical distribution of that Anostracan. The objective of this work was to know the reproductive behavior of this Anostracan, in different seasons (dry and raine). For this, ripe individuals of both sexes were collected in four pond of the of Fish farming Station of Paulo Afonso (EPPA), through monthly captures in each ponds, from December 2004 to November 2005. The type of reproduction was observed after the placing in aquariums (a) of then with males and (b) other on individually, at the nauplii phase, where they stayed for 15 days until the reproductive age. The sexual proportion was calculated through the relative frequencies of males and females, every month, for the whole collection period during 10 days. the production of cysts was related to the size of the female. The male: female ratio in the study period was 1 male:1,07 female. The proportion male:female was from 48,25% : 51,75% along the year. Concerning the type of reproduction, it was observed that this specie is characteerized by sexual reproduction

Variação espacial e sazonal de elementos maiores e traços no estuários do Rio Curimataú (RN), através de dados geoquímicos e de sensoriamento remoto

The Curimataú estuary is located in the oriental coast of Rio Grande do Norte State in Brazil. Its importance resides in the fact that this region possesses one of the last portions of preserved mangrove in the Rio Grande do Norte State. Nevertheless, it has been severely affected by many anthropogenic activities, as sugarcane monoculture and shrimp farming. Former works demonstrated that an accumulation of heavy metals is occurring in oysters in this estuary, and perhaps it could be explained by the input of metals in this ecosystem deriving from the shrimp farming. To better understanding the origin of these metals, bottom sediment samples, cores and suspended particulate matter were collected for a characterization of metal concentrations (Al, Ba, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) and to determine the potentially bioavailable metals. Additionally, the enrichment ratio for each element analyzed was calculated. The mineralogical composition of sediment samples and cores were obtained by X-ray diffraction. Moreover, data of orbital remote sensing were used in order to detect and quantify suspended matter by applying a logarithmic algorithm. Geochemical data of bottom sediments and cores revealed that, excepting Ba and Pb, the elements analyzed presented concentrations characteristic of an unpolluted ecosystem (Al: 0,25 - 8,76 %; Ba: 3,03 - 870 µg.g-1; Cd: < 0,25 µg.g-1; Cr: 1,72 - 82,4 µg.g-1; Cu: 0,12 -25,3 µg.g-1; Pb: 0,38 - 23,7 µg.g-1; Fe: 0,10 - 5,82 %; Mn: 15,1 - 815 µg.g-1; Ni: 0,14 - 36,1 µg.g-1; Zn: 1,37 - 113 µg.g-1). During the dry season a distribution pattern was observed, with higher metal concentrations in the margins, decreasing toward the central portion of the channel. These metal concentrations were well correlated with mineralogical compositions, with clay minerals prevailing at the margins, and quartz and feldspar in the center. However, this pattern was not observed during the wet season, probably because of the high water flux that disturbed bottom sediments. But, as observed for the dry season, a good correlation between metal concentrations and mineralogical composition was also observed for the wet season, with high metal concentrations where there were high quantities of clay minerals. Low enrichment ratios were obtained for the majority of elements analyzed, excepting for Mn, Ba and Pb. Manganese presented the higher ratios downstream for both seasons, and it can be an evidence of anthropogenic impact by shrimp farming. As barium and lead concentrations in sediment samples presented analytical problems during the total sample digestion, one cannot be sure that the ratios obtained correspond to the reality. The highest metal concentrations in particulate matter were obtained in the portion dominated by fluvial transport for all metals analyzed, excepting for copper. Barium and zinc were the only elements that presented elevated concentrations that are not common of unpolluted ecosystems (Ba: 5730 - 8355 µg.g-1; Zn: 3899 - 4348 µg.g-1). However, these high concentrations could not be related to the shrimp farming and waste waters from the town of Canguaretama, once they were obtained from the fluvial particulate matter, that is upstream from the activities above mentioned. The application of the logarithmic algorithm to the processed LANDSAT image was well succeeded, although the acquired image does not correspond exactly to the field campaigns. The IKONOS image provided very detailed views of the suspended sediment concentration at the estuary, as the mixture of distinct water flows at the confluence of Cunhaú and Curimataú rivers, with more turbid waters from Cunhaú river, that is directly affected by effluents from shrimp farming and urban waste waters deriving from the town of Canguaretama

Análise hidrodinâmica e morfodinâmica do complexo estuarino do Rio Piranhas-Açu/RN, Nordeste do Brasil

The aim of this study was the seasonal characterization of the morphology, sedimentology and hydrodynamic of the Açu, Cavalos and Conchas estuaries. These estuaries are inserted in a semi-arid climate area and form the mouth of the hydrographic basin of the Piranhas-Açu river, that represent the discharge of the largest watershed in the state. They are embedded in an environment consisting of a fluvial-marine floodplain, mangrove ecosystem, sandbanks, fields of dunes, spits and sandy beaches. Adjacent to the natural units are the main local socioeconomic activities (oil industry, salt industry, shrimp farming, fishing and tourism) are dependent on this river and its conservation. The environmental monitoring is necessary because it is an area under constant action of coastal processes and at high risk of oil spill. The acquisition and interpretation of hydrodynamic, sonographic and sediment data was conducted in two campaigns, dry season (2010) and rainy season (2011), using respectively the current profiler ADCP Doppler effect, the side-scan sonar and Van Veen sampler. In these estuaries: Açu, Cavalos and Conchas were identified the following types of bedforms: flatbed and Dunes 2-D and 3-D (small to medium size), generated at lower flow regime (Froude number <1). Structures such as ripples were observed in the Açu estuary mouth. The higher values of flow discharge and velocity were recorded in the Açu estuary (434,992 m³.s-¹ and 0,554 m.s-¹). In rainy season, despite the record of highest values of discharge and flow velocities at the mouth, the energy rates upstream did not differ much from the data of the dry season. However, in all estuaries were recorded an increase in speed and flow, with reservation to the flow in the Açu estuary and flow at the mouth of the Conchas estuary. Sediment grain sizes tend to increase towards the mouth of the estuary and these ranged from very fine sand to very coarse sand, medium sand fraction being the most recurrent. Based on the data acquired and analyzed, the estuaries Açu, Cavalos and Conchas are classified as mixed , dominated by waves and tides. According to their morphology, they are classified as estuaries constructed by bar and according to the classification by salinity, estuaries Conchas and Cavalos were ranked as hypersaline estuaries, and Açu as hypersaline and vertically well mixed type C