Comparison of four trap types for ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera, Scolytidae) in Brazilian Eucalyptus stands

Eucalyptus spp. plantations represent >60% of the reforested area in Brazil. Although ambrosia beetle attacks on live trees were at first nonexistent, they have begun to appear with greater frequency. Monitoring for pest insects is a key factor in integrated pest management, and baited traps are one of the most widely used methods for insect population detection and survey. We compared the efficiency of the most widely used trap in Brazil to survey for ambrosia beetles and other Scolytidae, the ESALQ-84 type, with other traditionally employed traps: the multiple funnel (Lindgren trap); drainpipe; and slot (Theyson) traps, in a Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden stand in Brazil. The ESALQ-84 trap was the most efficient in trapping Hypothenemus eruditus Westwood and Hypothenemus obscurus (F.); the multiple funnel trap caught significantly more Cryptocarenus diadematus Eggers; whereas the slot trap caught more Premnobius cavipennis Eichhoff and Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff than the other traps. The drainpipe trap was the least effective trap overall. When corrected for number of beetles caught per trap surface area, catches were significantly higher on the ESALQ-84 trap for the majority of the species analyzed, probably because of a smaller trap surface area. The slot trap was recommended for it caught overall more beetles of the three most economically important scolytid species in eucalypt plantations in Brazil, P. cavipennis, X. affinis, and X, ferrugineus.

Phosphorus fractions in Brazilian Cerrado soils as affected by tillage

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

Molecular characterization of two Brazilian isolates of Lettuce mosaic virus with distinct biological properties

Efetuou-se a clonagem e seqüenciamento do gene que codifica a proteína capsidial de dois isolados do vírus do mosaico da alface (Lettuce mosaic virus, LMV) provenientes do estado de São Paulo, previamente caracterizados como pertencentes aos patótipos II (AF198, incapaz de infetar cultivares com os genes de resistência mo1¹ ou mo1²) e IV (AF199, capaz de quebrar a resistência propiciada pelos genes mo1¹ e mo1²), com base na virulência em cultivares diferenciadoras. Análise comparativa das seqüências de nucleotídeos de isolados provenientes da Europa, América do Norte, Oriente Médio e os dois isolados brasileiros não permitiu sua separação em estirpes, pois as porcentagens de homologia foram sempre superiores a 95%. Entretanto, análise filogenética dos isolados sugere uma origem comum entre o isolado AF-198 e os isolados LMV-R e LMV-0 (patótipo II, provenientes dos Estados Unidos e da França, respectivamente). O isolado AF199 apresentou uma alta homologia de seqüência com os isolados LMV-Aud e LMV-13, ambos provenientes da França. Esses isolados também são relacionados a isolados provenientes do Chile, embora uma origem comum não seja proposta. Eventos independentes de mutação podem estar ocorrendo em diferentes partes do mundo, propiciando o surgimento de novas estirpes de LMV capazes de quebrar a resistência conferida pelos genes mo1¹ e mo1².

The effect of Beauveria bassiana on Brazilian poplar moth Condylorrhiza vestigialis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

The Brazilian poplar moth is the most important pest of poplar plantations in Brazil. This research evaluated the effect of Beauveria bassiana Bals. (Vuill.) on the mortality and development of Condylorrhiza vestigialis Guen. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). The aim was to develop alternative methods for management of this pest. The pathogens were sprayed on poplar leaves and .consequently, the pathogens reached the caterpillars. Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki Berliner was sprayed as the standard treatment. The spray for the control was distilled water. Both pathogens B. bassiana and B. thuringiensis affected insect development with increase mortality at each stage of the insect cycle, reaching a satisfactory control level. Microbial control of Brazilian poplar moth with B. bassiana is promising. Tests with other strains and species of pathogens, mainly under field conditions, were also encouraging. This is the first report about the action of B. bassiana against C. vestigialis.

The relationship between pasture degradation and soil properties in the Brazilian amazon: a case study

Pasture degradation is one of the greatest problems related to land use in the Amazon region, forcing farmers to open new forest areas. Many studies have identified the causes and the factors involved in this degradation process, in an attempt to reverse the situation. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between pasture degradation and some soil properties, to try to identify the most significant soil features in the degradation process. A cattle raising farm in the eastern Amazon region, with pastures of different ages and degrees of degradation, was used as the site for this study: a primary forest area, PN; three Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) pastures in an increasingly degraded sequence-P1, P2 and P3; one Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus Kunth) pasture following an extremely degraded Guinea grass pasture, P4. Aboveground phytomass data showed differences between the pastures, reflecting initially observed degradation levels. Grass biomass decreased sharply from P1 to P2 and disappeared at P3. Pasture recovery with Gamba grass at P4 was very successful, with grass biomass higher than P1 and weed biomass smaller than P2 and P3. Root biomass also decreased with pasture degradation. Soil bulk density increased with pasture decrease at the topsoil layer. Results from the soil chemical analysis showed that there were no signs of decrease in organic carbon and total nitrogen after the forest was transformed into pasture. In all pastures, degraded or not, the soil pH, the sum of bases and the saturation degree were higher than in the forest soil. The extractable phosphorus content, lower in forest soil, remained quite stable in pasture soils, but it could become a limiting factor for the maintenance of Guinea grass. Results indicated that pasture degradation does not seem to be directly related to the modification of the chemical features of soils. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

THE EFFECT of CARBONIZATION on WOOD STRUCTURE of DALBERGIA VIOLACEA, STRYPHNODENDRON POLYPHYLLUM, TAPIRIRA GUIANENSIS, VOCHYSIA TUCANORUM, and POUTERIA TORTA FROM THE BRAZILIAN CERRADO

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Can native vegetation recover after slash pine cultivation in the Brazilian Savanna?

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Spatial variations at different observational scales and the seasonal distributions of stream macroalgae in a Brazilian subtropical region

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Impact of Road Clearings on the Movements of Three Understory Insectivorous Bird Species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

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

DNA extraction from hair shafts of wild Brazilian felids and canids

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

Autonomy Markers in Brazilian Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between autonomy markers in adult people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and variables such as intelligence quotient (IQ), early aging, and literacy. Participants were 47 adults with ID (33 men; aged 28-58 years with nonspecific etiology, 34 literate). All participants were trainees at the Center for Training of Capacity and Orientation for Employment at Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais de São Paulo, São Paulo State, Brazil. They were divided into two age groups: younger (n = 27, mean age 31.85; +/- 2.23), and older (n = 38, mean age 41.84; +/- 5.54). They were administered intelligence scales twice, and answered questions related to social participation, community integration, and choice-making; the percentage of item responses leaning toward self-determination and freedom in choice-making was considered in defining the autonomy score. For both groups, IQ declined from the first to the second assessment. Autonomy scores were more determined by IQ classification than by literacy. Authors concluded that autonomy in people with ID is a multifactorial phenomenon associated with cognitive decline.

Subtle Cognitive Deficits in Adults With a Previous History of Sydenham's Chorea During Childhood

Objective. To evaluate the neuropsychological profile and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of adults who had rheumatic fever (RF) during childhood with and without Sydenham's chorea (SC).Methods. Three groups of patients were assessed: adults who had RF with SC during childhood (SC group), adults who had RF without SC during childhood (RF group), and controls (CT group). A range of neuropsychological tests looked at several cognitive domains. HRQOL was measured through a Brazilian version of the Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey.Results. Twenty patients were included in the SC group, 23 patients in the RF group, and 19 patients in the CT group. The 3 groups were homogeneous regarding sex (P = 0.078), age (P = 0.799), schooling (P = 0.600), socioeconomic status (P = 0.138), intelligence quotient (P = 0.329), and scores for anxiety (P = 0.156) and depression (P = 0.076). The SC group demonstrated inferior performance in tests that assessed attention (Digit Span Forward [ P = 0.005], Corsi Block Forward [ P = 0.014]), speeded information processing (Trail Making A [ P = 0.009], Symbol Search [ P = 0.042]), and executive functions and working memory (Corsi Block Backward [ P = 0.028]), and higher scores for attention deficit scale (P = 0.030) when compared with the RF and CT groups. They also showed a tendency toward lower scores in the physical aspects, vitality, emotional aspects, and mental health domains of the SF-36. The RF group had a lower score for the general health domain than the CT group (P = 0.030).Conclusion. Patients who had SC during childhood can exhibit inferior performance in tasks that evaluate attention, speeded information processing, executive functions, and working memory in adult life. Therefore, there is indirect evidence of the persistence of dysfunction in cerebral circuits involved with the basal ganglia. They also presented a worse self-evaluation in HRQOL that was not related to cognitive impairments.

Number Processing and Calculation in Brazilian Children Aged 7-12 Years

Numerical cognition is based on two components - number processing and calculation. Its development is influenced by biological, cognitive, educational, and cultural factors. The objectives of the present study were to: i) assess number processing and calculation in Brazilian children aged 7-12 years from public schools using the Zareki-R (Battery of neuropsychological tests for number processing and calculation in children, Revised; von Aster & Dellatolas, 2006) in order to obtain normative data for Portuguese speakers; ii) identify how environment, age, and gender influences the development of these mathematical skills; iii) investigate the construct validity of the Zareki-R by the contrast with the Arithmetic subtest of WISC-III. The sample included 172 children, both genders, divided in two groups: urban (N= 119) and rural (N= 53) assessed by the Zareki-R. Rural children presented lower scores in one aspect of number processing; children aged 7-8 years demonstrated an inferior global score than older; boys presented a superior performance in both number processing and calculation. Construct validity of Zareki-R was demonstrated by high to moderate correlations with Arithmetic subtest of WISC-III. The Zareki-R therefore is a suitable instrument to assess the development of mathematical skills, which is influenced by factors such as environment, age, and gender.