Fertilisation residues alter leaf scleromorphy in an evergreen savannah shrub (Maprounea brasiliensis, Euphorbiaceae)

In the present study, we examined how residues of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) fertilisers affect leaf anatomical traits in Maprounea brasiliensis (Euphorbiaceae), a typical and dominant cerrado (Brazilian savannah) species adapted to dystrophic soils. We predicted that fertiliser residues would alter qualitative and quantitative aspects of M. brasiliensis leaves and would decrease their scleromorphy. Leaves were sampled from plants that were growing in soils previously fertilised with N, P and Ca and in plants that were growing in soils without fertiliser residues. We measured the thickness of the cuticle, the epidermis of adaxial and abaxial surfaces, thickness of palisade parenchyma and spongy parenchyma, total thickness of the leaf, total area of the midrib and leaf mass per area (LMA). We found that plants under fertiliser residues produced fewer scleromorphic leaves with low LMA, thinner cuticle and epidermis and thicker palisade and spongy parenchyma. They also showed a decrease in the size and area occupied by the leaf midvein. However, plants under fertiliser residues produced similar leaf thickness as did the plants in the control group. Our results showed that residual effects of fertilisation changed structural patterns of a typical species of cerrado. Thus, further studies about fertilisation effects on leaf traits are needed because larger areas of the central cerrado are being occupied for agricultural production. © 2013 CSIRO.

Association between Pseudonocardia symbionts and Atta leaf-cutting ants suggested by improved isolation methods

Fungus-growing ants associate with multiple symbiotic microbes, including Actinobacteria for production of antibiotics. The best studied of these bacteria are within the genus Pseudonocardia, which in most fungus-growing ants are conspicuously visible on the external cuticle of workers. However, given that fungus-growing ants in the genus Atta do not carry visible Actinobacteria on their cuticle, it is unclear if this genus engages in the symbiosis with Pseudonocardia. Here we explore whether improving culturing techniques can allow for successful isolation of Pseudonocardia from Atta cephalotes leaf-cutting ants. We obtained Pseudonocardia from 9 of 11 isolation method/colony component combinations from all 5 colonies intensively sampled. The most efficient technique was bead-beating workers in phosphate buffer solution, then plating the suspension on carboxymethylcellulose medium. Placing these strains in a fungus-growing ant-associated Pseudonocardia phylogeny revealed that while some strains grouped with clades of Pseudonocardia associated with other genera of fungus-growing ants, a large portion of the isolates fell into two novel phylogenetic clades previously not identified from this ant-microbe symbiosis. Our findings suggest that Pseudonocardia may be associated with Atta fungus-growing ants, potentially internalized, and that localizing the symbiont and exploring its role is necessary to shed further light on the association.

Seasonal variation in leaf traits between congeneric savanna and forest trees in Central Brazil: Implications for forest expansion into savanna

The ecology of forest and savanna trees species will largely determine the structure and dynamics of the forest-savanna boundaries, but little is known about the constraints to leaf trait variation imposed by selective forces and evolutionary history during the process of savanna invasion by forest species. We compared seasonal patterns in leaf traits related to leaf structure, carbon assimilation, water, and nutrient relations in 10 congeneric species pairs, each containing one savanna species and one forest species. All individuals were growing in dystrophic oxisols in a fire-protected savanna of Central Brazil. We tested the hypothesis that forest species would be more constrained by seasonal drought and nutrient-poor soils than their savanna congeners. We also hypothesized that habitat, rather than phylogeny, would explain more of the interspecific variance in leaf traits of the studied species. We found that throughout the year forest trees had higher specific leaf area (SLA) but lower integrated water use efficiency than savanna trees. Forest and savanna species maintained similar values of predawn and midday leaf water potential along the year. Lower values were measured in the dry season. However, this was achieved by a stronger regulation of stomatal conductance and of CO2 assimilation on an area basis (A area) in forest trees, particularly toward the end of the dry season. Relative to savanna trees, forest trees maintained similar (P, K, Ca, and Mg) or slightly higher (N) leaf nutrient concentrations. For the majority of traits, more variance was explained by phylogeny, than by habitat of origin, with the exception of SLA, leaf N concentration, and A area, which were apparently subjected to different selective pressures in the savanna and forest environments. In conclusion, water shortage during extended droughts would be more limiting for forest trees than nutrient-poor soils. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Leaf anatomical traits are correlated with tree dominance in a Neotropical deciduous forest

Deciduous forests from the neotropics are one of the most endangered forest types in the world due to the exploitation of their natural resources by mankind. Many aspects of these ecosystems have been studied; however, there is a lack of information about leaf structure and the effects of tree dominance on their structural leaf patterns. In this article, we examine leaf anatomy and specific leaf areas (SLA) in 13 tree species differing in their dominance in a Dry Forest site in Central Brazil, relating leaf anatomical traits with phytosociological aspects. Leaf anatomical traits differed according to tree dominance: greater leaf thickness (achieved through greater thickness of the mesophyll), low values of SLA and bigger stomata were found for the most dominant species, whereas the less dominant species showed thinner leaves with high SLA, as well as numerous and small stomata. These responses suggest that tree dominance is an important indirect effect associated with vertical light availability in the forest. These strategies are probably related to the accomplishment of a high performance in carbon gain and water economy, given the distinction in irradiance that the leaves of different species are subject to in the dry forest. © 2013 Copyright The Royal Society of New Zealand.

Toxicity of hydramethylnon to the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa forel (hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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

Microsatellite loci characterized in the leaf-cutter ant Atta laevigata

Background: The leaf-cutter ant Atta laevigata (Formicidae: Attini) is an agricultural pest largely distributed in the Neotropics and a model organism for studies of evolution, speciation and population genetics. Microsatellites are a very powerful tool for these kind of studies, but such markers are not available for studies on A. laevigata. In the present report, we describe the isolation and characterization of nine microsatellite loci in A. laevigata and the testing of these markers across other species of leaf-cutter ants. Findings. Nine microsatellite loci, consisting of six dinucloeotide, one trinucleotide, one tetranucleotide, and one di/trinucleotide repeat motifs, were isolated and characterized. Primers and protocols were successfully designed to selectively amplify these markers. To test effectiveness of these markers for detailed population genetic studies, we genotyped female workers collected from 36 monogynic nests of A. laevigata and found that eight loci were within Hardy-Weinberg expectations, while the remaining locus had a deficiency of heterozygotes. Micro-Checker analysis of individuals from 55 monogynic nests indicated that loci Alae11, Alae24, Alae18 showed signs of null alleles. For the remaining six loci, the number of alleles per locus ranged between 2 and 11, with expected heterozygosity ranging between 0.07 and 0.88. All of these loci cross-amplified in other species of Atta. Conclusions: These six polymorphic microsatellite loci should prove useful for future genetic investigations of the pest species Atta laevigata, as well as studies of other species of leaf-cutter ants in the genus Atta. © 2013 Kakazu et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Influence of potassium and sodium nutrition on leaf area components in Eucalyptus grandis trees

Background and Aims: Recent studies showed a positive tree response to Na addition in K-depleted tropical soils. Our study aimed to gain insight into the effects of K and Na fertilizations on leaf area components for a widely planted tree species. Methods: Leaf expansion rates, as well as nutrient, polyol and soluble sugar concentrations, were measured from emergence to abscission of tagged leaves in 1-year-old Eucalyptus grandis plantations. Leaf cell size and water status parameters were compared 1 and 2 months after leaf emergence in plots with KCl application (+K), NaCl application (+Na) and control plots (C). Results: K and Na applications enhanced tree leaf area by increasing both leaf longevity and the mean area of individual leaves. Higher cell turgor in treatments +K and +Na than in the C treatment resulting from higher concentrations of osmotica contributed to increasing both palisade cell diameters and the size of fully expanded leaves. Conclusions: Intermediate total tree leaf area in treatment +Na compared to treatments C and +K might result from the capacity of Na to substitute K in osmoregulatory functions, whereas it seemed unable to accomplish other important K functions that contribute to delaying leaf senescence. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the activity of pineapple (Ananas comosus) on Haemonchus contortus in Santa Inês sheep

The development of resistance to anthelmintics has prompted research into alternative methods of controlling intestinal nematodes in ruminants. This study aimed to assess the activity of Ananas comosus on Haemonchus contortus in Santa Inês sheep. The aqueous extract of pineapple skin (AEPS), bromelain from pineapple stems (B4882) and residue from pineapple processing was evaluated in in vitro and in vivo tests. The enzymatic activity of substances was analyzed by the azocasein method. The egg hatch test (EHT) and larval development test (LDT) were performed using the Embrapa2010 isolate of H. contortus. In the in vivo test, 36 sheep artificially infected with H. contortus were divided into six groups: G1: 2g/kg BW of the aqueous extract administered for three days; G2: 2g/kg BW of the industrial pineapple residue for 60 days; G3: 180mg/animal of bromelain in a single dose; G4: negative control I; G5: positive control (levamisole phosphate); and G6: negative control II. The eggs per gram (EPG) in the feces were counted till 28 days after treatment. LC50 and LC90 were obtained by the probit procedure, while the in vivo test results were analyzed by GLM. The aqueous extract in the in vitro and in vivo test, the bromelain and industrial residue presented 0.102, 0.157, 1.864 and 0.048 enzyme units/mL, respectively. In the egg hatch test, the LC50 and LC90 were respectively 31 and 81mg/mL for the aqueous extract and 0.50 and 2mg/mL for bromelain. In the larval development test, the LC50 and LC90 were respectively 1.7 and 7.3mg/mL for the aqueous extract and 0.019 and 0.086mg/mL for bromelain. In the in vivo test, the general efficacies of the treatments in relation to the negative control were 22.6%, 42.2%, 3.65% and 89% for the aqueous extract, industrial pineapple residue, bromelain and positive control respectively. The transformed EPG values were 3.19±0.59, 3.32±0.25, 2.85±0.66, 3.44±0.50, 2.28±0.93 and 2.75±0.94 for the aqueous extract, industrial residue, bromelain, negative control I, positive control and negative control II respectively. The results for all the treated groups differed significantly (p<0.05) from the positive control, and although the residue presented efficacy of 42.2%, there was no statistical difference (p>0.05) in relation to the negative control. Therefore, both the aqueous extract and bromelain were effective in vitro, but showed reduced anthelmintic efficacy in vivo. For the pineapple residue, the 42.2% in vivo efficacy in reducing the EPG and the possibility of reducing environmental contamination through reuse of industrial residue indicate it can also be useful for control of this parasite. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Leaf senescence in tomato mutants as affected by irradiance and phytohormones

We explored the interaction between radiation of different wavelength and jasmonic acid (JA) or brassinosteroids (BR) on leaf senescence-induced oxidative stress. Three approaches were used: 1) jasmonic acid insensitive1-1 (jai1-1) and brassinosteroid-deficient [dumpy (dpy)] mutants were treated with red (R) or far-red (FR) radiation; 2) phytochromedeficient aurea (au) and high pigment-1 (hp-1) (radiation exaggerated response) mutants were treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) or epibrassinolide (epiBL); and 3) double mutants au jai1-1 and au dpy were produced. Leaf chlorophyll content, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzyme activities were determined. After senescence induction in detached leaves, we verified that the patterns of chlorophyll degradation of hormonal and photomorphogenic mutants were not significantly different in comparison with original cv. Micro-Tom (MT). Moreover, there was no significant change in lipid peroxidation measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) production, as well as catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in the hormonal mutants. Exogenous BR increased CAT and APX activities in MT, au, and hp-1. As concerns the double mutants, severe reduction in H2O2 production which was not accompanied by changes in MDA content, and CAT and APX activities was observed during senescence in au dpy. The results suggest that JA and BR do not participate in light signaling pathway during leaf senescence-induced oxidative stress. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Análises bioquímicas e hsitológicas na micropropagação de abacaxizeiro 'Gomo de Mel' submetido a reguladores vegetais

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Horticultura) - FCA

Fontes e doses de nitrogênio antes e após a indução floral em abacaxi cv. Smooth Cayenne, na região noroeste do estado de São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Adubação foliar e axilar na produtividade e qualidade de abacaxi

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Plant growth and leaf-spot severity on eucalypt at different CO2 concentrations in the air

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos do aumento da concentração de CO2 do ar sobre o crescimento de plantas e sobre a mancha foliar causada por Cylindrocladium candelabrum em Eucalyptus urophylla. As mudas foram cultivadas durante 30 dias, a 451, 645, 904, 1.147 µmol mol-1 de CO2 ; em seguida, elas foram inoculadas com o patógeno e mantidas nas mesmas condições por sete dias. O aumento da concentração de CO2 aumentou a altura de plantas e a massa de matéria seca da parte aérea, e diminuiu a incidência e a severidade da doença. O diâmetro do caule não foi afetado pelos tratamentos. O aumento das concentrações de CO2 atmosférico afeta favoravelmente o crescimento de plântulas de eucalipto e reduz a severidade da mancha foliar.

Leaf Morphological Plasticity of Tree Species from Two Developmental Stages in Araucaria Forest

This study compared the morphological and anatomical variations of the leaves of four shade-tolerant tree species Allophylus edulis (St.-Hil.) Radlk (Sapindaceae), Casearia sylvestris Sw. (Salicaceae), Cupania vernalis Cambess. (Sapindaceae) and Luehea divaricata Mart. (Malvaceae) from a fragment of Araucaria forest in two developmental stages. Morphological and anatomical traits, such as leaf and tissue thickness, leaf area, leaf dry mass, specific leaf area, leaf density and stomata density were measured from 30 leaves of each developmental stage. The phenotypic plasticity index was also calculated for each quantitative trait. The results showed that the four species presented higher mean values ​​for specific leaf area and spongy/palisade parenchyma ratio at young stage, and higher mean values ​​for stomata density, total and palisade parenchyma thickness in the adult stage. The plasticity index demonstrated that L. divricata presented highest plasticity for both the morphological and anatomical traits while A. edulis displayed the lowest plasticity index. The results of this study indicated that the leaves of these species exhibited distinct morphological traits at each stage of development to cope with acting environmental factors.

Use of Moringa oleífera Lamarck leaf extract as sugarcane juice clarifier: effects on clarifed juice and sugar

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf extract on the sedimentation of impurities in the treatment of sugarcane juice and the effects on sugar quality and on the clarified juice. The experimental design used was a 4x2 factorial arrangement with four replications. The main treatments performed included the extracted original sugarcane juice, the synthetic polyelectrolyte (Flomex 9076), the leaf extract, and a control. The secondary treatments consisted of the sugarcane varieties RB92579 and RB867515. The clarification process used was simple defecation, in which the flocculating agents and the juice, limed and heated, were poured simultaneously into a decanter. The microbiological and chemico-technological characteristics of the extracted and clarified juices were evaluated. The clarified juice was concentrated up to 60° Brix (syrup) and subjected to boiling in a pilot pan using seeds to perform the graining: The sugar was recovered by centrifugation and analyzed for microbiological and chemico-technological characteristics. It was concluded that the use of the Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves extract resulted in a better quality of clarified juice and sugar.