Growth of the hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802) (Crustacea, Anomura, Diogenidae) at São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil

O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar o crescimento de machos e fêmeas do ermitão Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802), da região de São Vicente, São Paulo, Brasil. Foram realizadas coletas mensais de maio/2001 a abril/2003, na Praia dos Pescadores em São Vicente. Os 2.501 animais capturados foram identificados, determinados quanto ao sexo e mensurados quanto ao seu comprimento de escudo cefalotorácico (CEC). Para o estudo sazonal do crescimento, a população foi dividida em classes de tamanho de 5mm de (CEC), e analisada pelo método de Bertalanffy, com o auxílio do software Fisat II. Foram obtidos 703 indivíduos machos e 1.798 fêmeas, com média de tamanho de 8.94±1.80 e 6.61±1.13mm, respectivamente. Constatou-se um padrão de crescimento sazonal, com machos atingindo um tamanho assintótico (14.92mm) superior ao das fêmeas (13.85mm), além de iniciarem o processo de crescimento aproximadamente cinco meses antes destas. Desta forma, é provável que este seja um padrão que auxilia na diminuição da disputa intra-específica por conchas, uma vez que os machos atingiram maior tamanho e estariam disponibilizando conchas menores para as fêmeas.

Growth, lipogenesis and body composition of piracanjuba (Brycon orbignyanus) fingerlings fed different dietary protein and lipid concentrations

Piracanjuba (Brycon orbignyanus) is a Brazilian migratory fast-growing omnivore, very appreciated as a sport fish, which is threatened to extinction in Southern Brazil due to stock over exploitation and dam building. Therefore, efforts have been made to raise this fish in captivity for reintroduction and aquaculture purposes. In the present study, the effects of different dietary protein and lipid concentrations on piracanjuba fingerlings growth performance, feed utilization, body composition, hepatosomatic index (HSI) and activity of the lipogenic enzymes fatty acid synthetase (FAS), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and malic enzyme (ME) were investigated using a 2 x 3 factorial experiment. Six casein-gelatin based diets were prepared combining two protein (30% and 32%) and three lipid concentrations (5.5%, 8.8% and 12.1%). Eleven fish, average weight 11.30 +/- 0.1 g, were held in each of 18 100-1 aquaria, supplied with recirculating freshwater. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of fish and fed to apparent satiation, twice a day for 100 d. Piracanjuba fingerlings' daily weight gain (0.36-0.40 g), specific growth rate (1.43-1.51%), feed utilization and HSI were not influenced by dietary protein or lipid concentration. However, body composition was directly affected by dietary treatment. An increase in body fat and dry matter was observed as dietary lipid increased, for both dietary protein concentrations tested. The activity of FAS was depressed by increasing dietary fat levels but the G6PD activity did not differ among dietary treatments, although ME activity showed some regulation by dietary protein. These results indicate that an increase from 5.5% to 12.1% in the dietary lipid, at a dietary protein concentration of 30% or 32%, promotes body fat accumulation in piracanjuba fingerlings with no improvement in growth, suggesting that the lipid requirement for this species should be 5% or less, when raised for commercial purposes. However, the additional energy reserve from body fat accumulation could be desirable for piracanjuba fingerlings produced for stock enhancement. (C) 2003 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS and Ifremer/IRD/Inra/Cemagref. All rights reserved.

Population growth and development of two species of Cladocera, Moina micrura and Diaphanosoma birgei, in laboratory

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Microcystin-LR in Brazilian Aquaculture Production Systems

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

Use of Bioscreen C for growth of Mucor hiemalis in different carbon and nitrogen sources

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

Host specificity of a Brazilian isolate of Alternaria cassiae (Cenargen CG593) under greenhouse conditions

Several Alternaria cassiae isolates were recovered from diseased sicklepod plants (Senna obtusifolia) in the southern regions of Brazil. A representative isolate (Cenargen CG593) was tested for its host range under greenhouse conditions. The fungus promoted symptoms in sicklepod, cassava (Manihot dulce), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and eggplant (Solanum melongena) when tested at a spore concentration of 10(6) spores ml(-1). When the plants were inoculated with a suspension of 10(5) spores ml(-1) and held at a dew period of 12 h (cassava) or 18 h (tomato and eggplant), the plants showed symptoms of the disease, but they recovered and continued their normal vegetative growth. These results show that the fungus A. cassiae is safe to use for the control of S. obtusifolia under Brazilian conditions, because it did not cause excessive damage in the three plants tested.

Hormesis with glyphosate depends on coffee growth stage

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Germination and mycelial growth of Bipolaris euphorbiae Muchovej & Carvalho as influenced by herbicides and surfactants

Bipolaris euphorbiae Muchovej & Carvalho é um forte candidato para o controle de Euphorbia heterophylla L. (amendoim bravo). Este fungo pode ser aplicado em combinação com herbicidas para controlar um maior espectro de espécies daninhas. Para tanto, experimentos laboratoriais foram realizados para verificar a possibilidade da utilização de mistura de tanque de esporos de B. euphorbiae e herbicidas ou surfatantes recomendados para a cultura da soja. Crescimento micelial e germinação de conídios foram avaliados em meio BDA acrescido dos herbicidas, nas concentrações recomendadas dos produtos comerciais, oxasulfuron (80 g/ha), glifosato (4 L/ha), bentazon (1.5 L/ha), fomesafen (1 L/ha), chlorimuron-ethyl (80 g/ha), lactofen (1 L/ha) e imazetaphyr (1 L/ha) e dos surfatantes Energic (2 ml/L), Aterbane (2,5 ml/L), Silwet L-77Ag (1 ml/L), Herbitensil (2 ml/L) e Natur L'óleo (10 ml/L). Diluições dos herbicidas de 50% e 25% foram avaliadas com um consumo de calda equivalente a 300 L/ha. Os surfatantes foram somente utilizados nas concentrações recomendadas. O crescimento micelial não foi afetado por bentazon e fomesafen e apenas levemente por oxasulfuron. Porém, glifosato, chlorimuron-ethyl, lactofen, Energic, Herbitensil, Silwet, e Aterbane o reduziram drasticamente. A redução observada com imazetaphyr foi intermediária e Natur L' óleo promoveu o crescimento micelial. Na presença dos surfatantes, observou-se que todos permitiram uma porcentagem de germinação equivalente àquela alcançada na presença de água. Energic e Herbitensil causaram um retardamento expressivo. Com Herbitensil, o processo germinativo iniciou somente aos 120 minutos. Com herbicidas, foi observado que somente na presença de glifosato e imazetaphyr a germinação dos conídios não seguiu a tendência observada com água, como ocorreu com os outros produtos testados.

Proteínas ligantes do insulin-like growth factor (IGFBPs) e dominância folicular em vacas Bos taurus indicus puras e cruzadas

O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar um marcador bioquímico de folículos bovinos com diâmetro maior do que 10 mm, o qual poderia ser utilizado para identificar folículos dominantes nesta espécie. Líquido folicular era aspirado de folículos com diâmetros menores do que 5 mm, entre 5 e 10 mm e maiores do que 10 mm, provenientes de ovários de 37 fêmeas bovinas abatidas. Após aspiração, o líquido folicular (LF) era acondicionado em ependorfs etiquetados e congelados. Os padrões eletroforéticos em SDS-PAGE das proteínas do LF foram determinados e verificou-se que os folículos com diâmetro maior do que 10 mm apresentaram um polipeptídeo com PM entre 39 e 43 KDa identificado como a proteína ligante de IGF-3 (IGFBP-3), o qual não foi observado em folículos com diâmetro menor do que 5 mm e entre 5 e 10 mm. Este estudo sugere que este polipeptídeo possa ser utilizado como marcador bioquímico de folículos maiores do que 10 mm.

Performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens with different growth potential and submitted to heat stress

In order to evaluate the effects of broiler genotype and of heat exposure on performance, carcass characteristics, and protein and fat accretion, six hundred one-day-old male broilers were randomly assigned in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement, according to the following factors: genetic group (selected and non-selected broilers) and pair-feeding scheme (Ad(32) - reared under heat stress and fed ad libitum; Ad(23) - reared at thermoneutrality and fed ad libitum; Pf(23) - reared at thermoneutrality and pair fed with Ad(32)), with a total of six treatments with four replicates of 25 birds each. Independent of pair-feeding scheme, selected broilers showed better feed conversion, higher carcass yield, and lower abdominal fat deposition rate. However, as compared to non-selected broilers, they reduced more intensively feed intake when heat exposed, which promoted significant breast-yield decrease, and more pronounced changes on carcass chemical composition. These findings allows concluding that, in both genetic groups, both environmental temperature and feed-intake restriction influence abdominal fat deposition rate and other carcass characteristics; however, the impact of heat exposure on broiler performance is more noticeable on the selected line.

Interaction between breeding habitat and elevation affects prevalence but not infection intensity of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Brazilian anuran assemblages

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Growth and enzymatic responses of phytopathogenic fungi to glucose in culture media and soil

The effect of inoculation of Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium verticillioides, and Penicillium sp. in Dystrophic Red Latosol (DRL) and Eutroferric Red Latosol (ERL) soils with or without glucose on the total carbohydrate content and the dehydrogenase and amylase activities was studied. The fungal growth and spore production in culture medium with and without glucose were also evaluated. A completely randomized design with factorial arrangement was used. The addition of glucose in the culture medium increased the growth rate of A. flavus and Penicillium sp. but not of F. verticillioides. The number of spores increased 1.2 for F. verticillioides and 8.2 times for A. flavus in the medium with glucose, but was reduced 3.5 times for Penicillium sp. The total carbohydrates contents reduced significantly according to first and second degree equations. The consumption of total carbohydrates by A. flavus and Penicillium sp. was higher than the control or soil inoculated with F. verticillioides. The addition of glucose to soils benefited the use of carbohydrates, probably due to the stimulation of fungal growth. Dehydrogenase activity increased between 1.5 to 1.8 times (p <0.05) in soils with glucose and inoculated with the fungi (except F. verticillioides), in relation to soil without glucose. Amylase activity increased 1.3 to 1.5 times due to the addition of glucose in the soil. Increased amylase activity was observed in the DRL soil with glucose and inoculated with A. flavus and Penicillium sp. when compared to control.

CABBAGE GROWTH and PRODUCTION IN RELATION TO PLANT DENSITY and NITROGEN

At present, the Brazilian market prefers cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) of smaller size, which can be achieved by increasing population density; yet this management can alter the optimum rate of nitrogen (N), its second most required nutrient. This study was conducted in the Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brazil, from February to June 2004. The objective was to evaluate the effect of population density: 31 250 (DI) and 46 875 plants ha(-1) (D2) with 0, 100, 200 and 300 kg N ha-1 on the growth and production of cabbage Astrus. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement and three replicates. Statistical analysis were a variance analysis (F test), the Tukey test for population density averages and polynomial regression for the N rates. In D1, an increase was recorded in the number of inner and outer leaves, dry matter of inner and outer leaves, the stem diameter at the insertion of the head, and the stem dry and fresh matter. The maximum size of the plant in D2 was 1.57 kg and was obtained with 300 kg N ha(-1), while in D1 it was 2.1 kg and was obtained with 244 kg N ha(-1). The optimal economic rate in 131 was 227.1 kg N ha(-1). The highest yield (72.7 t ha(-1)) was obtained with the highest N rate in D2. Smaller cabbage heads, commercially preferred, were obtained without the application of N, regardless of plant population.

Whole-genome expression profiling of Xylella fastidiosa in response to growth on glucose

Xylella fastidiosa is the etiologic agent of diseases in a wide range of economically important crops including citrus variegated chlorosis, a major threat to the Brazilian citrus industry. The genomes of several strains of this phytopathogen have been completely sequenced enabling large-scale functional studies. In this work we used whole-genome DNA microarrays to investigate the transcription profile of X. fastidiosa grown in defined media with different glucose concentrations. Our analysis revealed that while transcripts related to fastidian gum production were unaffected, colicin-V-like and fimbria precursors were induced in high glucose medium. Based on these results, we suggest a model for colicin-defense mechanism in X. fastidiosa.

Auxin-producing bacteria isolated from the roots of Cattleya walkeriana, an endangered Brazilian orchid, and their role in acclimatization

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)