A química orgânica na consolidação dos conceitos de átomo e molécula

The present work discusses the appearance of the concepts of valence and molecular structure, and describes the appropriation and evolution of the concept of molecule in the period following the publication of Avogadro's Hypothesis. The point of reference is the development of what became known as Organic Chemistry, which encompassed Pharmacy, Physiological Chemistry, Animal and Plant Chemistry, Chemistry of Dyestuffs, Agricultural Chemistry, and the fledgling Organic Synthesis industry in the early 19th century. The theories formulated in these areas and the quest for accurate atomic weights led to those concepts of valence and molecular structure and to a precise differentiation between atom and molecule.

Caracterização de lodo gerado em estações de tratamento de água: perspectivas de aplicação agrícola

The work reported here involved the characterization of sludges produced at water treatment plants in Jaboticabal-SP using FeCl3 as flocculant, and in Taquaritinga-SP and Manaus-AM using Al2(SO4)3 as flocculant. An evaluation was also made of the interaction of organic matter extracted from the sludges with different metal species. The results indicated that all the sludges produced at water treatment plants have an important agricultural potential and that their use depends on the characteristics of the raw water and the type of flocculant employed in conventional treatment. The humic substances extracted from the sludges showed different affinities for metal species, favoring eventual exchanges between potentially toxic metals and macro- and micronutrients. An alternative for the use of sludge in agriculture is to pretreat it to remove potentially toxic metals and enrich it with micro- and macronutrients that can be released to the plant.

A qualidade de água como indicador de uso e ocupação do solo: bacia do Gama - Distrito Federal

The spread of Brasília isn't accompanied by correct support of land occupation, situation that is reflected in water quality. Under the optics of land use and occupation, working with multivariate statistics as main tool, water physical and chemical quality of Gama Catchment were assessed. During two years samples were collected and analyzed for 24 parameters. The statistical analysis showed the influence of civil buildings, agricultural activities and the best statistical parameters to a quickly assessment: nitrate, ammonia, suspended solids and aluminium.

Filmes de amidos de mandioca modificados para recobrimento e conservação de uvas

In this article, films were produced with six types of cassava's starch mixed with gelatin and plasticized with sorbitol. These films were used in covering of grapes 'Benitaka' (Vitis vinifera L.) as biodegradable packaging. The acetylated starch film showed the best results in solubility, thickness and homogeneity, besides the less water loss the fruit, resulting in better coverage, increasing the shelf life fruits in 12 days. These results demonstrate the great potential of using films in food conservation, adding value to agricultural activity and helping to reduce non-biodegradable plastics in the environment.

Química e sustentabilidade: novas fronteiras em biocombustíveis

This contribution discusses the state of the art and the challenges in producing biofuels, as well as the need to develop chemical conversion processes of CO2 in Brazil. Biofuels are sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels for providing energy, whilst minimizing the effects of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Ethanol from fermentation of simple sugars and biodiesel produced from oils and fats are the first-generation of biofuels available in the country. However, they are preferentially produced from edible feedstocks (sugar cane and vegetable oils), which limits the expansion of national production. In addition, environmental issues, as well as political and societal pressures, have promoted the development of 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels. These biofuels are based on lignocellulosic biomass from agricultural waste and wood processing, and on algae, respectively. Cellulosic ethanol, from fermentation of cellulose-derived sugars, and hydrocarbons in the range of liquid fuels (gasoline, jet, and diesel fuels) produced through thermochemical conversion processes are considered biofuels of the new generation. Nevertheless, the available 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels, and those under development, have to be subsidized for inclusion in the consumer market. Therefore, one of the greatest challenges in the biofuels area is their competitive large-scale production in relation to fossil fuels. Owing to this, fossil fuels, based on petroleum, coal and natural gas, will be around for many years to come. Thus, it is necessary to utilize the inevitable CO2 released by the combustion processes in a rational and economical way. Chemical transformation processes of CO2 into methanol, hydrocarbons and organic carbonates are attractive and relatively easy to implement in the short-to-medium terms. However, the low reactivity of CO2 and the thermodynamic limitations in terms of conversion and yield of products remain challenges to be overcome in the development of sustainable CO2 conversion processes.

Mapping of summer crops in the State of Paraná, Brazil, through the 10-day spot vegetation NDVI composites

The search for low subjectivity area estimates has increased the use of remote sensing for agricultural monitoring and crop yield prediction, leading to more flexibility in data acquisition and lower costs comparing to traditional methods such as census and surveys. Low spatial resolution satellite images with higher frequency in image acquisition have shown to be adequate for cropland mapping and monitoring in large areas. The main goal of this study was to map the Summer crops in the State of Paraná, Brazil, using 10-day composition of NDVI SPOT Vegetation data for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 cropping seasons. For this, a supervised digital classification method with Parallelepiped algorithm in multitemporal RGB image composites was used, in order to generate masks of Summer cultures for each 10-day composition. Accuracy assessment was performed using Kappa index, overall accuracy and Willmott's concordance index, resulting in good levels of accuracy. This methodology allowed the accomplishment, with free and low resolution data, of the mapping of Summer cultures at State level.

Spatial variability of mechanical resistance to penetration evaluated with mobile unit on haplic vertisol cultivated with mango

Since the advent of mechanized farming and intensive use of agricultural machinery and implements on the properties, the soil began to receive greater load of machinery traffic, which can cause increased soil compaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial variability of soil mechanical resistance to penetration (RP) in the layers of 0.00-0.10, 0.10-0.20, 0.20-0.30 and 0.30-0.40m, using geostatistics in an area cultivated with mango in Haplic Vertisol of the northeastern semi-arid, with mobile unit equipped with electronic penetrometer. The RP data was collected in 56 points from an area of 3 ha, and random soil samples were collected to determine the soil moisture and texture. For RP data analysis we used descriptive statistics and geostatistics. The soil mechanical resistance to penetration presented increased variability, with adjustment of the spherical and exponential semivariograms in the layers. We found that 42% of the area in the layer of 0.10-0.20m showed RP values above 2.70 MPa. Maximum values of RP were found in the layer of 0.19-0.27m, predominantly in 56% of the area.

Competitive ability of corn in coexistence with goosegrass

Competition between plants is one of the main interferences that occurs in agricultural systems and accounts for significant crop yield reductions. The aim of this study was to assess the competitive ability of corn in coexistence with the weed species Eleusine indica. The experiments were conducted in a greenhouse, in the growing season 2010/2011, and were arranged in a completely randomized design with four replications. The experimental units consisted of plastic pots with a volumetric capacity of 8 L. Treatments were arranged in a replacement series with five proportions of corn plants and weed: 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100, respectively, with a constant population of eight plants per pot, at the end of each treatment. The competitiveness analysis was conducted through diagrams applied to the replacement series experiment and competitiveness index, and the variables evaluated were root, shoot, and total dry mass, and plant height. When in equal proportions, corn showed competitive ability equivalent to goosegrass in relation to the variables shoot, root, and total dry mass. Goosegrass was more competitive than the crop in relation to plant height.

Diversity of 16S rRNA genes from bacteria of sugarcane rhizosphere soil

Sugarcane is an important agricultural product of Brazil, with a total production of more than 500 million tons. Knowledge of the bacterial community associated with agricultural crops and the soil status is a decisive step towards understanding how microorganisms influence crop productivity. However, most studies aim to isolate endophytic or rhizosphere bacteria associated with the plant by culture-dependent approaches. Culture-independent approaches allow a more comprehensive view of entire bacterial communities in the environment. In the present study, we have used this approach to assess the bacterial community in the rhizosphere soil of sugarcane at different times and under different nitrogen fertilization conditions. At the high taxonomic level, few differences between samples were observed, with the phylum Proteobacteria (29.6%) predominating, followed by Acidobacteria (23.4%), Bacteroidetes (12.1%), Firmicutes (10.2%), and Actinobacteria (5.6%). The exception was the Verrucomicrobia phylum whose prevalence in N-fertilized soils was approximately 0.7% and increased to 5.2% in the non-fertilized soil, suggesting that this group may be an indicator of nitrogen availability in soils. However, at low taxonomic levels a higher diversity was found associated with plants receiving nitrogen fertilizer. Bacillus was the most predominant genus, accounting for 19.7% of all genera observed. Classically reported nitrogen-fixing and/or plant growth-promoting bacterial genera, such as Azospirillum, Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, and Burkholderia were also found although at a lower prevalence.

Pluriatividade e política pública: o caso do Sul do Brasil

The growth of contingent of pluriactive farm families (pluriactivity) has increasingly been accepted as important in reducing rural poverty and unemployment since at least two decades in the EU and very recently in Brazil. This paper supports that, differently from the EU, in the South Brazil, region of modern capitalist agriculture, it is hard to the pluriactivity to grow through the years, and in order for it to increase the public policies, it must be led mainly to avoid the exclusion of the small farms, their gradual abandonment of the traditional agricultural activities, and not only to offer them non agricultural occupations.