Ecological infrastructures in sustainable olive growing: studies about Prays oleae (Bernard) and its natural enemies

Doutoramento em Engenharia Agronómica - Instituto Superior de Agronomia - UL

Effects de l'application d'acide gibbérellique (GA3) sur la qualité de raisins et de vins produits en climat tropical au Nord-Est du Brésil.

The honeydew moth Cryptoblabes gnidiella is the main problem for the wineries in the Northeast of the Brazil, because it attacks the bunch and reduces the quality of the grapes and the wines. In order to stretch out the bunch to facilitate the penetration of the insecticides, it was used gibberellic acid. Six treatments with different concentrations and different dates of application, and the control were compared. The bunches are compact, characteristic of the "Syrah" grapes in the region. The grape berries were analysed at harvest and wines were made by microvinifications. The grape berries showed different qualitative characteristics, as berry weight, number of berries. °Brix, total acidity and heterogeneity of the maturation. The microvinifications were carried out with 50 kg of grapeberries into glass bottles of 20 L at 22°C, for the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations, then stabilized and bottled. The wines were tasted by a panel of ten people and compared on smell and taste plans. The tasting results showed that the control treatment was the best graded wine. The application of gibberellic acid allowed to control the honeydew moth attack, but it caused a heterogeneity on grape maturation, with a lower quality of the grapes and wines compared to the control.

37° Sur a 19° Norte: Fotografía contemporánea de Australia

Curatorial considerations, aims and objectives:The title for this exhibition (37 ° South to 19 ° North) refers to the Latitude of Melbourne, Australia and Cuernavaca, Mexico.My curatorial objective for making such a reference to the geographical was to invoke a sense of both distance and connection between the two locations of Australia and Mexico and to also create a sense of sharing, not only between our distant landscapes and cultures but also between the feelings and emotions that we all experience in response to the places in which we live out the moments which make up our daily lives.In developing this project I considered the work of more than 35 contemporary Australian photographers and finally selected 15 photographers (including myself). Most of these artists have or have had close connection to Melbourne and to the southern/eastern line of Australian continent. The final selection ranged from Hobart to Maroochydore and one artist who had lived in Melbourne for many years but was now living in Mexico. These photographers (and the specific works) were selected because their long term creative practice captures a sense of location (place and space) with a deep introspective sensibility which I feel offers a viewer a personal and softly spoken vision of some particular aspect of an Australian location, be that exterior landscape or interior place and a sense of unique connection to such places. These images are not documents but rather representations of feelings, stories, memories and dreams which emerge in the milieu of our inhabitants.In selecting the works, careful consideration was also given to diversity of approaches to photographic practice in conjunction to thematic content. Formats and media included black and white, pin hole photography, toy camera, large format (both 4” x 5” and 10”x 8”), phone camera, various digital camera images and other experimental approaches. The local art scene in Cuernavaca is very strong and there is a strong interest in photography. This is partially due to the number of local arts schools and universities which offer studies in photography as well as the political dimension regarding Mexican art in general - as a tool of both political media, reportage and documentary work, photography is a significant medium for many of the people who would be visiting the exhibition. I therefore felt it was important to address the diversity of approaches to the medium which are currently being explored by Australian practitioners.The City Museum of Cuernavaca provided two large walls and some smaller sections of side walls on both the grounds level and the upper level of the main museum galleries for exhibition.The works were arranged with a simple thematic structure. Top level, left to right, then bottom level, left to right starting with images which presented a sense of wilderness and landscape (which were also quite abstract and reductive) to more representational landscape images moving to landscape with small figures (people) emerging within the images (Ash Kerr) to landscapes with larger figures and the emerging presence of man-made elements to urban landscapes and then to interior urban scapes and finally to interior locations with people and finally finishing on the metaphorical image by Harry Nankin of Bogong Moths and the politics of climate change. (It is also interesting to note that the migration path of the Bongong moth matches well the distribution of the artists selected for this project)Broadly speaking the images started outside with broad landscape to intimate interior locations. With these works a great deal of personal content from each photographer was presented. Most artists chose to present 3 large format images while some only presented 2 images. Other graphic and visual elements were considered in the final placement of the images.It must also be noted that the artists selected ranged broadly from very highly established and significant local artists to mid-career/younger establishing artist to some lesser known and emerging artists. From a curatorial perspective I feel this is offers the possibility of what I shall term, a more balanced representation of the local Australian practice and it provides a context in which both established and emerging artists / works must engage on a dialogue, within the exhibition. I believe it also placing the curatorial premise on the strength of the work rather than on whom the artists are and their status. It also supports the younger emerging artists and provides a less formal and predictable outcome for the established artists and for as a collective presentation as a whole.

Pollination, herbivory, and habitat fragmentation: Their effects on the reproductive fitness of Angadenia berteroi, a native perennial plant of the south Florida pine rocklands

Angadenia berteroi is a tropical perennial subshrub of the pine rocklands with large yellow flowers that set very few fruits. My dissertation seeks to elucidate the factors that affect the reproductive fitness of Angadenia berteroi a native species of the south Florida pine rocklands. I provide novel information on the pollination biology of this native species. I also assess the effects of herbivory on growth and the reproductive success of A. berteroi. Finally, I elucidate how habitat fragmentation and quality are correlated with reproductive fitness of this native perennial plant.^ Using a novel experimental approach, I determined the most effective pollinator group. I used nylon fishing line of widths corresponding to proboscis diameter of the major groups of visitors to examine pollen removal and deposition. In the field, I estimated visitation frequency and efficacy of each pollinator type. Using potted plants, I exposed flowers to single visit from different types of pollinators to measure fruit set. I performed artificial defoliation with scissors on plants growing in the greenhouse to assess the effects of defoliation before flowering as well as during flowering. Additionally, I used structural equation modelling (SEM) to elucidate how A. berteroi reproductive fitness was affected by habitat fragmentation and quality. ^ My experiments provide evidence that Angadenia berteroi is specialized for bee pollination; though butterflies, skippers and others also visit its flowers, A. berteroi is exclusively pollinated by two native bees of the South Florida pine rocklands . This research also demonstrated that herbivory by the oleander moth may have direct and indirect effects on Angadenia berteroi growth and reproductive success. The SEM results suggested that habitat quality (litter depth and subcanopy cover) may favor reproduction in native species of the South Florida pine rocklands that are properly maintained by periodic fires and exotic control. Insights from this threatened and charismatic species may provide impetus to properly manage remaining pine rocklands in South Florida for this and other endemic understory species.^

Review of the Psychodinae from Mallorca, Spain, with description of Pericoma unipennata, sp. n. (Diptera, Psychodidae)

We review the Psychodinae of Mallorca, recognising fifteen species based on recent collections and available literature. Previously unpublished data is presented for eleven species, of which Neoarisemus ibericus Wagner, 1978, Mormia tenebricosa (Vaillant, 1954), Clogmia albipunctata (Williston, 1893), Lepiseodina rothschildi (Eaton, 1913), Paramormia ustulata (Walker, 1856), Philosepedon pyrenaicus Vaillant, 1974 and Psychoda (Psycha) grisescens Tonnoir, 1922 are first records for Mallorca. An old record of Pericoma trifasciata (Meigen, 1804) is considered doubtful. Pericoma unipennata sp. n is described and illustrated based on a male collected at Deía. Distributional data are reviewed for all newly recorded species. Based on the Psychodinae fauna, the zoogeographical affinities of Mallorca are briefly discussed.