Effects of the Ottonia martiana Miq. (Piperaceae) extract on dog's ocular surface

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

Dolomite and phosphogypsum surface application effects on annual crops nutrition and yield

Brazil has extensive area with acid soils. Using phosphogypsum and soil acidity tolerant cultivars are alternatives to crop establishment in no-till system without previous limestone incorporation in many agricultural soils of Brazil. However, it remains unknown how phosphogypsum and limestone surface application affects rice (Oryza sativa L.) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) nutrition and yield under a no-till system. A field experiment was conducted in a sandy clay loam, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Haplorthox, previously cultivated under conventional tillage, in Botucatu, Sao, Paulo State, Brazil. Treatments included four dolomitic limestone rates (0, 1100, 2700, and 4300 kg ha(-1)), two phosphogypsum rates (0 and 2100 kg ha(-1)), and two upland rice cultivars (Caiapo and IAC 202). in 2002-2003, and two bean cultivars (Perola and Carioca), in 2003-2004. Both amendments were applied on the surface, without soil incorporation. The content of Ca, Mg, and Mn in flag leaves and rice yield increased with limestone surface application. Liming increased the shoot dry matter of IAC 202 rice. Phosphogypsum increased S contents in leaves of both rice cultivars, and resulted in higher grain yield in the Caiapo rice. Liming increased K contents in leaves of both bean cultivars. In the absence of phosphogypsum, liming increased S contents and grain yield of bean. Content of Mg in leaves was reduced by phosphogypsum in lower limestone rates. In phosphogypsum presence, liming reduced Zn contents in leaves and increased bean shoot dry matter. Phosphogypsum increased Ca and S, and reduced Mg contents in bean leaves. Using soil acidity tolerant cultivars promoted higher crop yields in no-till systems establishment, even when the effective soil amelioration had not yet been achieved.

Ultrastructure of the intercellular protuberances in leaves of Paepalanthus superbus Ruhl. (Eriocaulaceae)

Folhas adultas de Paepalanthus superbus mostram protuberâncias intercelulares, entre a parede periclinal interna das células epidérmicas e superfície de células parenquimáticas; depósitos semelhantes ocorrem na superfície das células parenquimáticas do mesofilo. Estas protuberâncias são mais proeminentes ao redor de células parenquimáticas, formando uma estrutura que lembra uma cápsula gelatinosa. Testes histoquímicos com vermelho de rutênio evidenciam sua natureza péctica, com inclusões lipídicas dispersas, detectadas por sudan IV e sudan black B. Ultra-estruturalmente as protuberâncias mostram matriz fibrilar permeada por estruturas fimbriadas e tubulares, com margem distinta formada por estrutura membranosa. Nossos resultados sugerem que estas protuberâncias são derivadas de atividade secretora, sendo formadas após o desenvolvimento dos espaços intercelulares. em P. superbus esta estrutura pode representar uma especialização da parede celular, relacionada com adesão e mecanismos de transporte entre células.

Assessing the role of vertical leaves within the photosynthetic function of Styrax camporum under drought conditions

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

Intercellular pectic protuberances in leaves of some Xyris species (Xyridaceae)

Mature leaves of eight species of Xyris were prepared by standard methods for electron transmission microscopy. Wartlike intercellular pectic protuberances were observed on the surface of inner periclinal walls of epidermal cells in Xyris obcordata, Xyris hymenachne, and Xyris pterygoblephara. In the latter, the protuberances also occur on the surface of parenchymatic mesophyll cells; they frequently project into intercellular spaces and may connect opposing cells. For the genus Xyris, the intercellular pectic protuberances may be considered taxonomically significant at the species level.

Optimisation of conditions for the extraction of casearins from Casearia sylvestris using response surface methodology

Optimal conditions for the extraction of casearins from Casearia sylvestris were determined using response surface methodology. The maceration and sonication extraction techniques were performed using a 3 x 3 x 3 full factorial design including three acidity conditions, three solvents of different polarities and three extraction times. The yields and selectivities of the extraction of casearins were significantly influenced by acidity conditions. Taking into account all variables tested, the optimal conditions for maceration extraction were estimated to involve treatment with dichloromethane saturated with ammonium hydroxide for 26 h. Similar yields and selectivities for casearins were determined for sonication extraction using the same solvent but for the much shorter time of I h. The best results for stabilisation of the fresh plant material were obtained using leaves that had been oven dried at 40 degrees C for 48 h. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Kinetics of zinc uptake and anatomy of roots and leaves of coffee trees as affected by zinc nutrition

Zinc (Zn) uptake kinetics and root and leaf anatomy were studied in coffee trees grown in nutrient solutions with or without Zn. Leaves and roots were sampled and cuts were made in the medium part of the leaves and in root tips and observed under an optical microscope. Plants grown without Zn showed an increase in root and in root stele diameter. There was also an increase in epidermis thickness and in the cross-sectional area of the cortex and stele due to Zn deficiency, but the diameter of xylem vessels was decreased. An increase in root cortex and stele diameter provided for an increased surface for nutrient uptake. Accordingly, C(min) was decreased from 13.8 to 3.4 mu mol L(-1) and V(max) increased from 0.50 to 2.1 mu mol cm(-2) h(-1) .

Artificial neural networks for machining processes surface roughness modeling

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Submicroscopical features of leaves of xyris species

The leaf infrastructure of five Xyris species were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and histochemical methods. All studied leaves show some features in epidermis and mesophyll, which were of considerable adaptative significance to drought stress. Such features included the occurrence of a pectic layer on the stomatal guard cells and the presence of a nehvork ofpectic compounds in the cuticle. Pectic compunds were also in abundance in lamellated walls of the mesophyll cells and on the inner surface of the sclerified cell walls of the vascular bundle sheaths. There were also specialized chlorenchymatous peg cells in the mesophyll and drops of phenolic compounds inside the epidermal cells.

Seed and seedling surface-sterilization for in vitro culture of tillandsia gardneri (Bromeliaceae)

Tillandsia gardneri is a bromeliad with ornamental value and a wide geographical distribution over Brazil. However, due to habitat loss and illegal overcollection in the wild it is included as a vulnerable species in the official list of endangered plants of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The development of a protocol for T. gardneri seed propagation in vitro may be useful for reintroducing plants in their natural habitats, and for germplasm conservation. A difficult problem encountered during the establishment of an in vitro culture is explants disinfection, especially when working with endangered species, from which explant availability is restricted. Thus, the establishment of a sterilization protocol is crucial for the initiation and success of a micropropagation system for T. gardneri. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sodium hypochlorite concentration and exposure time in seed and seedling surface disinfection, tissue sensitivity and development. Sodium hypochlorite solutions (10 or 20%/5, 10 or 15 min; 25%/5 or 10 min; and 50%/5 min) were effective in eliminating seed superficial contaminants. There was no significant difference among the effective sterilization treatments in relation to seed germination (%), and seedling length and number of leaves, after 120 days in vitro. Also, no damage to seed and seedling tissues were observed. Surface sterilization of seedlings, for initiation of an in vitro culture, required higher concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (25%/15 min; 20 or 50%/5, 10 or 15 min; and 40%/5 and 10 min) for controlling fungal and yeast contamination, compared to seed sterilization. No significant differences among these treatments were found in relation to seedling length and number of leaves, after 60 days in vitro.

The reactive surface of Castor leaf [Ricinus communis L.] powder as a green adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from natural river water

In this study, a green adsorbent was successfully applied to remove toxic metals from aqueous solutions. Dried minced castor leaves were fractionated into 63-μm particles to perform characterization and extraction experiments. Absorption bands in FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) spectra at 1544, 1232 and 1350 cm-1 were assigned to nitrogen-containing groups. Elemental analysis showed high nitrogen and sulfur content: 5.76 and 1.93%, respectively. The adsorption kinetics for Cd(II) and Pb(II) followed a pseudo-second-order model, and no difference between the experimental and calculated Nf values (0.094 and 0.05 mmol g-1 for Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively) was observed. The Ns values calculated using the modified Langmuir equation, 0.340 and 0.327 mmol g-1 for Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively, were superior to the results obtained for several materials in the literature. The method proposed in this study was applied to pre-concentrate (45-fold enrichment factor) and used to measure Cd(II) and Pb(II) in freshwater samples from the Paraná River. The method was validated through a comparative analysis with a standard reference material (1643e). © 2013 Elsevier B.V. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fractal descriptors for discrimination of microscopy images of plant leaves

This study proposes the application of fractal descriptors method to the discrimination of microscopy images of plant leaves. Fractal descriptors have demonstrated to be a powerful discriminative method in image analysis, mainly for the discrimination of natural objects. In fact, these descriptors express the spatial arrangement of pixels inside the texture under different scales and such arrangements are directly related to physical properties inherent to the material depicted in the image. Here, we employ the Bouligand-Minkowski descriptors. These are obtained by the dilation of a surface mapping the gray-level texture. The classification of the microscopy images is performed by the well-known Support Vector Machine (SVM) method and we compare the success rate with other literature texture analysis methods. The proposed method achieved a correctness rate of 89%, while the second best solution, the Co-occurrence descriptors, yielded only 78%. This clear advantage of fractal descriptors demonstrates the potential of such approach in the analysis of the plant microscopy images.

Glandular trichome density and essential oil composition in leaves and inflorescences of Lippia origanoides Kunth (Verbenaceae) in the Brazilian Cerrado

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