Cultivation and bromatological analysis of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Curt.: Fr.) P. Karst cultivated in agricultural waste

The objective of the study was to evaluate the production of two strains of Ganoderma lucidum on agricultural waste and carry out bromatological analyses of the basidiomata obtained from the cultivation. The experiment was carried out at the Mushroom Module at the School of Agronomic Sciences of the São Paulo State University (FCA/UNESP - Botucatu, SP, Brazil) and two strains were used (GLM-09/01 and GLM-10/02) which were cultivated on waste, oat straw, bean straw, brachiaria grass straw, Tifton grass straw and eucalyptus sawdust under two situations: with (20%) and without (0%) supplementation with wheat bran. All the waste was taken from dumps of agricultural activities in Botucatu-SP. Both treatments were carried out in 10 repetitions, totaling 200 packages. The mushrooms cultivation took 90 days. Next, the biological efficiency of the treatments and the bromatological analysis of the basidiomata were evaluated. The biological efficiency (BE) values (%) varied from 0.0 to 6.7%. In the mushroom bromatological analyses, the results ranged from 8.7 to 13.7%, from 2.0 to 6.7%, from 0.83 to 1.79% and from 38.8 to 54.5%, for total protein, ethereal extract, ash and crude fiber, respectively. Thus, we conclude that the substrates which presented the greater yield were the brachiaria straw, 20% in both strains tested (GLM-09/01 and GLM-10/02) and the bean straw, 20% in the strain GLM-10/02. The mushrooms showed high levels of ethereal extract, fibers and ashes and a low level of proteins.

Anti-genotoxic effect of aqueous extracts of sun mushroom (Agaricus blazei Murill lineage 99/26) in mammalian cells in vitro

The sun mushroom is the popular name for the Agaricus blazei Murill fungus, a mushroom native to south-eastern Brazil, which has been frequently used in popular medicine mainly in the form of tea to treat various ailments (stress, diabetes, etc.). In the present study, the genotoxic and/or anti-genotoxic effects ofA. blazei on mammalian cells in culture was assessed by checking the increase or reduction of micronucleus (MN) frequency and comets. The sun mushroom (lineage 99/26) was used as aqueous extracts prepared (2.5%) at three different temperatures (60, 25 and 4°C). The in vitro micronucleus (MN) test in binucleated cells and comet assay were used in V79 cells cultivated in HAM-F10+DMEM medium (1:1), supplemented with 10% of fetal bovine serum. The experiments were divided into four treatment types: 1. Negative control; 2. Positive control with MMS; 3. Treatments with the three forms of extracts (60, 25 and 4°C); and 4. Treatments with the extracts in different associations (simultaneous, pre-treatment, post-treatment and simultaneous after pre-incubation for 1 h) with MMS. None of the A. blazei extracts show genotoxic activity. In the comet assay no protecting effect was found. The results obtained in the MN test showed that the three forms of extracts used had protective activity, suggesting that the compound or active ingredients of A. blazei are always present in these extracts. The greater protective efficiency of the simultaneous treatment and simultaneous treatment with pre-incubation mixture with MMS suggests that the extracts have an antimutagenic action of the desmutagenic type. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geostatistical analysis of the spatial distribution of Rotylenchulus reniformis on cotton cultivated under crop rotation

The spatial distribution of Rotylenchulus reniformis on cotton cultivated in crop rotation with sorghum-peanut-velvetbean was studied using geostatistics. The experimental field, which had been continuously cropped with cotton for 20 years, comprised two 32 x 48 m-grids, each divided in sixty-four 4 x 6 in sampling plots. For all crops, 300 cm(3) soil samples were taken at the center of each plot at crop germination (Pi) and again at harvest (Pf), from which the numbers of nematodes were determined. The results revealed that the spatial distribution of R. reniformis was highly aggregated and with the aid of geostatistical techniques the nematode intensities were mapped and the risk areas accurately identified. Consequently, geostatistics is here considered a useful tool for planning nematode control strategies, particularly in precision agriculture.

Accumulation of nutrients in sweet peppers cultivated in coconut fiber

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Growth analysis of sweet pepper cultivated in coconut fiber in a greenhouse

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Biological control of Bradysia matogrossensis (Diptera : Sciaridae) in mushroom cultivation with predatory mites

Larvae of Sciaridae flies (Diptera) cause considerable damage to the mushroom Agaricus blazei (Murrill) ss. Heinemann in Brazil. Brazilian growers have had considerable difficulties in controlling this pest. The objective of this work was to test the effect of the predatory Laelapidae mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Womersley) as a control agent of Bradysia matogrossensis (Lane) in cultures of A. blazei. The work corresponded to an evaluation of the efficiency of that predator when released in boxes containing each about 15 L of commercial mushroom compost naturally infested with the pest. The results showed a significant effect of that predator on the population of B. matogrossensis. The release of either 665 or 1330 S. scimitus per box significantly reduced the pest population to levels that, according to grower's experience, apparently could not cause considerable damage. The positive results obtained warrant the conduction of complementary studies to determine the lowest rates of the predator that could still produce acceptable levels of control.

Selectivity of the plant growth regulators trinexapac-ethyl and sulfometuron-methyl to cultivated species

The aerial spraying of plant ripeners on sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) crops causes often the contamination of neighboring areas, which subsidizes formal complaints from the neighbors. These contaminations are due to spraying taking place during inadequate environmental conditions or from technical mistakes during the application. One of the most important causes of this contamination is the susceptibility of the species being cultivated surrounding sugar cane. In order to evaluate the effects of sugar cane plant ripeners trinexapac-ethyl and sulfometuron-methyl on peanuts, cotton, potato, coffee, citrus, beans, sunflower, cassava, rubber, soybean, and grapes, eleven experiments - one for each species - were carried out from May 2009 to Jan. 2010. The field experiment was set according to a completely random design with five treatments and four replications. Just before or during flowering, a single treatment of trinexapac-ethyl at 100 or 200 g ha-1 and sulfometuron-methyl at 7.5 or 15 g ha-1 was applied to plants. A control treatment (plants not treated) for each species was part of each experiment. Trinexapac, at the doses of 100 and 200 g ha-1, showed selectivity to peanuts, cotton, potato, coffee, citrus, sunflower, cassava, rubber, soybean, and grape. At the lowest dose (100 g ha-1), it was selective for bean. Sulfometuron, at the dose of 7.5 g ha-1, was selective for peanuts and, at the two studied doses (7.5 and 15 g ha-1), it was selective for coffee, citrus, cassava, and rubber.

The predatory mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus as a control agent of the fungus gnat Bradysia matogrossensis in commercial production of the mushroom Agaricus bisporus

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Alternative treatment for Anacanthorus penilabiatus (Monogenea : Dactylogyridae) infection in cultivated pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus (Osteichthyes : Characidae) in Brazil and its haematological effects

The present work, studied the effect of 0, 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 mg of garlic powder/kg dry ration for Piaractus mesopotamicus (Osteichthyes Characidae), weighting 73.6+/-39.4 9 and measuring 15.0+/-2.7 cm, fed for a period of 15, 30 and 45 days. Fifteen days after treatment with 1,000 and 2,000 Prig of garlic/kg dry ration, significant reduction of Anacanthorus penilabiatus (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) in the gills was related. Nevertheless, the addition of garlic to the ration caused significant increase in the erythrocyte number and in the thrombocyte percentage in the circulating blood. However, a decrease in the lymphocyte percentage was also observed. After 45 days, fish fed with garlic showed significant increase in the erythrocyte number, leucocyte, haemoglobin rate, hematocrit and thrombocyte.

Comparative evaluation of the susceptibility of cultivated fishes to the natural infection with myxosporean parasites and tissue changes in the host

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a susceptibilidade de 4 importantes peixes cultivados a parasitos esporozoários. Os peixes foram coletados bimestralmente de um tanque de cultivo, durante 1 ano. Myxobolus colossomatis e Henneguya piaractus foram encontrados nos órgãos internos e brânquias, respectivamente. A incidência de ambos os parasitos foi de 97,3% em pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), 33,3% no híbrido tambacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus x Colossoma macropomum), 5,6% em tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) e 0% em carpa (Cyprinus carpio). Pacu foi o peixe mais susceptível, encontrando-se parasitado 79,2% nas brânquias, 66,7% nos rins e 50% no baço. A análise histopatológica das brânquias mostrou hemorragias, reação inflamatória com células mononucleares, fibroblastos e hiperplasia das células basais e mucosas.

Piscinoodinium pillulare (Schäperclaus, 1954) Lom, 1981 (Dinoflagellida) infection in cultivated freshwater fish from the Northeast region of São Paulo State, Brazil: parasitological and pathological aspects

O Centro de Aqüicultura, Unesp, Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil, recebeu peixes para diagnose, os quais apresentavam aglomeração nas bordas dos viveiros e na entrada da água. Dos 194 casos diagnosticados, 53 apresentavam estruturas brancas circulares ou ovais, imóveis, medindo 162 mm de diâmetro, identificadas como o dinoflagelado Piscinoodinium pillulare. em 34 casos, os parasitos estavam presentes nas brânquias, em 2 casos, no corpo e em 9 casos, em ambos. Dos 53 casos observados, 31 eram o híbrido tambacu; 7, o Piaractus mesopotamicus; 6, o Colossoma macropomum; 5, o Leporinus macrocephalus; 3, o Oreochromis niloticus; e 1, o Prochilodus lineatus. Os peixes apresentaram aumento da produção de muco no corpo e nas brânquias e equimoses no pedúnculo caudal e nos opérculos. As brânquias também apresentaram palidez, congestão e petéquias. A histopatologia revelou a presença de grande número de trofontes situados entre as lamelas secundárias, fixados ou não ao epitélio. As lamelas primárias mostraram hemorragias intersticiais, severa hiperplasia do epitélio e das células caliciformes e infiltrado inflamatório. O presente trabalho é o primeiro relato de P. pillulare no Brasil e enfatiza a importância dos dinoflagelados, que causaram significativas perdas econômicas entre 1995 e 1997.

Liming and quality of guava fruit cultivated in Brazil

An experiment was conducted on guava trees Psidium guajava L. (cv. Paluma) grown in the Experimental Citrus Culture Station of Bebedouro, SP, on dystrophic, acid Typical Hapludox in order to assess the effects of application of increasing lime doses to the soil on the quality of guava fruits on the basis of the physicochemical changes observed in the fruits after harvesting. The treatments consisted of increasing lime doses applied before planting, considering 0, 1.85, 3.79, 5.56 and 7.41 t ha(-1), applied in August 1999. Leaf calcium content was assessed at flowering time. After fruit harvesting, calcium content in the pulp, total weight, transverse diameter, length, pulp weight, % pulp, Brix degrees (degrees Brix), titratable acidity, and fruit ratio were determined. Loss of fruit fresh mass, firmness and color were determined daily during a period of 8 days of storage. Lime application to an acid Red Latosol before guava tree planting did not affect the physical characteristics of the fruits but provided a lower loss of fresh matter and greater fruit firmness when the fruits presented Ca levels close to 0.99 g kg(-1). It is important to conduct new studies of the effects of liming on guava fruit quality under different edaphic-climatic conditions and on different guava tree genotypes. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hillslope curvature, clay mineralogy, and phosphorus adsorption in an Alfisol cultivated with sugarcane

As curvaturas do relevo promovem pedoambientes específicos que condicionam os atributos químicos e mineralógicos do solo e podem auxiliar na definição de zonas específicas de manejo. O fósforo (P) é um dos principais elementos limitantes ao desenvolvimento e longevidade do canavial. O teor e a constituição mineralógica da fração argila assumem papel importante na disponibilidade do P, sendo que a gibbsita (Gb), quando presente em altas proporções no solo, pode ser a principal responsável pela sua adsorção e indisponibilidade. Investigaram-se as relações e a variabilidade espacial da adsorção de P e a ocorrência de caulinita (Ct) e gibbsita na fração argila de um Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo eutrófico originado de rochas areníticas sob diferentes curvaturas do relevo em área sob cultivo de cana-de-açúcar. Duas malhas de 1 ha foram delimitadas numa área côncava e outra área convexa. Foram coletadas 121 amostras em cada área para realização das análises granulométricas, químicas e mineralógicas. A capacidade máxima de adsorção de P foi obtida em seis amostras escolhidas ao acaso em cada área. Os resultados foram submetidos às análises estatísticas descritiva e geoestatística. Os menores valores médios de P disponível encontraram-se na área convexa. Nesta área, a proporção de gibbsita, expressa pelos valores da razão [Gb/(Gb+Ct)] e os valores de capacidade máxima de adsorção de fósforo foram maiores do que na área côncava.

Physical quality of an Oxisol cultivated with maize submited to cover crops in the pre-cropping period

The intensive use of land alters the distribution of the pore size which imparts consequences on the soil physical quality. The Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) allows for the visualization of the effects of management systems upon either the improvement or the degradation of the soil physical quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical quality of a Red Latosol (Oxisol) submited to cover crops in the period prior to the maize crop in a no-tillage and conventional tillage system, using porosity, soil bulk density and the LLWR as attributes. The treatments were: conventional tillage (CT) and a no-tillage system with the following cover crops: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) (NS), pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) (NP) and lablab (Dolichos lablab L.) (NL). The experimental design was randomized blocks in subdivided plots with six replications, with the plots being constituted by the treatments and the subplots by the layers analyzed. The no-tillage systems showed higher total porosity and soil organic matter at the 0-0.5 m layer for the CT. The CT did not differ from the NL or NS in relation to macroporosity. The NP showed the greater porosity, while CT and NS presented lower soil bulk density. No <= 10 % airing porosity was found for the treatments evaluated, and value for water content where soil aeration is critical (theta(PA)) was found above estimated water content at field capacity (theta(FC)) for all densities. Critical soil bulk density was of 1.36 and 1.43 Mg m(-3) for NP and CT, respectively. The LLWR in the no-tillage systems was limited in the upper part by the theta(FC), and in the bottom part, by the water content from which soil resistance to penetration is limiting (theta(PR)). By means of LLWR it was observed that the soil presented good physical quality.