Controlling traffic jams on urban roads modeled in Coloured Petri net using Genetic Algorithm

This paper presents an application to traffic lights control in congested urban traffic, in real time, taking as input the position and route of the vehicles in the involved areas. This data is obtained from the communication between vehicles and infrastructure (V2I). Due to the great complexity of the possible combination of traffic lights and the short time to get a response, Genetic Algorithm was used to optimize this control. According to test results, the application can reduce the number of vehicles in congested areas, even with the entry of vehicles that previously were not being considered in these roads, such as parked vehicles. © 2012 IEEE.

Argentina: Dissemination of genetically modified cotton and its impact on the profitability of small-scale farmers in the Chaco province

Includes bibliography

Latin American commodity exports: the case of cotton fibre

Includes bibliography

Insect/Bt-cotton interactions: Are immunological variables and hemocyte ultrastructure in Podisus nigrispinus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) affected?

Recent studies have shown that ingestion by the army worm Spodoptera frugiperda of Cry1Ac toxin from Bt cotton promotes histochemical and ultrastructural changes in the digestive cells of the predatory pentatomid bug Podisus nigrispinus. Therefore, mindful of the changes in the midgut of the predator, which represents the first line of defence in this insect, our aim was to test the hypothesis that the consumption of Bt cotton-fed S. frugiperda by P. nigrispinus might lead to alterations in components of the immune system of P. nigrispinus. The Cry1Ac toxin level in the leaves of Bt cotton, nitric oxide, phenoloxidase activity, and total proteins were quantified by ELISA. Total and differential hemocyte counts were evaluated, and hemocyte ultrastructure analysis was undertaken. We found that ingestion of the prey fed daily with approximately 23 ± 0.70 ng g-1 Cry1Ac by wet weight of leaves, and expressed by the Bt cotton, induces small ultrastructural changes in the predator's granulocytes and plasmatocytes. However, these changes did not affect the total number and differential and humoral variables analyzed for the bug's hemocytes. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Thermophysical properties of cotton, canola, sunflower and soybean oils as a function of temperature

Vegetable oils are used in the industry of processed food, including deep-fat frying. This work determined data on the thermophysical properties of cotton, canola, sunflower, corn, and soybean oils. Thermal conductivity, heat capacity, density, and viscosity were measured within the temperature range of 299.15-433.15 K. The data showed that the temperature influenced the thermophysical properties of the oils studied. The developed correlations could be used to predict these properties within the range of temperatures studied. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Productividad de la mano de obra en la industria textil algodonera de cinco países latinoamericanos = Labour productivity of the cotton textile industry in five Latin American countries

Incluye Bibliografía

Industria del algodón en México y el oligopolio transnacional en su comercialización = Mexican cotton industry and the transnational cotton marketing oligopoly

Incluye Bibliografía

The management of cover plant residues for cotton cropped in a no-tillage system

The cutting of plant residue in no-tillage systems under certain environmental conditions becomes necessary to adequately establish and grow crops. This study aims to assess the effect on the yield of different methods of managing millet plant residue in cotton plantations. The study was conducted during the agricultural years 2006/07 and 2007/08, and the treatments included no-mechanical-treatment tillage and the use of a rotary shredder, crimper-roller, and mechanical disintegrator for millet plants before sowing the cotton. Evaluations were performed for the residue fragmentation, emergence speed, percent of soil cover during the cycle and yield of the cotton crop. The emergence speed was faster in the management with the rotary shredder. In 2006/07, the no-tillage treatment showed a rate of loss for soil cover that was 46 percent greater than the disintegrator treatment. The rotary shredder and the disintegrator yielded greater soil coverage during the cultivation cycle, and the yield was highly correlated with the soil cover at 75 days after emergence. The management of the millet residue affected the cotton plants for the two-year study period.

Biological aspects of Aphis gossypii Glöver, 1877 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on colored lint cotton cultivars

This paper outlines the results of a study into the biological aspects of Aphis gossypii Glöver on colored cotton cultivars through the construction of life tables. In addition, we evaluate the influence of density of gossypol glands and trichomes of leaves on the biology of the aphid. Tests were conducted in a climate chamber at 25 ± 2°C, with relative humidity (RH) at 70 ± 10%, and a photophase of 12 hours, using the cultivars BRS Rubi, BRS Safira, and BRS Verde. Newly hatched nymphs were individually isolated in petri dishes containing leaf discs of cotton cultivars on a layer of water-agar (1%) of approximately 5 mm thick. An evaluation of the trichomes and gossypol gland densities of the cotton leaf plants was performed under a stereomicroscope, delimited to an area of 1 cm², and a count and identification of those on the surface was made. The feed substrates that were evaluated influenced the nymphal stage of A. gossypii. BRS Verde provided the shortest duration and BRS Safira was the longest during this phase. The cultivar BRS Verde, with the lowest density of trichomes, provided a large number of nymphs and led to a higher net reproductive rate (R0). Given these results, conclusions can be drawn that the colored cotton cultivars influence the duration of nymphal and adult stages of A. gossypii. The cultivar with a high density of trichomes on leaves (BRS Safira) adversely affects the fertility parameters of A. gossypii.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in cotton: vertical distribution of egg masses, effects of adult density and plant age on oviposition behavior

O trabalho teve por objetivo determinar, em casa-de-vegetação, a densidade adequada de adultos, a idade ideal das plantas e a distribuição vertical de ovos nas diferentes partes da planta, visando à realização de estudos de resistência e à melhoria das práticas de manejo de Spodoptera frugiperda em algodoeiro. Os experimentos de oviposição de S. frugiperda em relação à densidade de adultos, relação entre plantas de algodoeiro e oviposição de S. frugiperda e não preferência para oviposição de S. frugiperda em variedades de algodoeiro foram realizados com plantas da variedade de algodoeiro BRS Ita 90. A não preferência (antixenose) para oviposição foi acompanhada nas variedades FiberMax 966, FiberMax 977, DeltaOpal, DeltaPenta, Acala 90, Coodetec 408, Coodetec 409, Coodetec 410, BRS Cedro, BRS Ipê, BRS Aroeira, IPR 96, IPR 20, BRS Araçá, IAC 24 e BRS Ita 90. Concluiu-se que S. frugiperda prefere ovipositar em plantas com cerca de 60 dias de idade, na superfície inferior das folhas situadas no terço superior dos testes de plantas sob condições de estufa. Uma densidade de, pelo menos, três pares de adultos S. frugiperda por planta foi suficiente para realizar testes de não preferência para oviposição em casa de vegetação. As variedades Coodetec 408, BRS Aroeira, BRS Araçá, BRS Ita 90 e DeltaPenta apresentaram resistência do tipo não preferência para oviposição de S. frugiperda. Em regiões com altas infestações de S. frugiperda, seria prudente para o cultivo utilizar a variedade de algodão BRS Ita 90.

Releasing number of Telenomus remus (Nixon) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) against Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in corn, cotton and soybean

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Carbohydrate production and transport in cotton cultivars grown under boron deficiency

An adequate supply of boron (B) is required for the optimal growth and development of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants, but the low phloem mobility of B limits the possibilities of correcting B deficiency. There are indications that different cotton cultivars could have different responses to B deficiency. The differences in responses of cotton cultivars to B regarding photoassimilate production and transport were studied in a greenhouse experiment with nutrient solution. Treatments consisted of three cotton cultivars (FMT 701, DP 604BG and FMX 993) and five concentrations of B (0.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 mu mol L-1). Sampling began at the phenological stage B1 (first square) and continued for four weeks. The leaf area and the number of reproductive branches and structures decreased due to B deficiency. A higher level of abortion of reproductive structures was observed under B deficiency. Boron deficiency increased the internal CO2 concentration but decreased the transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and photosynthesis. Despite the decrease in photosynthesis, nonstructural carbohydrates accumulated in the leaves due to decreased export to bolls in B-deficient plants. The response to B deficiency is similar among cotton cultivars, which shows that the variability for this trait is low even for cultivars with different genetic backgrounds.