Phenology of Caryocar brasiliense in the Brazilian cerrado region

The objective was to study the phenology of Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Caryocaraceae), a type of fruit of the Brazilian cerrado, in three areas (cerrado, pasture and in the campus of the Federal University of Minas Gerais) of the municipality of Montes Claros, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, during 3 years. The plants of C brasiliense presented linear growth with about 50 cm of height and 35 cm of crown width per year. Soils with loamy texture, dystrophic, rich in aluminum and with low pH favor the production of this species. C. brasiliense produced higher quantity of flowers in the middle third, followed by the apical and basal parts of the crown, while the fruit production was higher in the basal third, followed by the middle and apical parts of the canopy of this species. C brasiliense bloomed during the dry period and produced fruits in the rainy season. Its fruits presented about 6, 8 and 6 cm of width, length and height, respectively, and 160 g of gross weight. The extrativism without control has strong impact on the propagation of C brasiliense because only about 7.96 and 10.65% of plants up to 1.0 m height and 59.58 and 44.73% higher than 3.0 m (reproductive phase) was observed in the cerrado and pasture, respectively. This indicates that fruit collectors, practically, remove all fruits of this tree and thus they reduce, considerably, the propagation of C. brasiliense in the cerrado areas of Brazil. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Colleters in Caryocar brasiliense (Caryocaraceae) ontogenesis, ultrastructure and secretion

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

Phenological aspects and variation of chlorophylls a and b contents in caryocar-brasiliense camb

There were detected variations of chlorophylls a and b during the senescence leaves period of Caryocar brasiliense Camb in the Corumbatai cerrado vegetation, State of São Paulo. The highest peak of total chlorophylls a and b contents was registered after the maximum leaves expansion, while the lowest peak it was obtained at leaves abcision. The chlorophylls a and b variations can be explained as a function of a chlorophyll a variation content. The phenological events studied (flowering and fruiting time, leaf fall and sprouting) showed a marked periodicity during the year. Flowering and fruiting time have a similar peak both in the wet season (september to february). Leaves fall occurred in the dry season with the peak in August.

Fenologia de Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Caryocaraceae) no Alto Rio Grande, sul de Minas Gerais

Phenological studies are important to understand the dynamics in forest ecosystems and also to enable adequate management of their native species. In the Cerrado regions of the high Rio Grande river (south of Minas Gerais State), Caryocar brasiliense species is found in highly distinct morphological forms with variable phenology. The aim of this study was to investigate phenological patterns within and between populations of both the tree and shrub forms of the individuals and to determine any correlation with abiotic factors. Thirty-five observations of the phenophases of the vegetative and reproductive stages were recorded ever), two weeks for 18 months. The activity index was analyzed for each stage and further analyzed to see if there were associations with the climate data by using Spearman linear correlation. The species was deciduous but leaf growth became retarded during the dry season, at which point leaf flushing stopped and total leaf fall occurred throughout the rainy season. The flowering and the fruit production occurred in the rainy season. The reproductive phase can be either annual or sub-annual. The activity index showed high synchronism within populations during the first flowering in all populations studied (> 80%). Flowering and mature fruits were highly synchronized according to Spearman correlations. Tree and shrub individuals of C. brasiliense had very similar times for their phenophases. The best period for collecting mature fruits in these regions is between February and March.

Avaliação de caracteristicas físico-químicas e bioquímicas do pequi (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.) em suas diversas formas de armazenamento

Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia - IQ

Caracterização genética de populações de Caryocar brasiliense Cambess. e Jatropha curcas L., espécies potenciais na produção de biodiesel

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Emergência de plântulas de pequizeiro em função da planta matriz e uso de ácido giberélico

Em Goiás, o pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) se destaca, dentre as frutíferas nativas do Cerrado, como promissora para a produção comercial. Um dos obstáculos para a sua produção em grande escala, no entanto, é o fato de que a germinação de sementes seja baixa e irregular. Com o objetivo de avaliar a emergência de sementes de pequizeiro e o desenvolvimento inicial de mudas oriundas de 16 plantas, aos dez meses após a colheita, na presença e ausência de ácido giberélico (GA3), foram conduzidos dois experimentos. O primeiro foi implantado em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com parcelas subdivididas, tendo as matrizes nas parcelas e, nas subparcelas, um tratamento de imersão por 48 horas, em água pura e em solução de 500 mg L-1 de GA3. Foram realizadas avaliações a cada sete dias, para determinação da percentagem final, tempo médio e índice de velocidade de emergência. Para o segundo experimento, foi utilizado delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com número variado de repetições, de acordo com o número de mudas obtidas no primeiro experimento. Para percentagem, índice de velocidade e tempo médio de emergência, o efeito dos tratamentos foi significativo, sendo que, para os dois primeiros, houve interação significativa entre genótipo e tratamento, para superação da dormência. Observou-se que a utilização de 500 mg L-1 de ácido giberélico pode minimizar a dormência em sementes de Caryocar brasiliense e que o crescimento das matrizes em campo foi linear e contínuo, ao longo do tempo.

Perforated ray cells in the wood of roots and branches of cerrado species from Brazil

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

Perfil de ácidos graxos e fatores antinutricionais de amêndoas de pequi crua e torrada

O pequi é um dos frutos mais abundantes no Cerrado, sendo sua polpa muito apreciada na culinária regional, porém, sua amêndoa (também comestível) é pouco aproveitada. O consumo da amêndoa crua pode acarretar em problemas digestivos, devido à possível presença de fatores antinutricionais, assim como a torra pode alterar, nutricionalmente, a amêndoa. Este trabalho objetivou verificar a composição centesimal, o perfil de ácidos graxos e os fatores antinutricionais, em amêndoas de pequi crua e torrada (a 270ºC, por 15 minutos), oriundas do Estado de Goiás e submetidas às análises de composição centesimal (umidade, proteínas, lipídeos, cinzas, carboidratos e valor energético), perfil de ácidos graxos e fatores antinutricionais (inibidores de tripsina, tanino e fitatos). A composição centesimal e os fatores antinutricionais, respectivamente para as amêndoas crua e torrada, apresentaram os seguintes teores: umidade: 25,40% e 1,70%; cinzas: 3,90% e 4,60%; proteínas: 13,40% e 14,70%; lipídeos: 24,70% e 25,70%; carboidratos: 32,50% e 53,30%; e valor energético: 406,20 kcal/100 g e 503,00 kcal/100 g, com ausência de inibidores de tripsina e taninos com 1,21% e 1,17% e fitatos com 2,64% e 1,86%. No perfil de ácidos graxos, respectivamente para as amêndoas crua e torrada, foram obtidos 86,90% e 84,61% de ácidos saturados e 10,57% e 10,40% de insaturados. A torra das amêndoas não influenciou, significativamente (p > 0,05), somente a variável proteína, interferindo, assim, nas características nutricionais e antinutricionais.

Antifungal activity of extracts from Brazilian Cerrado plants on Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Corynespora cassiicola

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Antioxidant properties of brazilian tropical fruits by correlation between different assays

Four different assays (the Folin-Ciocalteu, DPPH, enzymatic method, and inhibitory activity on lipid peroxidation) based on radically different physicochemical principles and normally used to determine the antioxidant activity of food have been confronted and utilized to investigate the antioxidant activity of fruits originated from Brazil, with particular attention to more exotic and less-studied species (jurubeba, Solanum paniculatum; pequi, Caryocar brasiliense; pitaya, Hylocereus undatus; siriguela, Spondias purpurea; umbu, Spondias tuberosa) in order to (i) verify the correlations between results obtained by the different assays, with the final purpose to obtain more reliable results avoiding possible measuring-method linked mistakes and (ii) individuate the more active fruit species. As expected, the different methods give different responses, depending on the specific assay reaction. Anyhow all results indicate high antioxidant properties for siriguela and jurubeba and poor values for pitaya, umbu, and pequi. Considering that no marked difference of ascorbic acid content has been detected among the different fruits, experimental data suggest that antioxidant activities of the investigated Brazilian fruits are poorly correlated with this molecule, principally depending on their total polyphenolic content. © 2013 Elena Gregoris et al.

Anatomia do lenho e do carvão de espécies arbóreas do Cerrado no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

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

Uso de resíduos de madeiras e frutos da amazônia para o cultivo in vitro do cogumelo comestível shiitake

Local abundant residues with low or without commercial value with potential to make the production of edible mushrooms economically viable in any region of Brazil must be employed for cultivation. Thus, the radial mycelial growth of LED 20 strain of Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler was verified in culture media prepared with extract of regional residues by using substrates based on Protium puncticulatum, Cariniana micrantha and Caryocar glabum sawdust, supplemented with 20% of grinded residues from the barks of the fruits of Astrocaryum aculeatum and Theobroma grandiflorum. Residues from eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp) sawdust and wheat bran (Triticum aestivum L) were used as witness because they are commonly used in the cultivation of L. edodes. The experimental design used was totally randomized, in 4x3 factorial scheme, totalizing 12 treatments with five repetitions, being that each repetition corresponded to a Petri dish, adding up a total of 60 dishes, which were incubated under 25 degrees C. The diameter of the colony was daily evaluated during seven days of incubation. After that period, it was verified that media prepared with P. puncticulatum extract, whose supplementation with both brans was favorable for fungic development, presented some of the highest averages of mycelial growth of LED 20 strain of L. edodes, confirming the potential of those residues.

Vivendo nos interstícios do Cerrado: encurralados entre o agronegócio e Unidades de Conservação

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

Uso de resíduos madeireiros da Amazônia brasileira no cultivo in vitro de Lentinus strigosus

Lentinus strigosus (Schwein.) Fr. is an exploitable edible mushroom occurring in the Brazilian Amazon, being part of a huge diversity of edible mushrooms which are little grown. The use of regional waste is recommended to reduce production costs of any kind of edible mushroom. Thus, the mycelial growth of L. strigosus in culture media based on regional wood waste extract by using substrates based on Protium puncticulatum, Cariniana micrantha and Caryocar glabum sawdust, supplemented with 20% of wheat bran (Triticum aestivum), corn bran (Zea sp.) or rice bran (Oryza sp.) was observed. Eucalyptus (Eucaliptus sp.) sawdust was used for comparison with the other wood wastes because it is commonly used in the cultivation of edible fungi. The experimental design employed was totally randomized, in 4 x 3 factorial scheme (sawdust x bran), adding up 12 treatments with 5 repetitions, being that each repetition corresponded to a Petri dish, totalizing 60 dishes, incubated at 35 ºC. The diameter of the colony was daily evaluated until the fungus reached the borders of the Petri dish in one of the treatments. After that period, the media based on P. puncticulatum sawdust obtained thebest results of mycelial growth, showing potential to be used as an alternative residuein a future production of L. strigosus in the state of Amazonas.