Costs of female reproduction in a conifer tree: a whole-tree level assessment

1. Costs of reproduction lie at the core of basic ecological and evolutionary theories, and their existence is commonly invoked to explain adaptive processes. Despite their sheer importance, empirical evidence for the existence and quantification of costs of reproduction in tree species comes mostly from correlational studies, while more comprehensive approaches remain missing. Manipulative experiments are a preferred approach to study cost of reproduction, as they allow controlling for otherwise inherent confounding factors like size or genetic background. 2. Here, we conducted a manipulative experiment in a Pinus halepensis common garden, removing developing cones from a group of trees and comparing growth and reproduction after treatment with a control group. We also estimated phenotypic and genetic correlations between reproductive and vegetative traits. 3. Manipulated trees grew slightly more than control trees just after treatment, with just a transient, marginally non-significant difference. By contrast, larger differences were observed for the number of female cones initiated 1 year after treatment, with an increase of 70% more cones in the manipulated group. Phenotypic and genetic correlations showed that smaller trees invested a higher proportion of their resources in reproduction, compared with larger trees, which could be interpreted as an indirect evidence for costs of reproduction. 4. Synthesis. This research showed a high impact of current reproduction on reproductive potential, even when not significant on vegetative growth. This has strong implications for how we understand adaptive strategies in forest trees and should encourage further interest on their still poorly known reproductive life-history traits.

Genetic parameters and estimated genetic gains in young rubber tree progenies

The objective of this work was to assess the genetic parameters and to estimate genetic gains in young rubber tree progenies. The experiments were carried out during three years, in a randomized block design, with six replicates and ten plants per plot, in three representative Hevea crop regions of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Twenty-two progenies were evaluated, from three to five years old, for rubber yield and annual girth growth. Genetic gain was estimated with the multi-effect index (MEI). Selection by progenies means provided greater estimated genetic gain than selection based on individuals, since heritability values of progeny means were greater than the ones of individual heritability, for both evaluated variables, in all the assessment years. The selection of the three best progenies for rubber yield provided a selection gain of 1.28 g per plant. The genetic gains estimated with MEI using data from early assessments (from 3 to 5-year-old) were generally high for annual girth growth and rubber yield. The high genetic gains for annual girth growth in the first year of assessment indicate that progenies can be selected at the beginning of the breeding program. Population effective size was consistent with the three progenies selected, showing that they were not related and that the population genetic variability is ensured. Early selection with the genetic gains estimated by MEI can be made on rubber tree progenies.

Identification and characterization of pathogenic Pestalotiopsis species to pecan tree in Brazil

The objective of this work was to characterize and cluster isolates of Pestalotiopsis species and to identify those that are pathogenic to pecan, based on morphological and molecular characters. Pestalotiopsis spp. isolates were identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and β?tubulin regions. Identification methods were compared to indicate the key morphological characters for species characterization. Thirteen isolates were used for the pathogenicity tests. Morphological characterization was performed using the following variables: mycelial growth rate, sporulation, colony pigmentation, and conidial length and width. Ten pathogenic isolates were identified, three as -tubulin regions. Identification methods were compared to indicate the key morphological characters for species characterization. Thirteen isolates were used for the pathogenicity tests. Morphological characterization was performed using the following variables: mycelial growth rate, sporulation, colony pigmentation, and conidial length and width. Ten pathogenic isolates were identified, three as Pestalotiopsis clavispora and three as P. cocculi. The other isolates remained as an undefined species. The morphological characters were efficient for an initial separation of the isolates, which were grouped according to differences at species level, mainly colony diameter, which was identified as an important morphological describer. Beta-tubulin gene sequencing was less informative than the ITS region sequencing for species identification.

Mulching as an alternative technique for weed management in mandarine orchard tree rows

Peer reviewed

Within- and among-population impact of genetic erosion on adult fitness-related traits in the European tree frog Hyla arborea.

Assessing in wild populations how fitness is impacted by inbreeding and genetic drift is a major goal for conservation biology. An approach to measure the detrimental effects of inbreeding on fitness is to estimate correlations between molecular variation and phenotypic performances within and among populations. Our study investigated the effect of individual multilocus heterozygosity on body size, body condition and reproductive investment of males (that is, chorus attendance) and females (that is, clutch mass and egg size) in both small fragmented and large non-fragmented populations of European tree frog (Hyla arborea). Because adult size and/or condition and reproductive investment are usually related, genetic erosion may have detrimental effects directly on reproductive investment, and also on individual body size and condition that in turn may affect reproductive investment. We confirmed that the reproductive investment was highly size-dependent for both sexes. Larger females invested more in offspring production, and larger males attended the chorus in the pond more often. Our results did not provide evidence for a decline in body size, condition and reproductive effort with decreased multilocus heterozygosity both within and among populations. We showed that the lack of heterozygosity-fitness correlations within populations probably resulted from low inbreeding levels (inferior to ca. 20% full-sib mating rate), even in the small fragmented populations. The detrimental effects of fixation load were either low in adults or hidden by environmental variation among populations. These findings will be useful to design specific management actions to improve population persistence.

MICROPROPAGAÇÃO DE CLONES DE BANANA cv. TERRA EM BIORREATOR DE IMERSÃO TEMPORÁRIA

Mudas micropropagadas de banana têm sido ofertadas ao mercado com o intuito de suprir a demanda de uma fruticultura cada vez mais tecnificada. Os preços mais elevados deste tipo de muda têm sido um dos maiores entraves ao seu uso. Vários são os fatores que oneram o seu preço final: mão-de-obra especializada, necessidade de laboratórios bem equipados, estrutura de aclimatização apropriada, baixa taxa de multiplicação de algumas variedades, etc. O presente trabalho relata a micropropagação de bananeiras cv. Terra, utilizando biorreatores de imersão temporária, com o objetivo de aumentar a taxa de multiplicação e diminuir os custos de produção das mudas. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o ciclo de imersão de 4 horas e a renovação do meio de cultura aos 30 dias foram essenciais para uma maior produção de biomassa e crescimento dos explantes. A composição do meio de cultura influenciou o desenvolvimento dos explantes de banana cultivados nos biorreatores. Explantes cultivados em meio MS + 3mg/L de BAP com renovação para MS básico, após 30 dias, apresentaram maior produção de biomassa e alta taxa de multiplicação. Comparando-se o biorreator de imersão temporária com o sistema tradicional em semi-sólido, observou-se que, no primeiro, as microplantas apresentaram maior comprimento, produção de biomassa de 2,86 vezes maior e 2,20 vezes mais brotos do que no sistema tradicional.

EFFECTS OF THIDIAZURON (TDZ) ON FRUITING OF TEMPERATE TREE FRUITS

Thidiazuron (TDZ) is a phenylurea like citokinin on cell division fruit growth and fruit shape in some deciduous fruit trees. The effects of TDZ applied during flowering on apple cultivars 'Gala' and 'Fuji" were evaluated during seven growing seasons with annual applications on the same trees. The effects on pear and kiwi fruit trees were also evaluated. Every year, TDZ significantly increased fruit set and fruit weight on apple trees. The seven-year average of the fruit set from TDZ at 10 mg.L-1 was 112.7% while the control was only 51.3%. TDZ did not affect the number of clusters. The fruit weight increased 7.0% and 18.3% when the trees were sprayed with TDZ at 10 mg.L-1 and 5 mg.L-1, respectively. TDZ also increased fruit yield per tree by 28.7% and 41.8% for the 10 mg.L-1 and 5 mg.L-1 treatments, respectively. TDZ reduced the seed number per fruit and the calcium content in the flesh fruit, but increased the fruit firmness. The fruit set increased significantly on pear cultivar Packm's Triumph treated with TDZ, and reduced the seed numbers per fruit. TDZ applied at 12.5 mg.L-1 increased fruit weight by 47,4% on "Monty" kiwi.

QUANTIDADE E PREÇOS DA BANANA-'PRATA' COMERCIALIZADA NAS CEASAS DO DISTRITO FEDERAL, SÃO PAULO, BELO HORIZONTE E RIO DE JANEIRO, NO PERÍODO DE 1995 A 1999

A evolução das quantidades e preços médios mensais e anuais da banana-'Prata' comercializada nos entrepostos das CEASAS do Distrito Federal, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte e Rio de Janeiro foi analisada no período de janeiro de 1995 a dezembro de 1999. Os dados foram analisados pelo teste de Tukey, a nível de 5%. A média da quantidade anual comercializada nas CEASAS do DF, SP, BH e RJ foram, respectivamente, de 831; 1.012; 3.101 e 5.597 t no período analisado. A quantidade média anual comercializada variou significativamente em todas as CEASAS. Os preços médios anuais diferiram significativamente, sendo que em todas as CEASAS estes foram maiores em 1995 e menores em 1997. Não houve diferença significativa na quantidade média mensal comercializada apenas na CEAGESP, já o preço médio mensal diferiu significativamente nas CEASAS do DF, SP e BH. O preço médio anual foi maior na CEASA/RJ (R$ 1,01/Kg), que foi 18,8%; 32,9% e 80,4% superior quando comparado ao preço praticado na CEASA/ DF, CEAGESP e CEASA/BH, respectivamente.

Inibição do amadurecimento da banana-'Prata-Anã' com a aplicação do 1-metilciclopropeno

A banana é uma das frutas mais consumidas no mundo, cultivada na maioria dos países tropicais. As práticas de pós-colheita, muitas vezes, não são suficientes para garantir uma boa qualidade da fruta quando esta é comercializada em mercados mais distantes. O 1-metilciclopropeno (1-MCP) é um produto bloqueador da ação do etileno e tem sido utilizado com sucesso em flores, hortaliças e frutos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi retardar o amadurecimento da banana-'Prata' e aumentar a sua vida útil, testando diferentes níveis do 1- MCP . Os frutos da cultivar 'Prata-Anã', provenientes de Janaúba, Norte de Minas Gerais, Brasil, foram colhidos no estádio de maturação 1, que corresponde ao estádio verde, classificados como "extra", selecionados e separados em parcelas de 10 frutos, com 3 repetições para cada tratamento. Foram utilizados 4 níveis do produto 0; 10; 30 e 90 ppb. O 1-MCP foi utilizado na formulação pó, na concentração de 0,14% de ingrediente ativo. Os frutos foram armazenados em temperatura ambiente (24ºC e 78,5 % UR) e avaliados aos 0; 4; 8 e 12 dias após a aplicação do produto. As avaliações foram: cor, despencamento de dedos no buquê, firmeza, sólidos solúveis, acidez titulável e pH. Com 30 ppb, o amadurecimento foi retardado por 4 dias e, com 90ppb, por 8 dias. Essa técnica apresenta-se como uma alternativa para prolongar a vida útil dos frutos dessa cultivar.

Plastid DNA variation in Prunus serotina var. serotina (Rosaceae), a North American tree invading Europe

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a tree from North America, where it is often used for economical purposes, whereas it is widespread and invasive in Europe. Plastid DNA variation was Wrst investigated in both its native and invasive ranges using microsatellite loci and sequences of three intergenic spacers (trnT-trnL, trnD-trnT and trnS-trnG). This analysis was focused on P. serotina var. serotina, with the inclusion of samples of closely related taxa. Length variation at a microsatellite locus (ccmp5) and a few sequence polymorphisms were identi- Wed among P. serotina samples. Four new primer pairs were then designed to speciWcally amplify variable regions and a combination of Wve markers was Wnally proposed for phylogeographic studies in P. serotina. These loci allow identiWcation of six chlorotypes in P. serotina var. serotina, which may be particularly useful to depict the maternal origins of European invasive populations

Resfriamento de banana-prata com ar forçado

Este trabalho apresenta as curvas de resfriamento de banana-prata (Musa balbisiana Colla) e os valores do tempo de meio e sete oitavos de resfriamento, partindo do cálculo da Taxa Adimensional de Temperatura. Os frutos foram resfriados num sistema com ar forçado a 7ºC, umidade relativa de 87,6±3,8%, e velocidade do ar entre 1 e 0,2 m/s. Aplicou-se um delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, usando um esquema fatorial 2x2 (dois fluxos de ar (fatores) e duas embalagens (níveis)), para um nível de significância de 10%. Os fluxos de ar foram 1.933 a 1.160 m³/h, e as embalagens se diferenciaram pela porcentagem de área de abertura disponível para a ventilação (40 e 3,2%). Foi constatada uma diferença significativa no tempo de resfriamento, tanto quando aplicadas as duas taxas de ar como quando usadas as duas embalagens. O menor tempo de resfriamento foi atingido no tratamento que combinou a maior taxa de ar (1.933 m³/h) com a embalagem de maior área de aberturas (40%). O maior tempo de resfriamento foi atingido no tratamento que combinou a menor taxa de ar (1160 m³/h) com a embalagem de 3,2% de área efetiva de abertura. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que o tempo de resfriamento depende, em grande medida, da taxa de ar e do tipo de embalagem usada. O tempo de resfriamento variou em média entre 117 a 555 min, dependendo do tratamento aplicado. Não se constatou diferença significativa nas perdas de massa entre os diferentes tratamentos.

Fiber Laser Cutting of Mild Steel

Fiber laser for materials processing have undergone a rapid development in the pastseveral years. As fiber laser provides a combination of high beam quality and awavelength that is easily absorbed by metal surfaces, the named future laser isexpected to challenge the CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers in the area of metal cutting. This thesis studied the performance of fiber laser cutting mild steel. In the literature review part, it introduced the laser cutting principle and the principle of fiber laser including the newest development of fiber laser cuttingtechnology. Because the fiber laser cutting mild steel is a very young technology, a preliminary test was made in order to investigate effect of the cutting parameters on cut quality. Then the formal fiber laser cutting experiment was madeby using 3 mm thickness S355 steel with oxygen as assistant gas. The experimentwas focused on the cut quality with maximum cutting speed and minimum oxygen gas pressure. And the cut quality is mainly decided by the kerf width, perpendicularity tolerance, surface roughness and striation patterns. After analysis the cutting result, several conclusions were made. Although the best result got in the experiment is not perfect as predicted, the whole result of the test can be accepted. Compared with CO2 laser, a higher cutting speed was achieved by fiber laser with very low oxygen gas pressure. A further improvement about the cutting quality might be possible by proper selection of process parameters. And in order to investigate the cutting performance more clearly, a future study about cutting different thickness mild steel and different shape was recommended.

Avaliação de genótipos de banana à sigatoca-amarela na amazônia ocidental

A resistência de genótipos de banana em relação à Mycosphaerella musicola foi avaliada em condições naturais de infecção. Foram avaliadas 24 plantas de cada genótipo. As cultivares 'Pacovan' e 'Prata-anã' atuaram como fonte de inóculo do patógeno. A avaliação da doença foi realizada com uso de uma escala de notas variando de 1 (plantas sem sintomas) até 8 (folhas velhas e novas com sintomas), obtendo-se o índice de doença pela média ponderada das notas. As cultivares 'Mysore' e 'Nam' e o híbrido 'PA 12-03' foram classificados como suscetíveis ao patógeno. Os demais genótipos 'Yangambi km5', 'Thap Maeo', 'Pelipita', 'Pioneira', 'JV 03-15' e 'PV 03-44' foram classificados como resistentes ao patógeno.

Conservação pós-colheita de banana cv. nanicão climatizada e comercializada em Cuiabá - MT e região

A banana cv. Nanicão é a principal cultivar comercializada nos mercados brasileiro e mundial. A maior parte dessa cultivar comercializada no Estado de Mato Grosso vem de outros Estados, embora existam condições edafoclimáticas para ser auto-suficiente na produção dessa cultivar e inclusive atender a outros mercados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar as condições da climatização da banana cv. Nanicão e sua influência na conservação pós-colheita de frutos produzidos no Estado de Mato Grosso (MT) e procedentes do Estado de Santa Catarina (SC). Foram acompanhadas 12 caixas de banana cv. Nanicão, pesando em torno de 21 kg cada, colhidas em pomar comercial do município de Campo Verde-MT, e também 12 caixas oriundas de SC. Anteriormente à climatização e durante todo o período de vida útil dos frutos, foram monitoradas diariamente a temperatura e a umidade relativa do ambiente, a evolução da coloração dos frutos e a perda de peso destes, assim como o teor de sólidos solúveis totais e de acidez potenciométrica nos frutos verdes e maduros. Verificou-se o maior período de vida útil da banana de SC, 3 dias após a retirada da câmara de climatização, apresentando-se totalmente amarela e com valor máximo de 7,07% de perda de peso dos frutos. A banana cv. Nanicão produzida no MT atingiu valores de perda de peso 5,69% no 2º dia, quando após esse período, não estaria mais própria para a comercialização, atingindo coloração amarelo-pálida. Altos índices de perdas foram detectados no período pós-colheita da banana-'Nanicão', representados principalmente por danos mecânicos na procedente de SC e por danos fisiológicos (despencamento) na banana de MT. O despencamento pode estar relacionado com a falta de circulação eficiente do etileno, da exaustão e umidade relativa baixa, 65% em média, durante a climatização. Nos teores de açúcares e de acidez dos frutos, a banana do MT apresentou valores levemente superiores de acidez, o que favorece o seu sabor quando relacionado com os teores de açúcares.

Influence of the temperature in germination of seeds of jabuticaba tree

The jaboticaba tree (Myrciaria spp.) is originated from the center-south of Brazil and presents different types. It's a medium size tree, with tendency to form a crown with great number of branches. A characteristic considered as limitant for the commercial crop is the great juvenility, advicing producing good rootstocks of seedlings and graft wanted varieties, and other vegetative processes. With the purpose of evaluating the effect of temperature on germination of three clones of jaboticaba tree, was carried out a laboratorial research. It was observed influence of the temperature on germination. The highest percentage of germination was obtained at low temperature (15ºC and 20ºC). When it was used the temperature of 35ºC, two clones had only 8% of germination, while the other one was verified 35%. These values show the possibility of the ocurrence of variability among the clones of jaboticaba tree.