Knowledge management: uncovering risky gaps underlying the criticisms and moving to another perspective

The comments related to the sustainability of knowledge management (KM) have shown signs that it possibly can be a discourse which determines a quick style, but otherwise have also allowed the building of a better understanding about the limits and weaknesses of the knowlege management. In addition to the criticisms, the conceptual bases of knowledge management have been undermined by a contradictory combination of paradigms; there are also contradictions between the theoretical perspective jubjacent to the knwoledge management and its operationality. As a way of minimizing the possibility that the knowledge management may be turned into an umbrella concept and fail, it is suggested that its approaches embody a more interpretative perspective, taking up the role of an instrument which enables and facilitates the processes and practices in building up knowledge and information, enhancing their focus on the support to the establishment of human competences in order to deal intelligently with the present overcharge of information resources and need for building up information in the organizations.

Phosphorus acquisition and internal utilization efficiency in tropical maize genotypes

The objective of this work was to determine the relative importance of phosphorus acquisition efficiency (PAE - plant P uptake per soil available P), and phosphorus internal utilization efficiency (PUTIL - grain yield per P uptake) in the P use efficiency (PUE - grain yield per soil available P), on 28 tropical maize genotypes evaluated at three low P and two high P environments. PAE was almost two times more important than PUTIL to explain the variability observed in PUE, at low P environments, and three times more important at high P environments. These results indicate that maize breeding programs, to increase PUE in these environments, should use selection index with higher weights for PAE than for PUTIL. The correlation between these two traits showed no significance at low or at high P environments, which indicates that selection in one of these traits would not affect the other. The main component of PUTIL was P quotient of utilization (grain yield per grain P) and not the P harvest index (grain P per P uptake). Selection to reduce grain P concentration should increase the quotient of utilization and consequently increase PUTIL.