Dynamics of soil exploration by fine roots down to a depth of 10 m throughout the entire rotation in Eucalyptus grandis plantations

Although highly weathered soils cover considerable areas in tropical regions, little is known about exploration by roots in deep soil layers. Intensively managed Eucalyptus plantations are simple forest ecosystems that can provide an insight into the belowground growth strategy of fast-growing tropical trees. Fast exploration of deep soil layers by eucalypt fine roots may contribute to achieving a gross primary production that is among the highest in the world for forests. Soil exploration by fine roots down to a depth of 10 m was studied throughout the complete cycle in Eucalyptus grandis plantations managed in short rotation. Intersects of fine roots, less than 1 mm in diameter, and medium-sized roots, 1-3 mm in diameter, were counted on trench walls in a chronosequence of 1-, 2-, 3.5-, and 6-year-old plantations on a sandy soil, as well as in an adjacent 6-year-old stand growing in a clayey soil. Two soil profiles were studied down to a depth of 10 m in each stand (down to 6 m at ages 1 and 2 years) and 4 soil profiles down to 1.5-3.0 m deep. The root intersects were counted on 224 m(2) of trench walls in 15 pits. Monitoring the soil water content showed that, after clear cutting, almost all the available water stored down to a depth of 7 m was taken up by tree roots within 1.1 year of planting. The soil space was explored intensively by fine roots down to a depth of 3 m from 1 year after planting, with an increase in anisotropy in the upper layers throughout the rotation. About 60% of fine root intersects were found at a depth of more than 1 m, irrespective of stand age. The root distribution was isotropic in deep soil layers and kriged maps showed fine root clumping. A considerable volume of soil was explored by fine roots in eucalypt plantations on deep tropical soils, which might prevent water and nutrient losses by deep drainage after canopy closure and contribute to maximizing resource uses.

Doses de nitrogênio em cobertura no feijoeiro em sucessão a gramíneas no cultivo de inverno-primavera

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Low abundance of long-tongued pollinators leads to pollen limitation in four specialized hawkmoth-pollinated plants in the Atlantic Rain forest, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Avaliação da auto-suficiência energética de reatores anaeróbios no tratamento de esgoto sanitário e água cinza

The anaerobic treatment of sewage is widely employed in Brazil and it is an appreciated way for the treatment of effluents, helping to reduce the environmental impact in rivers. The methane gas obtained from the process can be applied to improve the energetic efficiency of the system, reducing the amount of waste and the cost of the treatment process. This work presents the net energy balance of anaerobic reactors applied to the treatment of sewage. The analysis was performed considering full-scale and laboratory-scale treatment systems. In laboratory scale, the results from three kinds of systems were compared regarding the biological treatment of greywater. Two of them (UASB7 and UASB12) were anaerobic and the other one was a combined anaerobic-aerobic system (UASB7/SBR6). Greywater methanization (compared to theoretical maximum) was calculated considering 100% removal (g BOD/day), the literature percentage removal and the anionic surfactant presence in the effluentt. For each of these three cases, the efficiencies were, respectively, 16.9%, 43.6% and 51.3% in UASB7 reactor, 25.6%, 50.3% and 59.2% in UASB12 reactor and 30.6%, 61.2% and 71.9% in UASB7/SBR6 reactor. The energetic potential was found to be 4.66x10-4, 7.77x10-4 and 5.12x10-4 kWh/L for the UASB7, UASB12 and UASB7/SBR6 reactors, respectively. The pumping system, the aeration (in the anaerobic-aerobic system) and the temperature controlled heating system were considered to calculate the energetic consumption. However, the third one was not employed since tropical regions like Brazil do not need heating systems and also because of its high energetic consumption. The calculated net energy balance in the reactors was negative in the case of greywater, respectively -0.16, -0.28 and -0.18 kWh/L for the reactors UASB7, UASB12 and UASB7/SRB6. In full scale (ETE Jardim das Flores - Rio Claro, SP), the average energy... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Vinhos tintos do Noroeste Paulista: relação entre os perfis físico-químico e sensorial.

Brazilian red wines are very appreciated by consumers from tropical regions, because they typically have aromatic and fruity taste. Thus, the aim of this article is to verify the quality of red wines from wineries located in Northwest region of São Paulo, based on the relationship between physicochemical properties and sensory attributes. Three red wines from this region was evaluated by sensory and analytical methods and it was possible to observe significant differences in the fixed acidity, alcoholic content, total phenolic content and total dry extract. Multidimensional Scaling showed relationship between total phenolic content and astringency, total dry extract and body and the relationship of volatile acidity in the assessment of odor samples. It was possible to see the physicochemical influence in sensory evaluation, indicating the importance of the chemical profile in the elucidation of possible sensory alterations in red wines.

Phylogeography of the freshwater red alga Sirodotia (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) in Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Variação genética e desempenho de progênies de Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis para produção de madeira e resina

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Parâmetros genéticos para o perfil de ácidos graxos do longissimus thoracis de bovinos da raça Nelore terminados em confinamento

Pós-graduação em Genética e Melhoramento Animal - FCAV

Eletroforese das proteínas séricas e urinárias de cães com erliquiose na fase aguda

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV

Liberação de nutrientes da palhada de forrageiras consorciadas com milho e sucessão com soja

In tropical regions there is rapid decomposition of plant material deposited on the soil, and the ability to recycle nutrients through this decomposition is one of the most important aspects of cover crops. The aim of this study was to evaluate the yield and nutrient release from forage crops intercropped with maize for silage, and soybean in succession. The study was conducted in the experimental area of Universidade Estadual Paulista, Ilha Solteira campus, Brazil. The experiment consisted of maize for silage intercropped with four forage species (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu, Urochloa ruziziensis, Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, and Panicum maximum cv. Aries) sown in three modalities: in the maize row, together with fertilizer; broadcast at maize sowing; and broadcast in the V4 stage of maize, in a randomized block design in a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement with four replications. The evaluation of nutrient release was performed during the soybean cropping that followed the intercropping by the litter bag method at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after sowing of soybean. Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania showed higher dry matter yield when sown by broadcasting at maize sowing. Sowing of forages in the maize row, and through broadcasting at maize sowing led to greater dry matter yield for straw formation. Intercropping of maize with forages in the autumn is an alternative for increasing the amount of straw and cycling of macronutrients in a no-till system. Potassium was the nutrient with the greatest accumulation in the forage straws (up to 150 kg ha(-1)), with 100 % release at 90 days after sowing soybean. The forage straws are thus an excellent alternative for cycling of this nutrient. Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania sown by broadcasting at the time of maize sowing showed greater phosphorus cycling (13 kg ha(-1)). Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania broadcast in the V4 stage of maize is the option with least potential for straw production and nutrient cycling, while the other options (forages and sowing modalities) have higher potential for use, at the criteria of machine availability for setting up intercropping with corn.

Partitioning the relative contribution of one-phase and two-phase seed dispersal when evaluating seed dispersal effectiveness

Seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) is a conceptual framework that aims at quantifying the contribution of seed dispersal vectors to plant fitness. While it is well recognized that diplochorous dispersal systems, characterized by two successive dispersal steps performed by two different vectors (Phase I=primary seed dispersal and Phase II=secondary seed dispersal) which are common in temperate and tropical regions, little attention has been given to distinguishing the relative contribution of one-phase and two-phase dispersal to overall SDE. This conceptual gap probably results from the lack of a clear methodology to include Phase II dispersal into the calculation of SDE and to quantify its relative contribution. We propose a method to evaluate the relative contribution of one-phase and two-phase dispersal to SDE and determine whether two seed dispersers are better than one. To do so, we used the SDE landscape and an extension of the SDE landscape, the Phase II effect landscape, which measures the direction and magnitude of the Phase II dispersal effect on overall SDE. We used simulated and empirical data from a diplochorous dispersal system in the Peruvian Amazon to illustrate this new approach. Our approach provides the relative contribution of one-phase SDE (SDE1) and two-phase SDE (SDE2) to overall SDE and quantifies how much SDE changes with the addition of Phase II dispersal. Considering that the seed dispersal process is context dependent so that Phase II depends on Phase I, we predict the possible range of variation of SDE according to the variation of the probability of Phase II dispersal. In our specific study system composed of two primate species as primary dispersal vectors and different species of dung beetles as secondary dispersal vectors, the relative contribution of SDE1 and SDE2 to overall SDE varied between plant species. We discuss the context dependency of the Phase II dispersal and the potential applications of our approach. This extension to the conceptual framework of SDE enables quantitative evaluation of the effect of Phase II dispersal on plant fitness and can be easily adapted to other biotic and/or abiotic diplochorous dispersal systems.

Mites on Annonaceae species in northeast Brazil and in the state of Para

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Evaluation of productivity of sexually precocious Nelore heifers

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Measured and modeled interactive effects of potassium deficiency and water deficit on gross primary productivity and light-use efficiency in Eucalyptus grandis plantations

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Early growth of common bean cropped over ruzigrass residues

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)