Analysis and forecast of the storage needs of soybeans in Brazil

The existence of a minimum storage capacity of grains as a condition for the maintenance of regulator physical stocks has been used as a strategic factor in the agribusiness expansion. However, in Brazil the storage infrastructure has not followed the growth of the agricultural sector. This fact is evident in the case of soybeans that currently represent 49% of grain production in the country, whose volume production has been increasing significantly over the years. This study aimed to predict the futureneeds of static storage capacity of soybeans from historical data to estimate the investment needed to install storage units in Brazil for the next five years. A statistic analysis of collected data allowed a forecast and identification of the number of storage units that should be installed to meet the storage needs of soybeans in the next five years. It was concluded that by 2015 the soybean storage capacity should be 87 million tons, and to store 49% of soybeans produced, 1,104 storage units should be installed at a cost of R$ 442 million.

Forecast of acute respiratory infections: expected nonepidemic mobidity in Cuba

A forecast of nonepidemic morbidity due to acute respiratory infections were carry out by using time series analysis. The data consisted of the weekly reports of medical patient consultation from ambulatory facilities from the whole country. A version of regression model was fitted to the data. Using this approach, we were able to detect the starting data of the epidemic under routine surveillance conditions for various age groups. It will be necessary to improve the data reporting system in order to introduce these procedures at the local health center level, as well as on the provincial level.

Inulin production by Vernonia herbacea as influenced by mineral fertilization and time of harvest

The underground organs of Vernonia herbacea (Vell.) Rusby, known as rhizophores, acumulate 80% of their dry mass as fructans of the inulin type. In view of the growing industrial use of fructans as dietetic and general food products, and of their medical application, the present investigation aimed at evaluating the effect of mineral fertilization and period of cultivation on the production of these carbohydrates in field trials. Plants used in the experiments were obtained by vegetative propagation from rhizophores collected from plants growing in natural areas of the cerrado, and cultivated for two years. Fertilization consisted of N:P2O5:K2O (80:200:150 kg.ha-1) plus 80 kg.ha-1 nitrogen as dressing. Soil fertilization did not stimulate biomass or inulin production, but in the second year of cultivation a dramatic gain in biomass and inulin was detected in both treated and control plants. Inulin production varied from 113 to 674 kg.ha-1 which corresponds to 43% of the rhizophore dry mass. The composition of fructans was not altered by fertilization, although treated plants had a higher proportion of sucrose and fructans with degree of polymerization 3-8 in the second year of cultivation. The results identify this species as a fructan source similar to other commercial crops and recommend further agronomic studies, aimed at increasing the production of this polysaccharide.

Effect of harvest at different times of day on the physical and chemical characteristics of vegetable-type soybean

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of harvest at different times of day on the chemical and physical characteristics of vegetable-type soybean BRS 267 cultivar, harvested at the R6 stage (seed development) and to compare it with that on the grains harvested at the R8 stage (maturation). The pods of the BRS 267 cultivar were harvested at the R6 stage (at 8:00 AM, 12:00 AM, and 6:00 PM), the color parameters were evaluated, and the grains were analyzed for chemical composition, activity inhibitor trypsin, phytic acid content, starch, sugars, fatty acids, and isoflavones. No differences were observed among the different harvest times in terms of the chemical constituents of vegetable-type soybean BRS 267 cultivar harvested at the R6 stage. Isoflavones content did not change with different harvest times, and the aglycone forms (daidzein, glycitein, and genistein) were found in smaller quantities at the R6 stage compared to the R8 stage. The color of the pods of soybean BRS 267 cultivar, harvested at the R6 stage did not change with different harvest times. The grains harvested at the R6 stage had lower protein content, phytic acid, and sucrose and higher levels of lipids, carbohydrates, starch, glucose, fructose, stachyose, and linolenic acids than those collected at the R8 stage. The different times of harvest did not affect the quality of the vegetable-type soybean BRS 267 cultivar harvested at stage R6. Nevertheless, it is recommended to harvest in the morning, when the temperature is milder, like other vegetables, to facilitate and optimize its marketing and in natura consumption.

Influence of harvest year in the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of flaxseed hull oils from Tunisia

The objective of this research was to determine the effect of five years on physico-chemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of flaxseed hull oils. Oil and protein on flaxseed hull varied between 20.15 and 22.56 and 17.45 and 19.14, respectively. The albumin fraction dominated the seed hull protein composition (44 - 47%). Flaxseed hull oils showed significantly high unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratios (6.61 - 8.36) and calculated oxidizability (Cox) values (10.88 - 12.30). The physiochemical parameters determined included saponification value (SV) (174 -182 mg KOH/g), unsaponifiable matter (UM) (1.32 - 1.64%), peroxide value (PV) (1.70 - 2.20 mequiv/kg), Oxidation value (OV) (4.40 - 5.90) and oil stability (1.10 - 1.42 h). The highest content of total phenolic acids and total tocopherols were recorded on hull sample collected in 2008. Flavanoid content ranged from 11 to 19 mg/100 g oil. Antioxidant activity differed significantly; the greatest inhibition (61.38%) was for the hull sample collected in 2008.

Ripening and quality of 'Laetitia' plums following harvest and cold storage as affected by inhibition of ethylene action

The inhibition of ethylene action by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) extends shelf and storage life of many climacteric fruits. However, 1-MCP appears to have limited effects on stone fruit depending on specie and cultivar. The effects of 1-MCP on ripening and quality of 'Laetitia' plums were determined during ripening at 23ºC following harvest and cold storage. Japanese plums (Prunus salicina, cv. Laetitia) were harvested at mature pre-climacteric stage, cooled to 2ºC within 36 hours of harvest and then treated with 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.50 or 1.00 muL L-1 of 1-MCP at 1°C for 24 hours. Following treatment, fruits were either held at 23ºC for 16 days or stored at 1ºC for 50 days. Fruits were removed from cold storage at 10-day intervals and allowed to ripe at 23°C for five days. A delay of climacteric respiration and ethylene production by 1-MCP treatment during ripening following harvest and cold storage was associated to a slow rate of fruit softening. 1-MCP treatment also delayed the loss of titratable acidity and changes of flesh and skin color, whereas it had little or no effect on soluble solids content. 1-MCP effects were concentration- and storage duration-dependent and, generally, a saturation fruit response to 1-MCP occurred between 0.5 and 1.0 muL L-1. During ripening, 1-MCP treated fruits attained quality similar to that of controls. Results indicated that 1-MCP treatment may extend shelf life (23ºC) and storage life (1ºC) of 'Laetitia' plums by approximately six and 20 days, respectively.

Postharvest changes and respiratory pattern of bacuri fruit (Platonia insignis Mart.) at different maturity stages during ambient storage

Bacuri (Platonia insignis, Mart.) is one of the most important among Amazonian fruits. However, little is known about its postharvest physiology, such as maturity stages, changes during ambient storage, and respiratory pattern. Fruits were harvested at three maturity stages based on epicarp colour: dark green, light green, and turning (50% yellow), in order to determine colour modification and respiratory pattern during ambient storage (25.2 ºC, 75.1 % RH). Fruit of all maturity stages showed, after three days of harvest, a non-climacteric respiratory pattern, with turning fruit presenting the highest CO2 production rate until the fourth storage day (177.63 mg.CO2.kg-1.h-1). Yellowing increased throughout storage as related to lightness, chromaticity, and hue angle reductions. Turning fruit can be stored at ambient conditions for up to 10 days without any loss in marketability.

Harvest managements and cultural practices in sugarcane

The presence of trash from the mechanical harvest of green cane on sugarcane plantations promotes changes in the agricultural management, for example, in the mechanical cultural practices of ratoon cane in-between the rows and nitrogen (N) fertilization. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of sugarcane in different harvest systems, associated to the mechanical cultural practices in interrows and N rates. The study was carried out on a sugarcane plantation in Sales Oliveira, São Paulo, Brazil, with the sugarcane variety SP81-3250, on soil classified as Acrudox, in a randomized block design with split-split plots and four replications. The main treatments consisted of harvest systems (harvesting green cane or burnt cane), the secondary treatment consisted of the mechanical cultural practices in the interrows and the tertiary treatments were N rates (0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 160 kg ha-1), using ammonium nitrate (33 % N) as N source. The harvest systems did not differ in sugarcane yield (tons of cane per hectare - TCH), but in burnt cane, the pol percent and total sugar recovery (TSR) were higher. This could be explained by the higher quantity of plant impurities in the harvested raw material in the system without burning, which reduces the processing quality. Mechanical cultural practices in the interrows after harvest had no effect on cane yield and sugar quality, indicating that this operation can be omitted in areas with mechanical harvesting. The application of N fertilizer at rates of 88 and 144 kg ha-1 N, respectively, increased stalk height and TCH quadratically to the highest values for these variables. For the sugar yield per hectare (in pol %), N fertilization induced a linear increase.

Compared performance of penetrometers and effect of soil water content on penetration resistance measurements

Modern agriculture techniques have a great impact on crops and soil quality, especially by the increased machinery traffic and weight. Several devices have been developed for determining soil properties in the field, aimed at managing compacted areas. Penetrometry is a widely used technique; however, there are several types of penetrometers, which have different action modes that can affect the soil resistance measurement. The objective of this study was to compare the functionality of two penetrometry methods (manual and automated mode) in the field identification of compacted, highly mechanized sugarcane areas, considering the influence of soil water volumetric content (θ) on soil penetration resistance (PR). Three sugarcane fields on a Rhodic Eutrudrox were chosen, under a sequence of harvest systems: one manual harvest (1ManH), one mechanized harvest (1MH) and three mechanized harvests (3MH). The different degrees of mechanization were associated to cumulative compaction processes. An electronic penetrometer was used on PR measurements, so that the rod was introduced into the soil by hand (Manual) and by an electromechanical motor (Auto). The θ was measured in the field with a soil moisture sensor. Results showed an effect of θ on PR measurements and that regression models must be used to correct data before comparing harvesting systems. The rod introduction modes resulted in different mean PR values, where the "Manual" overestimated PR compared to the "Auto" mode at low θ.

Gray mold severity and vase life of rose buds after pulsing with citric acid, salicylic acid, calcium sulfate, sucrose and silver thiosulfate

Gray mold of roses (Rosa hibrida) caused by Botrytis cinerea requires many management strategies for its control. The effect of pulsing rose cv. Kiss with solutions of citric acid, salicylic acid, sucrose, calcium sulfate, and silver thiosulfate (STS) on disease severity and vase life of the flowers was evaluated. The solutions were applied to cut stems at different stages of harvest, the variation in the opening stage of harvest did not affect the results. Pulsing with STS reduced the values of area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) and of severity of disease by 15% and 55%, respectively, and increased the vase life of the flowers by 20%. Calcium sulfate consistently reduced AUDPC by 66% and maximum severity by 88%, and increased vase life of the flowers by 37%. Therefore, pulsing rose buds with solutions of STS and calcium sulfate is potentially useful in reducing losses due to gray mold after harvest and in extending the vase life.

Mechanical damage during harvest and loading affect orange postharvest quality

Brazil is the world’s largest orange producer; however, part of this production is lost during postharvest. This loss can be minimized by controlling incidence of physical damage throughout the harvest and loading operations. Impacts can negatively modify quantitative and qualitative fruits aspects. The main goal of this study was to measure the impact magnitude in two types of harvest (manual and detachment) and during all steps from picking into bags until loading for transport to the processing industry and additionally evaluating, in laboratory, the physico-chemical quality of the fruit subjected to various impacts, similar to those found in the field. In order to evaluate the impact magnitude, an instrumented sphere was used (760 mm, Techmark, Inc, USA). The following physico-chemical parameters were evaluated during 6-days of storage: weight loss, soluble solids contents, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid content, pH, firmness and peel color. The greatest impacts were observed during harvest, during the detachment practice, and when loading and unloading from bulk storage, with average acceleration values between 249.5 and 531.52G. The impact incidence in oranges were responsible for reducing the soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and weight by to 5.5%; 8.7%; 4.6% and 0.5%, respectively, compared to the control. Impacts during harvest and the various pre-industry manipulation steps must be controlled as they interfere in postharvest quality and physiology of ‘Valência’ oranges.

Changes in the physicochemical and microbiological properties of frozen araça pulp during storage

Araça belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is popularly known as araçá-comum, araçá-azedo, or araçá-do-campo. Frozen fruit pulp is of great importance for the food industry, which can produce it at the time of harvest, store it, and use it according to the demand of the consumer market and/or as an ingredient in the formulation of products such as yogurt, candies, and ice creams among others. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical, chemical, and microbiological stability of frozen araça pulp during 12 months of frozen storage. It was observed that the levels of moisture (90.55-88.75%), ash (0.34-0.26%) total soluble sugars (7.11-6.62%), sucrose (3.55-1.39%), soluble pectin (0.24-0.23%), total pectin (0.5-0.46%), pH (3.82-2.31%), organic acids (698.12-122.25 µg.g-1 citric acid), and phenolic compounds (6.22-0.00 mg GAE.100 g-1) decreased during storage, whereas the levels of protein (0.61-0.83%), lipids (0.14-0.38%), total carbohydrates (8.36-9.78%), calorific value (37.14-45.86 kcal.100 g-1), reducing sugars (3.51-5.21%), soluble solids (5.17-6.0%), total antioxidant capacity (6.89-35.13%), and color parameters (L*49.75-50.67; a*0.79-1.82 and b*22.5-25.19) increased over the one-year storage period. According to the chemical and microbiological parameters assessed, the product can be stored for 12 months without loss of quality with addition of citric acid as a preservative.

Green and brown propolis: efficient natural biocides for the control of bacterial contamination of alcoholic fermentation of distilled beverage

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of natural biocides, brown and green propolis, for the control of bacterial contamination in the production of sugarcane spirit. The treatments consisted of brown and green propolis extracts, ampicillin, and a control and were assessed at the beginning and end of harvest season in ten fermentation cycles. In the microbiological analyses, the lactic acid bacteria were quantified in the inoculum before and after the treatment with biocides, and the viability of yeast cells during fermentation was evaluated. The levels of acids, glycerol, total residual reducing sugars, and ethanol were analyzed for the wine resulting from each fermentation cycle. A reduction in the number of bacterial contaminants in the inoculum in the treatments with the natural biocides was observed, but it did not affect the viability of yeast cells. The control of the contaminants led to the production of higher levels of ethanol and reduced acidity in the wine produced. The results of the use of brown and green propolis to control the growth microorganisms in the fermentation of sugarcane spirit can be of great importance for using alternative strategies to synthetic antibacterials in fermentation processes including other distilled beverage or spirits.

Physiological maturity of fruits and seeds of Poincianella pyramidalis (Tul.) L.P. Queiroz

The Leguminosae family is one of the most representative botanical families of the Caatinga, with 80 endemic species, highlighting the catingueira (Poincianella pyramidalis). The objective of this research work was to study the maturation process of P. pyramidalis seeds based on the physiological maturity. Five harvest of fruits and seeds were carried out, with 15 days interval each, in a period from July to September 2010. The harvests began 75 days after anthesis (d.a.a.) and lasted until 135 d.a.a. Fruits and seeds were subjected to the following assessments: size, moisture content, and dry mass of fruits and seeds; and germination and vigor of seeds (first count of germination, germination speed index, length and dry mass of seedling). Under the environmental conditions of municipality of Soledade, State of Paraiba, Northeast Brazil, the point of physiological maturity of P. pyramidalis seeds occurs at 125 d.a.a., when the maximum accumulation of dry mass is 1.993 g and moisture content is 21%. The ideal point of harvest is between 130 d.a.a and 135 d.a.a., before natural dehiscence, when the moisture content of seeds is between 13.0% and 5.0%.

Influência do desponte sôbre a composição do côlmo e do caldo da cana-de-açucar, I. Var. Co 421

I. This paper deals with an experiment carried out to evaluate the effect of the sugar cane upper end on the composition of the sugar cane harvest as a raw material for the sugar industry. The variety studied was Co 421. The authors intend to study other varieties in the future. The data were collected from plant cane, at intervals of two weeks, always from the same field, from a small central area of 3.000 square meters approximately. Sixty (60) stalks were cut in each occasion, randomly chosen from the whole area. They were afterwards separated into three groups of 20 stalks, one for each of the treatments, namely: a) Complete stalks, with no leaves or sheaths. b) Stalks harvested by the technique of REYNOSO, that is, as usually done in practice. c) Stalks with the tops completely cut out, that is, cut by technique of REYNOSO and then with 3 other top internodes eliminated. The treatments caused significant differences on the following technological characteristics: a) Weight b) Cane pol c) Available sucrose (pol) per cent cane d) Cane juice pol e) Saline coefficient of juice. II. Except for weight, all changes were favorable to treatment c, even if with differences relatively slight, in percentage. IIII. Treatment differences for cane fiber, brix, reducing sugars, juice ashes, coefficient of purity and glucose coefficient were not significant. IV. Time of harvest was an important factor affecting the composition of the cane and of the juice. V. On the average the available sucrose of cane for treatments, with an standard error of 0.13%, was: Treatment c 13.05% Treatment b 12.65% Treatment a 12.53% This shows that there is no sound basis for the heavy fines applied by some sugar mills to planters who do not cut low enough the tops of the cane stalks.