Physical soil attributes of Conilon coffee (Coffea canephora) under organic and conventional management systems.

Coffea sp. is cultivated in large areas, using both conventional and organic management. However, information about the sustainability of these two management systems is still deficient. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the physical properties of soil cultivated with Conilon coffee (C. canephora) under organic and conventional management. Two areas cultivated with Conilon coffee (under organic and conventional management) and a fragment of Atlantic forest, used as a reference, were selected for the experiment. Soil granulometry, hydraulic conductivity, water retention curve, resistance to penetration, porosity, optimal hydric interval, and other physical characteristics were measured at depths of 0 to 10 and 10 to 20 cm. The data was submitted to multivariate and descriptive statistical analyses. Higher similarity was observed between the soil cultivated with Conilon coffee under organic management and the Atlantic forest soil. Soil resistance to penetration at 10, 30, 100, 500 and 1500 kPa, macro porosity, density and total porosity were the main physical properties that differentiated both management systems studied. The non-use of agricultural machinery and the addition of organic matter may be the main reasons for higher soil sustainability observed under organic management when compared with the conventional system.

Beyond conservation agriculture.

ABSTRACT: Global support for Conservation Agriculture (CA) as a pathway to Sustainable Intensification is strong. CA revolves around three principles: no-till (or minimal soil disturbance), soil cover, and crop rotation. The benefits arising from the ease of crop management, energy/cost/time savings, and soil and water conservation led to widespread adoption of CA, particularly on large farms in the Americas and Australia, where farmers harness the tools of modern science: highly-sophisticated machines, potent agrochemicals, and biotechnology. Over the past 10 years CA has been promoted among smallholder farmers in the (sub-) tropics, often with disappointing results. Growing evidence challenges the claims that CA increases crop yields and builds-up soil carbon although increased stability of crop yields in dry climates is evident. Our analyses suggest pragmatic adoption on larger mechanized farms, and limited uptake of CA by smallholder farmers in developing countries. We propose a rigorous, context-sensitive approach based on Systems Agronomy to analyze and explore sustainable intensification options, including the potential of CA. There is an urgent need to move beyond dogma and prescriptive approaches to provide soil and crop management options for farmers to enable the Sustainable Intensification of agriculture.

Agriculture and forest: A sustainable strategy in the Brazilian Amazon.

Large-scale agriculture is increasing in anthropogenically modified areas in the Amazon Basin. Crops such as soybean, maize, oil palm, and others are being introduced to supply the world demand for food and energy. However, the current challenge is to enhance the sustainability of these areas by increasing efficiency of production chains and to improve environmental services. The Amazon Basin has experienced a paradigm shift away from the traditional slash-and-burn agricultural practices, which offers decision makers the opportunity to make innovative interventions to enhance the productivity in previously degraded areas by using trees to ecological advantage. This study describes a successful experiment integrating the production of soybean and paricá (Glycine max L. and Schizolobium amazonicum) based on previous research that indicated potential topoclimatic zones for planting paricá in the Brazilian state of Pará. This paper shows that a no-tillage system reduces the effects of drought compared to conventional tillage still used by many farmers in the region. The integrated system was implemented during the 2014/2015 season in 234.6 ha in the high-potential zone in the municipality of Ulianópolis, Pará. Both soybean and paricá were planted simultaneously. Paricá was planted in 5 m x 2 m inter-tree spacing totaling 228x103 trees per hectare and soybean, in 4 m x 100 m spacing, distributed in nine rows with a 0.45 m inter-row distance, occupying 80% of the area. The harvested soybean production was 3.4 t ha-1, higher than other soybean monocultures in eastern Pará. Paricá benefited from soybean fertilization in the first year: It exhibited rapid development in height (3.26 m) and average diameter (3.85 cm). Trees and crop rotation over the following years is six years for forest species and one year for each crop. Our results confirm there are alternatives to the current production systems able to diminish negative impacts resulting from monoculture. In addition, the system provided environmental services such as reduced soil erosion and increased carbon stock by soil cover with no-tillage soybean cultivation. The soybean cover contributes to increased paricá thermal regulation and lower forestry costs. We concluded that innovative interventions are important to show local farmers that it is possible to adapt an agroforest system to large-scale production, thus changing the Amazon.

Soil management, seed treatment and soil compaction on the sowing furrows affect grain yields of upland rice genotypes.

The water availability for flood irrigated rice (Oryza sativa L.) is decreasing worldwide. Therefore, developing technologies to allow growing rice in aerobic condition, such as a no-tillage system (NTS) can contribute to produce upland rice grains without yield losses and also in saving more water. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of soil management, seed treatment and compaction on the sowing furrow on grain yield of upland rice genotypes. We made two trials, one in an NTS and another using conventional tillage, CT (one plowing and two diskings). The field experiments were performed in the Central Region of Brazil in Cerrado soils. For each trial, the experimental design was a randomized block design in a factorial scheme, with three replications. The treatments consisted of a combination of 10 genotypes with 2 compaction pressures on the sowing furrow (25 kPa and 126kPa) and 2 types of seed treatment (with and without pesticide). Under CT, the seed treatment did not contribute to increase upland rice grain yields. However, under NTS the grain yield of some genotypes [BRS Esmeralda (from 723 to 1,766 kg ha-1), BRS Pepita (from 930 to 1,874 kg ha-1), AB072044 (from 523 to 1,579 kg ha-1), and AB072085 (from 632 to 1,636 kg ha-1) at 25 kPA soil compaction pressure, and Sertaneja (from 994 to 2,167 kg ha-1), BRS Pepita (from 1,161 to 2,100 kg ha-1), and AB072085 (from 958 to 2,213 kg ha-1), at 126 kPA soil compaction pressure] increased with the use of this practice. At CT the higher soil compaction pressure on the sowing furrow (from 25 kPa to 126 kPa) increased rice grain yield only when it was used seed treatment and the genotypes Serra Dourada (from 1,239 to 2,178 kg ha-1), Sertaneja (from 1,510 to 2,379 kg ha-1), and Cambará (from 1,877 to 2,831 kg ha-1). On the other hand, under NTS, increasing soil compaction pressure on the sowing furrow allowed for an increased rice grain yield of Serra Dourada (from 1,553 to 2,347 kg ha-1), Esmeralda (from 723 to 1,643 kg ha-1), AB072044 (from 523 to 2,040 kg ha-1), and Cambará (from 1,243 to 2,032 kg ha-1) without seed treatment and Sertaneja (from 1,385 to 2,167 kg ha-1) and AB072044 (from 1,579 to 2,356 kg ha-1) with seed treatment. In CT the most productive genotypes were AB062008 (2,714 kg ha-1) and BRSMG Caravera (2,479 kg ha-1), while at NTS were the genotypes: BRSGO Serra Dourada (2,118 kg ha-1), AB072047 (1,888 kg ha-1), AB062008 (1,823 kg ha-1), BRSMG Caravera (1,737 kg ha-1), Cambará (1,716 kg ha-1), AB072044 (1,625 kg ha-1), BRS Esmeralda (1,604 kg ha-1), and BRS Pepita (1,516 kg ha-1).

Genetic diversity of mango accessions (Mangifera indica) using new microsatellite markers and morphological descriptors.

Genetic diversity estimates based on morphological and molecular data can provide different information on the relationship between cultivars of a species. This study aimed to develop new microsatellite markers as additional tools in genetic studies on mangoes (Mangifera indica L.), and to analyze the genetic variability of 20 mango cultivars based on morphological descriptors and microsatellite markers. We aimed to better understand the cultivars enhanced breeding histories and to support crossbreeding planning. Positive clones were selected from a DNA library enriched for microsatellite regions for sequencing and primer design. Four plants of each of the 20 accessions were used for observations, based on 48 morphological descriptors. Twenty accessions were analyzed using 27 microsatellite markers, of which 16 were developed during this study. The clusters, based on the morphological descriptors by Ward - MLM strategy and the microsatellite markers, suggested that Brazilian mango cultivars have extensive genetic diversity and are related to cultivars with different provenances, demonstrating their different enhanced breeding histories.

Genetic analysis of 'Moscato branco' and other muscat grapes held by the grape germplasm bank in Brazil.

2012

Grape breeding and genetic studies in Brazil.

2012

MAGGnet: an international network to foster mitigation of agricultural greenhouse gases.

Research networks provide a framework for review, synthesis and systematic testing of theories by multiple scientists across international borders critical for addressing global-scale issues. In 2012, a GHG research network referred to as MAGGnet (Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Network) was established within the Croplands Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA). With involvement from 46 alliance member countries, MAGGnet seeks to provide a platform for the inventory and analysis of agricultural GHG mitigation research throughout the world. To date, metadata from 315 experimental studies in 20 countries have been compiled using a standardized spreadsheet. Most studies were completed (74%) and conducted within a 1-3-year duration (68%). Soil carbon and nitrous oxide emissions were measured in over 80% of the studies. Among plant variables, grain yield was assessed across studies most frequently (56%), followed by stover (35%) and root (9%) biomass. MAGGnet has contributed to modeling efforts and has spurred other research groups in the GRA to collect experimental site metadata using an adapted spreadsheet. With continued growth and investment, MAGGnet will leverage limited-resource investments by any one country to produce an inclusive, globally shared meta-database focused on the science of GHG mitigation.

On the role of Computational Logic in Data Science: representing, learning, reasoning, and explaining knowledge

In this thesis we discuss in what ways computational logic (CL) and data science (DS) can jointly contribute to the management of knowledge within the scope of modern and future artificial intelligence (AI), and how technically-sound software technologies can be realised along the path. An agent-oriented mindset permeates the whole discussion, by stressing pivotal role of autonomous agents in exploiting both means to reach higher degrees of intelligence. Accordingly, the goals of this thesis are manifold. First, we elicit the analogies and differences among CL and DS, hence looking for possible synergies and complementarities along 4 major knowledge-related dimensions, namely representation, acquisition (a.k.a. learning), inference (a.k.a. reasoning), and explanation. In this regard, we propose a conceptual framework through which bridges these disciplines can be described and designed. We then survey the current state of the art of AI technologies, w.r.t. their capability to support bridging CL and DS in practice. After detecting lacks and opportunities, we propose the notion of logic ecosystem as the new conceptual, architectural, and technological solution supporting the incremental integration of symbolic and sub-symbolic AI. Finally, we discuss how our notion of logic ecosys- tem can be reified into actual software technology and extended towards many DS-related directions.

Rh, Kell, Duffy, Kidd And Diego Blood Group System Polymorphism In Brazilian Japanese Descendants.

Polymorphisms of Rh, Kell, Duffy, Kidd and Diego blood group systems were studied in 209 unrelated Brazilian Japanese descendants from South of Brazil. The methods used were multiplex-PCR, AS-PCR and RFLP-PCR. The differences in frequencies among the populations were evaluated using chi-square test. The frequencies for Rh, Kell, Kidd and Diego system were similar to those of the Japanese. RHCE(*)CC, RHCE(*)EE genotypes and FY(*)01 allele were lower and FY(*)01N.01 was higher than Japanese. These differences in the frequencies between Brazilian Japanese descendants and Japanese could indicate a gene flow in Brazilian population and reinforce the importance of this knowledge to achieve safe red blood cells.

Innovation and entrepreneurship in scientific research

This research wants to lay emphasis on topics that historicize and rescue concepts, in addition, shows the relation between innovation and socioeconomic development resulted; reviews the legal framework to stimulate new innovation into Brazilian society; considers the definition and the entrepreneur university's new paradigm; and finally, this research highlights the importance of teaching entrepreneur at universities, with straight society benefits. The results suggests that innovation is directly enrolled with a successful development of certain society, as well, is actually the biggest business competitive differential into corporative universe. In one way of getting results of social advancement to inform entrepreneur research practice, it appears that entrepreneurs concepts, necessarily, must be incorporated into the array of Science/Technology/Innovation for the effective development of supported formula. This article develops a thought about actual scientific researches paradigm, the way that is built on today, and if it's sufficient to effectively get the results that society expects from main bodies to create human resource and researches, especially those with innovation aspects, at Brazilian economic improvement.

Saving our science from ourselves: the plight of biological classification

Saving our science from ourselves: the plight of biological classification. Biological classification ( nomenclature, taxonomy, and systematics) is being sold short. The desire for new technologies, faster and cheaper taxonomic descriptions, identifications, and revisions is symptomatic of a lack of appreciation and understanding of classification. The problem of gadget-driven science, a lack of best practice and the inability to accept classification as a descriptive and empirical science are discussed. The worst cases scenario is a future in which classifications are purely artificial and uninformative.

Photon-hadron jet correlations in p plus p and Au plus Au collisions at s(NN)=200 GeV

We report the observation at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider of suppression of back-to-back correlations in the direct photon+jet channel in Au+Au relative to p+p collisions. Two-particle correlations of direct photon triggers with associated hadrons are obtained by statistical subtraction of the decay photon-hadron (gamma-h) background. The initial momentum of the away-side parton is tightly constrained, because the parton-photon pair exactly balance in momentum at leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics, making such correlations a powerful probe of the in-medium parton energy loss. The away-side nuclear suppression factor, I(AA), in central Au+Au collisions, is 0.32 +/- 0.12(stat)+/- 0.09(syst) for hadrons of 3 < p(T)(h)< 5 in coincidence with photons of 5 < p(T)(gamma)< 15 GeV/c. The suppression is comparable to that observed for high-p(T) single hadrons and dihadrons. The direct photon associated yields in p+p collisions scale approximately with the momentum balance, z(T)equivalent to p(T)(h)/p(T)(gamma), as expected for a measurement of the away-side parton fragmentation function. We compare to Au+Au collisions for which the momentum balance dependence of the nuclear modification should be sensitive to the path-length dependence of parton energy loss.

Meiobenthic communities of seagrass beds (Zostera capricorni) and unvegetated sediments along the coast of New South Wales, Australia

Seagrass beds have higher biomass, abundance, diversity and productivity of benthic organisms than unvegetated sediments. However, to date most studies have analysed only the macrofaunal component and ignored the abundant meiofauna present in seagrass meadows. This study was designed to test if meiobenthic communities, especially the free-living nematodes, differed between seagrass beds and unvegetated sediments. Sediment samples from beds of the eelgrass Zostera capricorni and nearby unvegetated sediments were collected in three estuaries along the coast of New South Wales, Australia. Results showed that sediments below the seagrass were finer, with a higher content of organic material and were less oxygenated than sediments without seagrass. Univariate measures of the fauna (i.e. abundance, diversity and taxa richness of total meiofauna and nematode assemblages) did not differ between vegetated and unvegetated sediments. However multivariate analysis of meiofaunal higher taxa showed significant differences between the two habitats, largely due to the presence and absence of certain taxa. Amphipods, tanaidacea, ostracods, hydrozoans and isopods occurred mainly in unvegetated sediments, while kinorhyncs, polychaetes, gastrotrichs and turbellarians were more abundant in vegetated sediments. Regarding the nematode assemblages, 32.4% of the species were restricted to Z. capricorni and 25% only occurred in unvegetated sediments, this suggests that each habitat is characterized by a particular suite of species. Epistrate feeding nematodes were more abundant in seagrass beds, and it is suggested that they graze on the microphytobenthos which accumulates underneath the seagrass. Most of the genera that characterized these estuarine unvegetated sediments are also commonly found on exposed sandy beaches. This may be explained by the fact that Australian estuaries have very little input of freshwater and experience marine conditions for most of the year. This study demonstrates that the seagrass and unvegetated sediments have discrete meiofaunal communities, with little overlap in species composition. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of crab size and habitat type on the locomotory activity of juvenile shore crabs, Carcinus maenas

Post-settlement processes are a major focus in the study of the dynamics of marine populations and communities. Post-settlement movement of juveniles is an important, but often ignored, process which affects local predator-prey and competitive interactions. We used benthic suction sampling and pitfall traps to examine density and locomotory activity of Carcinus maenas juveniles in different intertidal habitat types in the Rio Mira Estuary, Portugal, to better understand intra-specific interactions in a system where density-dependent processes are known to regulate population dynamics. As expected, significantly higher densities of juvenile shore crabs were found from bare mud compared to densely vegetated habitats. At the time of sampling, small and intermediate stages together outnumbered by far the larger juveniles. Conversely, larger crabs were much more frequent than smaller ones in traps. A locomotory index (LI), i.e. the ratio between crab catch in pitfall traps and their density within their moving range, is proposed as a measure of movement. LI analyses indicated that: (1) movement is an order of magnitude higher in large than small juveniles and much higher in sparse than dense vegetation cover; (2) activity of small juveniles is mostly crepuscular, regardless of vegetation cover; and (3) movement of large juveniles is very limited in dense Zostera patches, but very high in sparsely vegetated areas, during the day and night. These results suggest that small juveniles are relatively protected under dense vegetation cover due to lower mobility of larger crabs, and provide evidence of temporal segregation of activity windows between juvenile crabs of different sizes, which may be a key mechanism to reduce cannibalism and therefore increase the carrying capacity of nursery habitats. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.