Pathology of the spleen in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. Morphometric evaluation and extracellular matrix changes

Histological, ultrastructural, morphometric and immunohistochemical data obtained from the study of spleens removed by splenectomy from 34 patients with advanced hepatosplenic schistosomiasis revealed that the main alterations were congestive dilatation of the venous sinuses and diffuse thickening of the splenic cords. Splenic cord thickening was due to an increase of its matrix components, especially type IV collagen and laminin, with the conspicuous absence of interstitial collagens, either of type I or type III. Deposition of interstitial collagens (types I and III) occurred in scattered, small focal areas of the red pulp, but in the outside of the walls of the venous sinuses, in lymph follicles, marginal zone, in the vicinity of fibrous trabeculae and in sidero-sclerotic nodules. However, fibrosis was not a prominent change in schistosomal splenomegaly and thus the designation "fibro-congestive splenomegaly" seems inadequate. Lymph follicles exhibited variable degrees of atrophy, hyperplasia and fibrous replacement, sometimes all of them seen in different follicles of the same spleen and even in the same examined section. Changes in white pulp did not seem to greatly contribute to increasing spleen size and weight, when compared to the much more significant red pulp enlargement.

Noctuidae moths occurring in grape orchards in Serra Gaúcha, Brazil and their relation to fruit-piercing

There is no study aiming to investigate if Noctuidae moths are responsible for piercing cultivated fruits in South America. This research aims to survey noctuid moths and list the species with mouth-parts (proboscis) morphology that suggest the capacity to cause damages to grape orchards in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Catches were carried out weekly from late November 2007 to late March 2008 (fructification period) using light traps and McPhail traps in three grape orchards in the region of Serra Gaúcha. The catches resulted in 187 taxa, with 149 identified at the specific level and 38 at genus level. The proboscises of representative taxa were removed and analyzed under stereomicroscope and scan electron microscope. It was verified that only Oraesia argyrosema (Hampson, 1926) and Gonodonta biarmata Guenée, 1852 show proboscis with suitable morphology for piercing rind and pulp of a grape berry. Achaea ablunaris (Guenée, 1852); Ascalapha odorata (Linnaeus, 1758); Letis mineis Geyer, 1827; Mocis latipes Hübner, 1823; Ophisma tropicalis Guenée, 1852, and Zale exhausta (Guenée, 1852) show proboscis only adapted to lacerate the pulp. The proboscis morphology of the remaining noctuid moths suggests lack of capacity to cause damage. Despite the presence of species capable of piercing grape berries, the populations of such species are very reduced and unable to cause damage of economic level.

Industrial and urban organic wastes increase soil microbial activity and biomass

Microbial processes have been used as indicators of soil quality, due to the high sensitivity to small changes in management to evaluate, e.g., the impact of applying organic residues to the soil. In an experiment in a completely randomized factorial design 6 x 13 + 4, (pot without soil and residue or absolute control) the effect of following organic wastes was evaluated: pulp mill sludge, petrochemical complex sludge, municipal sewage sludge, dairy factory sewage sludge, waste from pulp industry and control (soil without organic waste) after 2, 4, 6, 12, 14, 20, 28, 36, 44, 60, 74, 86, and 98 days of incubation on some soil microbial properties, with four replications. The soil microbial activity was highly sensitive to the carbon/nitrogen ratio of the organic wastes. The amount of mineralized carbon was proportional to the quantity of soil-applied carbon. The average carbon dioxide emanating from the soil with pulp mill sludge, corresponding to soil basal respiration, was 0.141 mg C-CO2 100 g-1 soil h-1. This value is 6.4 times higher than in the control, resulting in a significant increase in the metabolic quotient from 0.005 in the control to 0.025 mg C-CO2 g-1 Cmic h-1 in the soil with pulp mill sludge. The metabolic quotient in the other treatments did not differ from the control (p < 0.01), demonstrating that these organic wastes cause no disturbance in the microbial community.

Multivariate analysis applied to the study of the relationship between soil and plant properties in a peach orchard

In the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the municipality of Pelotas is responsible for 90 % of peach production due to its suitable climate and soil conditions. However, there is the need for new studies that aim at improved fruit quality and increased yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship that exists between soil physical properties and properties in the peach plant in the years 2010 and 2011 by the technique of multivariate canonical correlation. The experiment was conducted in a peach orchard located in the municipality of Morro Redondo, RS, Brazil, where an experimental grid of 101 plants was established. In a trench dug beside each one of the 101 plants, soil samples were collected to determine silt, clay, and sand contents, soil density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, and volumetric water content in the 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers, as well as the depth of the A horizon. In each plant and in each year, the following properties were assessed: trunk diameter, fruit size and number of fruits per plant, average weight of the fruit per plant, fruit pulp firmness, Brix content, and yield from the orchard. Exploratory analysis of the data was undertaken by descriptive statistics, and the relationships between the physical properties of the soil and of the plant were assessed by canonical correlation analysis. The results showed that the clay and microporosity variables were those that exhibited the highest coefficients of canonical cross-loading with the plant properties in the soil layers assessed, and that the variable of mean weight of the fruit per plant was that which had the highest coefficients of canonical loading within the plant group for the two years assessed.

Potassium permanganate effects in postharvest conservation of the papaya cultivar Sunrise Golden

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of KMnO4 on the extension of postharvest life of 'Sunrise Golden' papaya, stored under modified atmosphere and refrigeration. Fruit with up to 10% yellow peel were harvested in a commercial orchard in Linhares, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Sets of three fruit (unit mass of 289.9±18.5 g) were wrapped in low-density polyethylene films (28 ¼m thick) containing sachets of KMnO4 at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 g per bag. The bags were sealed and stored at 10.4±0.9°C and 90±5% relative humidity for 25 days. After this period, the fruit were removed from the bags and maintained at 21±0.8°C and 90±5% relative humidity until complete ripening. Four days after bag sealing, CO2 concentration stabilized in all treatments, and was higher in bags without KMnO4. In all treatments, fruit reached the climacteric respiratory peak on the third day after bag removal, coinciding with peel color index of 3.5. Increasing the KMnO4 dose reduced the losses in fruit fresh matter, consistency and pulp electrolyte leakage. Potassium permanganate was effective in maintaining the fruit at the pre-climacteric stage during the 25-day storage, and did not interfere with normal ripening after bag removal.

Growth of champa fruit under agroecological conditions of Miraflores, Boyacá, Colombia

The objective of this work was to analyze the growth of champa fruit (Campomanesia lineatifolia) as a function of growing-degree days (GDD) in the municipality of Miraflores, in Boyacá, Colombia. Thirty trees were selected at random, and 100 flowers in full bloom were marked in each tree. From the 26th day after flowering until harvest, 10 samples were taken every 15 days to determine the fruit parameters and growth rate. Temperature was recorded to calculate the GDD. From flowering until harvest, 1,489.1 GDD were accumulated over 145 days. Dry and fresh matter mass of pulp, seed, and total fruit were fitted to a logistic growth model, and three growth stages (S1, S2 and S3) were defined. In the S1, growth was slow, and the relative growth remained nearly stable, whereas the absolute growth rate (AGR) increased slowly. In the S2, maximum growth was observed. In the S3, which corresponds to maturation, dry mass increased gradually, and the AGR decreased, while the fresh pulp and total mass did not cease to increase. The polar and equatorial diameters increased linearly, while the volume followed an exponential model. Champa fruit show a simple sigmoid growth curve.

Resistance to Fusarium dry root rot disease in cassava accessions

The objective of this work was to identify sources of resistance to dry root rot induced by Fusarium sp. in cassava accessions. A macroconidial suspension (20 µL) of 11 Fusarium sp. isolates was inoculated in cassava roots, from 353 acessions plus seven commercial varieties. Ten days after inoculation, the total area colonized by the pathogen on the root pulp was evaluated by digital image analysis. Cluster analysis revealed the presence of five groups regarding resistance. The root lesion areas ranged from 18.28 to 1,096.07 mm² for the accessions BGM 1518 and BGM 556, respectively. The genotypes BGM 1042, BGM 1552, BGM 1586, BGM 1598, and BGM 1692 present the best agronomical traits.

Effect of growth regulators on 'Brookfield' apple gas diffusion and metabolism under controlled atmosphere storage

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of growth regulators on gas diffusion and on metabolism of 'Brookfield' apple, and to determine their correlation with quality characteristics of fruit stored in controlled atmosphere. A completely randomized design was used with four replicates. After eight months of storage, the effects of water (control), aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), AVG + ethephon, AVG + naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), ethephon + NAA, sole NAA, 1-MCP, ethylene absorption by potassium permanganate (ABS), AVG + ABS, and of AVG + 1-MCP - applied at different rates and periods - were evaluated on: gas diffusion rate, ethylene production, respiratory rate, internal ethylene concentration, internal CO2 content, mealiness, and intercellular space. Fruit from the control and sole NAA treatments had the highest mealiness occurrence. Growth regulators significantly changed the gaseous diffusion through the pulp of 'Brookfield' apple, mainly in the treatment AVG + ABS, which kept the highest gas diffusion rate. NAA spraying in the field, with or without another growth regulator, increased ripening metabolism by rising ethylene production and respiration rate, and reduced gas diffusion during shelf life. AVG spraying cannot avoid the ethephon effect during the ripening process, and reduces both the internal space and mealiness incidence, but it is not able to induce ethylene production or to increase respiration rates.

Effect of temperature on percentage of germination of canistel seeds (Pouteria campechiana)

The canistel is a fruit originated in Mexico and Central America, being introduced in Brazil in 1986. The plants present medium size, however it can reach up to 15 meters of height; the leaves measure about 10 to 25 cm; the flowers are complete and small and the fruit presents yellow coloration when ripe, with whitish pulp and sweet flavor. The propagation can be realized by seed or grafting. In view of almost total absence of information about the culture and the possibility to have a commercial cultivation, the present work, was live in which the effect of the temperature was evaluated in the percentage of germination of the seeds. It was checked that the best averages were obtained in temperature of 30ºC and the minor in 15ºC, 20ºC and 40ºC could be considerate the worst of them.

Maturity indexes for 'Kumagai' and 'Paluma' guavas

Harvest time is one of the main factors related to guava fruit postharvest losses. It is subjectively determined by fruit size and skin color, without any consensual standardization among the growers. The use of maturity indexes enables growers to know the ideal harvest time according to each market situation. The objective of this work was to determine the maturity indexes to identify the harvest time for guava fruit cv. Kumagai and Paluma. Skin color, fruit firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity, ratio and ascorbic acid were analyzed. The most adequate maturity indexes for 'Kumagai' guava fruit were skin color and pulp firmness, while for 'Paluma' guava fruit, the best indexes were skin color, pulp firmness, titratable acidity and ratio.

Physical and chemical characterization of yellow mangosteen fruits

The work had as objective the physico-chemical characterization of yellow mangosteen fruits. Six samples of 25 fruits were harvested in yellow mangosteen plants of the Active Germoplasm Bank of São Paulo State University and characterized by evaluation of length and width, weight, percentage and number of seeds per fruit, peel and pulp percentage, soluble solid (SS), titratable acidity (TA), vitamin C and SS/TA rate. Yellow mangosteen fruit is an intermediate vitamin C source with an average content 120.33 mg/100g of fresh fruit and has good technological quality.

Estimates of genetic parameters for fruit yield and quality in custard apple progenies

Apparently, there are no custard apple cultivars defined for the northeastern region of Brazil. The establishment of breeding programs aimed at the selection of types from productive locations for later cloning is desirable. This work's objective was to evaluate the yield (during the first three crops) and quality (first crop) of fruits from 20 half-sibling custard apple tree progenies, selected from home orchards. An additional objective was to estimate genetic parameters for the traits evaluated. A micro sprinkling-irrigated experiment was conducted in Mossoró-RN, Brazil, as random blocks with five replications. In characteristics evaluated for periods longer than a year (diameter, height and mean weight of fruits, number of fruits ha-1 and fruit yield (kg ha-1), and a split-plot design was adopted, with progenies considered as plots and annual cropping seasons as subplots. The best progenies in terms of fruit yield (A3 and A4) are not necessarily the best for fruit dimensions and fruit mean weight (A2, FE4, JG1, JG2, SM1, SM7, and SM8). These progenies show great potential to be used in future studies on crosses or on vegetative propagation. In this regard, progeny JG2 should be highlighted as promising in terms of yield and fruit size. The progenies are not different with regard to percentages (in relation to mean fruit mass) of pericarp, endocarp, seeds, and receptacle, in the fruit, and fruit volume, number of seeds/fruit, and total soluble solids content in the fruit pulp, but progeny FE4 presents higher total titratable acidity in the fruit pulp. Narrow-sense heritability estimates were relatively high for all characteristics in which there was variability between progenies, with higher values for number of fruits ha-1 (80 %) and fruit yield (78 %). Relatively high coefficients of genotypic variation (around 20%) were observed for number of fruits ha-1 and fruit yield, with lower values for the other characteristics. There were positive genotypic and phenotypic correlations between fruit diameter (FD) and fruit height, FD and mean fruit weight, and number of fruits ha-1 and fruit yield.

Effects of levels of nitrogen and potassium on yield and fruit maturation of irrigated guava trees in the São Francisco Valley

Yield and physical and chemical characteristics of 'Paluma' guava fruit were evaluated as a function of the harvest at different maturity stages, under influence of nitrogen and potassium fertilization, in Petrolina, State of Pernambuco, Brazil. Fertilizer rates were 67 kg N + 33 kg K2O, 133 kg N + 67 kg K2O, 200 kg N + 100 kg K2O and 267 kg N + 133 kg K2O per hectare. Fruits were evaluated at maturity stages 2, 3, 4 and 5, established according to peel color. Higher doses of N and K induced higher yields. Nevertheless, fertilization with 200 kg of N + 100 kg of K per hectare improved fruit quality, delaying ascorbic acid breakdown and conserving pulp firmness. Main changes took place at maturity stages 4 and 5, when the fruit should present ideal conditions for consumption, namely the increase on soluble solids and soluble sugars content.

Characterization and occurence of eairly softening disorder in 'golden' papaya fruits

The occurrence of green skin and soft pulp in 'Golden' papaya fruit during certain seasons has been reported by farmers in the northern of the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. The objective of this study was to characterize and determine the occurrence of this disorder, which was referred as "early softening disorder". Fruits were harvested weekly for 11 months (from September to July). The fruits were stored at 10°C, and then fruit flesh firmness and skin color were analyzed. The results of the firmness test were submitted to regression analysis assuming a linear trendline. The slope of the curve was called the 'softening index' (SI). Fruits with early softening are characterized by a loss of firmness in less than 10 days, even when stored under refrigeration. Although softened, the skin of the fruit remains partially green. Fruits with the disorder occurred more frequently from mid-summer to mid-autumn (February to May). It is not possible to distinguish early softening disorder fruits from those without the disorder by skin color and flesh firmness analysis at the time of the harvest.

Genetic dissimilarity among jabuticaba trees native to southwestern Paraná, Brazil

Knowledge on the genetic diversity within and between genotype groups is of great importance for breeding programs. The purpose of this study was to estimate the genetic dissimilarity among 36 native jabuticaba trees (Plinia cauliflora) from five sites in the southwestern region of Paraná, Brazil. Sixteen fruit traits were analyzed, based on multivariate techniques (canonical variables, Tocher and UPGMA), using Mahalanobis' distance as dissimilarity measure. By the techniques of clustering and graphic dispersion, together with the comparison of means, the genetic diversity among native jabuticaba trees was efficiently identified, indicating a high potential of these genotypes for breeding programs. The traits of greatest importance for dissimilarity were percentage of pulp and of skin, which are easily measured. The clustering structure is related to the collection sites and for breeding programs, genotypes from different sites should be crossed to generate progenies to be tested. Genotypes 'CV5' and 'VT3' should be conserved in genebanks, due to its important agronomic traits.