Sooty blotch and flyspeck control with fungicide applications based on calendar, local IPM, and warning system

The objective of this work was to compare fungicide application timing for the control of sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) of 'Fuji' apples in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The following treatments were evaluated in two growing seasons: two warning system-based (modified version of the Brown-Sutton-Hartmann system) spray of captan plus thiophanate methyl, with or without summer pruning; two calendar/rain-based spray of captan or a mixture of captan plus thiophanate methyl; fungicide spray timing based on a local integrated pest management (IPM) for the control of summer diseases; and a check without spraying. Sooty blotch and flyspeck incidence over time and their severity at harvest were evaluated. The highest number of spray was required by calendar/rain-based treatments (eight and seven sprays in the sequential years). The warning system recommended five and three sprays, in the sequential years, which led to the highest SBFS control efficacy expressed by the reduced initial inoculum and disease progress rate. Summer pruning enhanced SBFS control efficacy, especially by suppressing SBFS signs which tended to be restrained to the peduncle region of the fruit. Sooty blotch and flyspeck can be managed both with calendar and the grower-based IPM practices in Brazil, but a reduced number of sprays is required when the warning system is used.

Acclimatization and leaf anatomy of micropropagated fig plantlets

The survival of micropropagated plants during and after acclimatization is a limiting process to plant establishment. There is little information on how the anatomy of vegetative organs of Ficus carica can be affected by culture conditions and acclimatization. The present research aimed to study the effects of time on culture medium and substrates during the acclimatization of fig tree plantlets produced in vitro, characterizing some leaf anatomy aspects of plantlets cultured in vitro and of fig trees produced in field. Plantlets previously multiplied in vitro were separated and transferred into Wood Plant Medium (WPM) where they were kept for 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. Different substrates were tested and studies on leaf anatomy were performed in order to compare among plantlets grown in vitro, plantlets under 20, 40 and 60 days of acclimatization, and field grown plants. Keeping plantlets for 30 days in WPM allowed better development in Plantmax during acclimatization. Field grown plants presented higher number of stomata, greater epicuticular wax thickness and greater leaf tissue production compared to in vitro ones. The leaf tissues of in vitro plantlets show little differentiation and have great stomata number compared with acclimatized plants, which reduce the number of stomata during the acclimatization process.

CITRICULTURE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL EVALUATION UNDER CONDITIONS OF UNCERTAINTY

ABSTRACT The citriculture consists in several environmental risks, as weather changes and pests, and also consists in considerable financial risk, mainly due to the period ofreturn on the initial investment. This study was motivated by the need to assess the risks of a business activity such as citriculture. Our objective was to build a stochastic simulation model to achieve the economic and financial analysis of an orange producer in the Midwest region of the state of Sao Paulo, under conditions of uncertainty. The parameters used were the Net Present Value (NPV), the Modified Internal Rate of Return(MIRR), and the Discounted Payback. To evaluate the risk conditions we built a probabilistic model of pseudorandom numbers generated with Monte Carlo method. The results showed that the activity analyzed provides a risk of 42.8% to reach a NPV negative; however, the yield assessed by MIRR was 7.7%, higher than the yield from the reapplication of the positive cash flows. The financial investment pays itself after the fourteenth year of activity.

Evaluation of preoperative computed tomography angiography in association with conventional angiography versus computed tomography angiography only, in the endovascular treatment of aortic diseases

Objective To evaluate the association of conventional angiography (AG) with computed tomography angiography (CTA) as compared with CTA only, preoperatively, in the treatment of aortic diseases. Materials and Methods Retrospective study involving patients submitted to endovascular treatment of aortic diseases, in the period from January 2009 to July 2010, with use of preoperative CTA + conventional AG or CTA only. The patients were divided into two groups, namely: G1 – thoracic aortic diseases; and G2 – abdominal aortic diseases. G1 was subdivided into 1A (preoperative AG + CTA) and 1B (preoperative CTA). G2 was subdivided into 2C (CTA + AG) and 2D (CTA only). Results The authors evaluated 156 patients. In subgroups 1A and 1B, the rate of technical success was, respectively, 100% and 94.7% (p = 1.0); and the rate of therapeutic success was, respectively, 81% and 58% (p = 0.13). A higher number of complications were observed in subgroup 1B (p = 0.057). The accuracy in the calculation of the prosthesis was higher in subgroup 1A (p = 0.065). In their turn, the rate of technical success in subgroups 2C and 2D was, respectively, 92.3% and 98.6% (p = 0.17). The rate of therapeutic success was 73% and 98.6% (p = 0.79). Conclusion Preoperative conventional AG should be reserved for cases where CTA cannot provide all the information in the planning of a therapeutic intervention.

Antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of 'açaí' (Euterpe precatoria Mart.)

Decoction of roots of the Amazonian palm açaí (Euterpe precatoria Mart.) is widely used by Brazilian and Peruvian people as an anti-inflammatory, to heal kidney and liver diseases and against snake bites. In this study, the antioxidant activity of extracts and flavonoids (quercetin, catechin, epicatechin, rutin and astilbin) isolated from roots and leaf stalks of E. precatoria was investigated using β-carotene in TLC plates and DPPH radical scavenging in a spectrophotometric bioassay. All extracts and flavonoids showed activity. Also, the cytotoxic activity of these extracts was evaluated by the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) larvicide bioassay and was lower than that of lapachol, used as control. The presence of flavonoids and sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside in the extracts can justify the use of the plant in traditional medicine.

Carotenoids production: microorganisms as source of natural dyes

Carotenoids are natural dyes synthesized by plants, algae and microorganisms. Application in many sectors can be found, as food dyeing and supplementation, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and animal feed. Recent investigations have shown their ability to reduce the risks for many degenerative diseases like cancer, heart diseases, cataract and macular degeneration. An advantage of microbial carotenoids is the fact that the cultivation in controlled conditions is not dependent of climate, season or soil composition. In this review the advances in bio-production of carotenoids are presented, discussing the main factors that influence the microbial production of these dyes in different systems.

Carbon sequestration and nutrient reserves under differen t land use systems

This study evaluated the contribution of agroforestry (AFS) and traditional systems to carbon sequestration and nutrient reserves in plants, litter and soil. The study was carried out in the semiarid region of Brazil in a long-term experiment on an experimental farm of the goat and sheep section of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa). Two agroforestry systems were investigated: agrosilvopastoral (ASP) and forest-pasture areas (SP) as well as traditional agriculture management (TM), two areas left fallow after TM (six fallow years - F6 and nine fallow years - F9) and one area of preserved Caatinga vegetation (CAT). Soil, litter and plants were sampled from all areas and the contents of C, N, P, K, Ca and Mg per compartment determined. The AFS (ASP and SP) had higher nutrient stocks than the traditional and intermediate stocks compared to the preserved Caatinga. In the ASP, a relevant part of the nutrients extracted by crops is returned to the system by constant inputs of litter, weeding of herbaceous vegetation and cutting of the legume crops. After fallow periods of six and nine years, carbon and nutrient stocks in the compartments soil, litter and herbaceous plants were similar to those of the preserved Caatinga (CAT), but still lower than under natural conditions in the woody vegetation.

CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL USE OF SLUDGE FROM STP AND WTP IN PAVING

ABSTRACT Water and sewage treatment plants (STP and WTP) generate as byproduct a significant amount of sludge with environment harmful elements. Sending to landfills or depositing on the ground or rivers are respectively expensive and dangerous alternatives. In this scenario, the use of this waste in paving processes is a promising alternative for disposal thereof. In this study, we focused on characterizing sludge and evaluating its use in paving, which showed satisfactory results for use in base and sub-base floors.

Celiac artery in New Zealand rabbit: anatomical study of its origin and arrangement for experimental research and surgical practice

Rabbits have been used as an experimental model in many diseases and for the study of toxicology, pharmacology and surgery in many universities. However, some aspects of their macro anatomy need a more detailed description, especially the abdominal and pelvic arterial vascular system, which has a huge variability in distribution and trajectory. Thirty cadaveric adult New Zealand rabbits, 13 male and 17 female, with an average weight and rostrum-sacral length of 2.5 kg and 40cm, respectively, were used. The thoracic aorta was cannulated and the vascular system was filled with stained latex S-65. The celiac artery and its proximal branches were dissected and lengthened in order to evidence origin and proximal ramifications. The celiac artery emerged between the 12th and 13th thoracic vertebra in 11 (36.7%) rabbits; at the level of the 13th thoracic vertebra in 6 (20%) rabbits; between the 13th thoracic vertebra and the 1st lumbar vertebra in 12 (40%) rabbits; and at the level of the 1st lumbar vertebra in only one (3.3%) rabbit. The mean length of the celiac artery was 0.5cm. The celiac artery first branch was the lienal artery, the second branch was the left gastric artery and the hepatic artery arose from the left gastric artery in all the dissected rabbits. No relation was observed between the celiac artery length and the rostrum-sacral length in rabbits. The number of left gastric and lienal artery branches and the distribution of celiac artery origin are not gender dependent.

Babesiosis and anaplasmosis in dairy cattle in Northeastern Brazil

The goal of this study was to characterize the epidemiological situation and the factors involved in the prevalence of babesiosis and anaplasmosis in cattle in the dairy basin of Parnaíba, Piauí, Brazil. The study was conducted in 22 farms, and collected blood samples from 202 cattle to study serological, molecular and determination of the packed cell volume (PCV). On the farms were applied surveys involving epidemiological aspects. Seroprevalence rates were: Babesia bigemina 52.5%, B. bovis 68.8%, and Anaplasma marginale 89.1%. Of the samples analyzed, 73.3% were reactive for Babesia spp. and A. marginale, showing co-infection. In PCR, B. bigemina and B. bovis were positive in 52.0% and 33.2% respectively, and A. marginale in 76.2%. Of these, 51.5% amplified DNA of Babesia spp. and A. marginale. The semi-intensive management predominated in 68.0% of the farms studied. The clinical history of babesiosis and anaplasmosis, was reported from 73% of the farms. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between age groups and for the PCV of positive compared with negative animals. The study indicates that in this region is enzootic instability for babesiosis and enzootic stability for anaplasmosis, reinforcing the fact that in Brazil there are areas of enzootic instability, even in tropical regions of the country. The PCR technique was a valuable tool for the diagnosis of these diseases and may be used to characterize a geographic region.

Aspergillus fumigatus from normal and condemned carcasses with airsacculitis in commercial poultry

Carcass inspection is important for the detection of certain diseases and for monitoring their prevalence in slaughterhouses. The objective of this study was to assess the occurrence of aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus in commercial poultry, through mycological and histopathological diagnosis, and to verify the causal association between the aspergillosis diagnosis criteria and condemnation due to airsacculitis in broilers through a case-control study. The study was carried out with 380 samples. Lungs were collected from broilers that were condemned (95) or not condemned (285) due to airsacculitis directly from the slaughter line. Forty-six (12%) lung samples were positive for A. fumigatus in mycological culture. Among all samples, 177 (46.6%) presented histopathological alterations, with necrotic, fibrinous, heterophilic pneumonia; heterophilic pneumonia and lymphoid hyperplasia being the most frequent. Out of the 380 lungs analyzed, 65.2% (30) showed histopathological alterations and isolation of fungi. The statistical analysis (McNemar's chi-square test) indicated a significant association between the presence of histopathological lesions and the isolation of A. fumigatus. Mycological cultivation and histopathological diagnosis increase the probability of detecting pulmonary alterations in birds condemned by the Final Inspection System, which suggests that such diagnostic criteria can improve the assessment and condemnation of birds affected by airsacculitis.

Selenium and vitamin E enriched diet increases NK cell cytotoxicity in cattle

A number of studies has shown that antioxidants, fatty acids and trace minerals may modulate different immune cell activities, and that their deficiency may be associated with diseases and impaired immune responses. In innate immunity, natural killer (NK) cells have a central role, killing virally infected and cancerous cells, and also secreting cytokines that shape adaptive immune responses. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of enriched diets in selenium plus vitamin E and/or canola oil on complete blood count and on NK cell cytotoxicity from blood lymphocytes of Nellore bulls. Bulls that received selenium plus vitamin E had (P=0.0091) higher NK cell cytotoxicity than control bulls. This result positively correlated with serum selenium levels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that showed immunostimulatory effects of selenium plus vitamin E on NK cell cytotoxicity of Nellore bulls.

Protocol for collection and separation of bone marrow mononuclear cells in Chlorocebus aethiops

Abstract: Chlorocebus aethiops is a species of non-human primate frequently used in biomedical research. Some research involves this species as an experimental model for various diseases and possible treatment with stem cells. The bone marrow is one of the main sources of these cells and provides easy access. The aim of this study was to standardize the protocol of collection and separation of bone marrow in C. aethiops. Ten animals were submitted to puncture of bone marrow with access to the iliac crest and cell separation by density gradient. The bone marrow of C. aethiops had an average of 97% viability. From the results achieved, we can conclude that C. aethiops is an excellent model to obtain and isolate mononuclear cells from bone marrow, fostering several studies in the field of cell therapy.

Growth and nutrient concentration in coffee root system under weed species competition

The effects of competition of six weed species on growth, nutrient concentration and nutrient content of coffee plant root system under greenhouse conditions were evaluated. Thirty days after coffee seedling transplantation into 12 L pots with soil level area of 6.5 dm². Weeds were transplanted or sowed in these pots, at densities of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 plants per pot. The duration of competition (or weedy periods) from weed transplantation or emergence until plant harvesting, at the weed preflowering stage, were (in days): 77 (Bidens pilosa), 180 (Commelina diffusa), 82 (Leonurus sibiricus), 68 (Nicandra physaloides), 148 (Richardia brasiliensis) and 133 (Sida rhombifolia). Dry matter of coffee plants was linearly reduced with increasing B. pilosa and S. rhombifolia density, with pronounced effect of B. pilosa. C. diffusa was the only weed species whose increasing density in the pots did not diminish crop root dry matter. L. sibiricus, N. physaloides and R. brasiliensis reduced root dry matter of coffee plants by 75, 52 and 47%, respectively, as compared to the weed-free treatment, regardless of weed density. Under competition, even though weed species showed lower macronutrient concentration in the roots (except for P), they accumulated 4.2 (N), 12.3 (P), 4.3 (K), 5.5 (Ca), 7.6 (Mg) and 4.4 (S) times more nutrients in the roots than the coffee plants. Crop and weed nutrient concentration, as well as competition degrees greatly varied depending on both weed species and densities.

Water use efficiency of cassava plants under competition conditions

The objective of this work was to evaluate characteristics associated with the photosynthetic activity of cassava plants in competition with weeds or not. The trial was performed on open environment conditions, with experimental units consisting of fiber glass vases with 150 dm³ filled with Red Yellow Latosol, previously fertilized. Treatments consisted in the cultivation of cassava plants isolated and associated to three weed species (Bidens pilosa, Commelina benghalensis and Brachiaria plantaginea). After cassava shooting, 15 days after planting, a removal of the weeds excess was performed, sown at the time of cassava planting, leaving six plants m-2 of B. pilosa and four plants m-2 of C. benghalensis and B. plantaginea. At 60 days after emergence (DAE), stomatal conductance (Gs), vapor pressure in the substomatal cavity (Ean), temperature gradient between leaf and air (ΔT), transpiration rate (E) and water use efficiency (WUE) were evaluated. B. pilosa showed greater capacity to affect growth of cassava plants. B. plantaginea is very efficient in using water, especially by presenting C4 metabolism, and remains competitive with cassava even under temporarily low water status. C. benghalensis, in turn, is not a good competitor for light and apparently is not the primary cause of water depletion in the soil. The effects of weeds, in this case, were more associated with the competition. However, they were found between moderate to low. This implies that the competition established at experimental level was low.