Simple procedure for nutrient analysis of coffee plant with energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF)

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

Qualidade tecnológica e produtividade agroindustrial de cana-deaçúcar submetida a adubação com zinco

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Nutrient accumulation in 'Fantasy' net melon cultivated on substrate

Knowledge of the most essential nutrients for plant growth facilitates the efficient handling of its nutrition, especially when they are grown on a substrate supported by fertigation. The objective of this study was to determine the accumulation of nutrients in net melon grown on a substrate and understand the relationship between mineral nutrition and plant growth. The Fantasy hybrid was cultivated in pots containing a substrate consisting of a mixture of sand and peanut shells (ratio, 1:1). Determination of nutrient accumulation was performed in 6 seasons. The substrate was chemically characterized before and after cultivation. Harvesting occurred 78 days after transplantation, resulting in an average yield of 70,120 kg·ha-1. Substrate analysis showed a small increase in nutrient levels by the end of cultivation. The order of nutrient accumulation was as follows: N>Ca>K>P>Mg>S>B> Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu.

Can savannas become forests? A coupled analysis of nutrient stocks and fire thresholds in central Brazil

Aims: The effects of fire ensure that large areas of the seasonal tropics are maintained as savannas. The advance of forests into these areas depends on shifts in species composition and the presence of sufficient nutrients. Predicting such transitions, however, is difficult due to a poor understanding of the nutrient stocks required for different combinations of species to resist and suppress fires. Methods: We compare the amounts of nutrients required by congeneric savanna and forest trees to reach two thresholds of establishment and maintenance: that of fire resistance, after which individual trees are large enough to survive fires, and that of fire suppression, after which the collective tree canopy is dense enough to minimize understory growth, thereby arresting the spread of fire. We further calculate the arboreal and soil nutrient stocks of savannas, to determine if these are sufficient to support the expansion of forests following initial establishment. Results: Forest species require a larger nutrient supply to resist fires than savanna species, which are better able to reach a fire-resistant size under nutrient limitation. However, forest species require a lower nutrient supply to attain closed canopies and suppress fires; therefore, the ingression of forest trees into savannas facilitates the transition to forest. Savannas have sufficient N, K, and Mg, but require additional P and Ca to build high-biomass forests and allow full forest expansion following establishment. Conclusions: Tradeoffs between nutrient requirements and adaptations to fire reinforce savanna and forest as alternate stable states, explaining the long-term persistence of vegetation mosaics in the seasonal tropics. Low-fertility limits the advance of forests into savannas, but the ingression of forest species favors the formation of non-flammable states, increasing fertility and promoting forest expansion. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Nutrição e produtividade da nogueira-macadâmia em função de doses de nitrogênio

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of nitrogen doses on mineral nutrition and yield of macadamia nut (Macadamia integrifolia). The experiment was carried out during three agricultural years, in Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil. The experimental design was a complete block with four replicates. Five doses of N (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg ha-1 per year), applied as urea, were evaluated. The increase in N doses increased the nutrient concentration in the leaves and the yield of nuts and almonds. Ca, Mg, and S contents decreased and the ones of Fe and Mg increased linearly with N fertilization. Nut and almond yields were positively correlated with leaf N concentration, and the range from 14 to 18 g kg-1 allowed the highest yields. The dose of 150 kg ha-1 of N per year provides higher nut yields, without reducing the recovery rate of almonds.

Effect of pectin extracted from citrus pulp on digesta characteristics and nutrient digestibility in broilers chickens

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

Maternal protein restriction during pregnancy affects gene expression and immunolocalization of intestinal nutrient transporters in rats

Intrauterine dietary restriction may cause changes in the functioning of offspring organs and systems later in life, an effect known as fetal programming. The present study evaluated mRNA abundance and immunolocalization of nutrient transporters as well as enterocytes proliferation in the proximal, median and distal segments of small intestine of rats born to protein-restricted dams. Pregnant rats were fed hypoproteic (6% protein) or control (17% protein) diets, and offspring rats were evaluated at 3 and 16 weeks of age. The presence of SGLT1 (sodium-glucose co-transporter 1), GLUT2 (glucose transporter 2), PEPT1 (peptide transporter 1) and the intestinal proliferation were evaluated by immunohistochemical techniques and the abundance of specific mRNA for SGLT1, GLUT2 and PEPT1 was assessed by the real-time PCR technique. Rats born to protein-restricted dams showed higher cell proliferation in all intestinal segments and higher gene expression of SGLT1 and PEPT1 in the duodenum. Moreover, in adult animals born to protein-restricted dams the immunoreactivity of SGLT1, GLUT2 and PEPT1in the duodenum was more intense than in control rats. Taken together, the results indicate that changes in the small intestine observed in adulthood can be programmed during the gestation. In addition, they show that this response is caused by both up-regulation in transporter gene expression, a specific adaptation mechanism, and intestinal proliferation, an unspecific adaptation mechanism.

Formas de aplicación de zinc para las plantas de maíz que crecen en Oxisol: Efectos sobre el suelo, la nutrición de las plantas y la productividad

The way of applying zinc can influence the zinc uptake and productivity of crops, especially cereals that have high demand for this nutrient. The aim of this study is to evaluate methods of Zn application on soil, nutritional status and productivity of maize. For this, an experiment was undertaken at FCAV/UNESP, Jaboticabal-SP, in Oxisol clay (DTPA on Zn: 0.5 mg dm-3) with maize (hybrid Simple Impact), from December through May 2009. Nine treatments with three doses of Zn in soil banded application (in furrows) and three doses of Zn by incorporation in soil (0-20 cm depth), foliar application, seed application and control (no Zn). The treatments were arranged in a randomized block design with four replications. Regardless of the method, Zn application promoted higher contents of this micronutrient in soil and higher accumulation in the shoots as well as increasing Zn in the maize grain. However, it did not affect the nutritional status and yield of the maize. The Zn application in the soil resulted in a greater Zn uptake by plants and maize yield, compared to Zn application in the plant by seed or foliar.

The enzymatic recalcitrance of internodes of sugar cane hybrids with contrasting lignin contents

The recalcitrance in grasses varies according to cell type and maturation. The origin of the recalcitrance in different regions from sugar cane internodes with varied lignin contents was evaluated. The efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis was correlated with the chemical, micromorphological and microspectrophotometric characteristics of the samples. The internodes of three sugar cane hybrids were dissected into four different fractions. The outermost fraction and the rind were the most recalcitrant regions, whereas the pith-rind interface and the pith were less recalcitrant. Cellulose conversion reached 86% after 72h of enzymatic digestion of the pith from the hybrid with the lowest lignin content. There was an inversely proportional correlation between the area occupied by vascular bundles and the efficiency of cellulose hydrolysis. High cellulose and low lignin or hemicellulose contents enhanced the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of the polysaccharides. The critical evaluation of the results permitted to propose an empirical parameter for predicting cellulose conversion levels that accounts for the positive effect of high cellulose and low lignin plus hemicellulose and the detrimental effect of abundant vascular bundles. The cellulose conversion levels fit well to this calculated parameter, following a second order polynomial with an r2 value of 0.96. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Contribuição ao estudo bioquímico de polpa de híbridos da cultivar maracujá amarelo azedo (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Degener): enzimas e compostos bioativos

Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia - IQ

Resposta da soqueira de cana-de-açúcar a aplicação de potássio sob o sistema de cultivo conservacionista e seus efeitos na fisiologia da planta

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Influência do manganês no crescimento e na composição mineral de mudas de caramboleira

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Efeito do lodo de indústria de gelatina na fertilidade do solo e no capim-tanzânia

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Perfil sensorial e aceitação de bolos de laranja formulados com prebióticos

Pós-graduação em Engenharia e Ciência de Alimentos - IBILCE

Características minerais e energéticas do lixo urbano em processos de compostagem e biodigestão anaeróbia

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA