Between-season attraction of cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boh. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) adults by its aggregation pheromone

O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar a atratividade do bicudo do algodoeiro ao seu feromônio de agregação em período de inverno. Foram utilizados dois campos experimentais no município de Casa Branca, SP. em cada um destes, foram estabelecidas três áreas separadas de aproximadamente 500 metros, sempre próximas à vegetação de refúgio. Cada área foi dividida em três sub-áreas ou blocos de 100 m² para receber a aplicação do feromônio (2,5 g por bloco). Foi realizada uma contagem de bicudos adultos no solo antes, e mais cinco após a aplicação de feromônio. em cada bloco, foram observadas dez parcelas aleatórias, para a avaliação dos bicudos. Os adultos de A. grandis foram atraídos imediatamente após a aplicação do feromônio, sendo capturados por mais de 14 dias após. O índice mais elevado de atração foi observado 24 horas após a aplicação. A utilização do feromônio de agregação durante o inverno, pode aumentar a ação reguladora exercida pelos inimigos naturais, devido ao aumento de disponibilidade de presas. Controle químico pode ser recomendado 24 horas após a aplicação de feromônio em pequenas parcelas, como uma estratégia para a supressão de adultos de Anthonomus grandis em período de entressafra.

Morphogenetic and tillering dynamics in Tanzania grass fertilized and non-fertilized with nitrogen according to season

The objectives of this study were to evaluate morphogenetic characteristics and tillering dynamics in Tanzania grass fertilized and non-fertilized with nitrogen, under intermittent grazing, in the spring and the summer. The main plots were composed of four nitrogen rates (0, 100, 200 and 300 kg/ha) and the subplots were growth seasons: spring (October, November and December) and summer (January, February and March). The experimental design was of randomized block with plots subdivided by time (seasons of the year) and four replications. Urea was used as nitrogen supply and was divided into two applications: one in the spring and another in the summer. The experimental units fertilized with N rates of 200 and 300 kg/ha showed six cycles of pasture, with an average of 27 days of pasture interval, while the treatments with no fertilization and 100 kg/ha of N showed only four and five cycles of pasture, respectively. Leaf elongation rate (LER) and the leaf appearance rate (LAR) increased linearly with increasing of N rates. The greatest population density occurred in summer with the higher nitrogen rates. The treatment without N fertilization showed the lowest growth of tiller population, while the other treatments exhibited growth rates above 50% when compared with non-fertilized samples. Nitrogen rates significantly affect the leaf appearance rate and the leaf elongation rate, as well as the number of live leaves in plants of Tanzania grass in both spring and summer.

Quality of the forage apparently consumed by beef calves in natural grassland under fertilization and oversown with cool season forage species

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Short-term movement and retreat sites of Leptodactylus labyrinthicus (Anura : Leptodactylidae) during the breeding season: A spool-and-line tracking study

Capture/recapture studies significantly increase our knowledge of the natural history of anuran amphibians. Many different methods have been employed in these studies, but a number of new techniques still require experimental validation. During two reproductive seasons in a Cerrado remnant in southeastern Brazil, we investigated the movement patterns and habitat use of the pepper frog, Leptodactylus labyrinthicus, using a spool-and-line device. This low-cost device did not appear to interfere with the activities of the frogs and allowed for constant monitoring, showing precise routes of movement and great predictability of relocations. Both sexes were active at night. During the day, males and females made use of retreat sites under vegetation or in burrows constructed by small- and medium-sized mammals. Males and females did not use standardized routes; there were no significant differences between their movements, and movements were not correlated with body size or environmental conditions. Individuals are able to move further than 100 m per day, a characteristic that may enable this species to colonize or recolonize open areas.

Action of auxins, boron and harvest season on the rooting of kiwi fruit stem cuttings (Actinidia chinensis Pl cv Monty)

Action of auxins on the rooting of stem cuttings of kiwi (Actinidia chinensis P. cv Monty). This work studies the effects of some synthetic auxins and B in the rooting of kiwi (Actinidia chinensis Planch cv Monty) stem cuttings. The treatments used were as follows: T1 (H2O); T2 (NAA 300 ppm); T3 (IBA 300 ppm); T4 (NAA 300 ppm + B); T5 (IBA 300 ppm + B); T6 (NAA 0,5%-talc) and T7 (IBA 0,5%-talc), applied to the bases of the cuttings. These were then placed in rooting dishes with pure vermiculite in a misty nebulization chamber until collection day (120 days). The evaluation of auxin and boric acid effects on kiwi stem cuttings were made based on the following observations: 1. The percentage of rooted stem cuttings; 2. reducing sugars and total sugar analyses (in g/100 g of dry matter); and 3. tryptophan analyses (in mu g/100 mg of dry matter). The results show that summer is the best season for rooting Actinidia chinensis Planch cv Monty stem cuttings. The use of IBA talc 0,5% on the bases of the cuttings shamed positive results too.

Impact of overseeding cool-season annual forages on spring regrowth of tifton 85 bermudagrass

Field observations have shown stand reduction and slow spring regrowth of Tifton. 85 bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) pastures overseeded with temperate forages for grazing during the cool season. This experiment compared the effect of cool-season management programs, including overseeding and use of different grazing treatments, on productivity of Tifton 85 the following warm season. There were seven treatments: four were bermudagrass overseeded with a cool-season annual forage mixture (two grasses and two legumes) and grazed differentially, and three were bermudagrass controls With differences in amount of residual stubble remaining at beginning of autumn. There was only a slight delay in initiation of Tifton 85 spring regrowth relative to the unseeded controls and no apparent stand loss resulting from overseeding cool-season forages. Late spring and summer Tifton 85 production generally was greater on seeded than non-seeded areas, possibly resulting from the nitrogen (N) release from decaying cool-season legumes. Grazing management of winter species in seeded plots and stubble height of bermudagrass in control plots had no effect on bermudagrass performance. Nutritive value responses generally favored overseeded plots. These data, though from one year, show no negative effect on Tifton 85 bermudagrass performance from overseeding and grazing cool-season annual forages during winter.

A comparative study of the extracutaneous pigmentary system in three anuran amphibian species evaluated during the breeding season.

The present investigation examined the extracutaneous pigmentation pattern of three species of anuran amphibians, Dendropsophus nanus, Physalaemus cuvieri, and Rhinella schneideri, during the course of their breeding seasons. Pigmentation intensity in the different organs was graded on a 4-category scale, in which category 0 refers to organs without pigment and category 3 refers to intensely pigmented organs, with 2 intermediate stages of progressively stronger pigmentation. Rhinella schneideri showed testicular pigmentation, with intra-specific variation (categories 0 and 1). In P. cuvieri the pigmentation in the lungs varied in time: all the animals showed pigmentation (category 1) at the beginning of the breeding season, and as the season progressed the absence of pigments became the most common pattern. In the liver of the first animals collected, the pigment intensity was high (category 2) with many iridophores present, but in the last specimens collected no iridophores were found. The variation in D. nanus occurred in the kidneys, where animals collected at the beginning of the season did not show pigmentation. Renal veins displayed few melanocytes (category 1); animals collected at the end of the season showed more pigmentation in the kidneys (category 2), whereas in the renal veins the intensity remained the same. The changes observed in the extracutaneous pigment system in some organs, during the reproductive period, may be due to physiological alterations or may represent a species-specific characteristic.

Oviposition pattern and within-season spatial and temporal variation of pre-dispersal seed predation in a population of Mimosa bimucronata trees

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

Protein diets promote the maturation of oocytes and spawning of Piaractus mesopotamicus kept in cages

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of balanced diets on the maturation of oocytes and the reproductive performance of P. mesopotamicus in cages. A completely random design with 224 fish in 16 cages measuring 5 m(3) was employed for this purpose. The treatments consisted of diets containing 18, 24, 30, and 36% crude protein (CP) provided ad libitum. The external and internal morphological characteristics of the specimens were examined, as well as: the position of the germinal vesicle, the distribution of oocyte diameters, the fertilization and hatching rates, the number of oocytes released, the total number of oocytes, the remaining weight and total weight of the ovaries, the gonadosomatic index, the condition factor (K), and the histology of the oocytes and ovaries post-spawning and during ovarian regression. The diameters of the oocytes collected before the first hormonal application displayed a unimodal distribution for the lowest protein content and a polymodal distribution for the other treatments. A similar situation was seen during spawning. The lowest fertilization and hatching rates were found as a consequence of the treatment with 30% CP (P < 0.05). The greatest hatching rate occurred in the females fed 18% CP. The greatest total oocyte weight was found in the specimens that received between 30 and 36% CP. The lowest K index was found in the females fed 36% CP. In conclusion, a diet containing 18% CP satisfies the reproductive requirements of females adapted to this system.