Matéria orgânica e a relação com os solos da Reunião Brasileira de Classificação e Correlação: Pantanal e Cerrado do Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul.

A matéria orgânica é um importante elemento para a separação e classificação de horizontes dos solos nos diversos sistemas taxonômicos, devido à relação com a morfologia, atributos químicos, físicos e mineralógicos. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os teores de carbono orgânico e as rações húmicas dos horizontes superficiais e subsuperficiais dos solos da X Reunião Brasileira de Classificação e Correlação. Foram selecionados perfis e nestes, horizontes superficiais e subsuperficias que identificam as classes de solo. Em amostras de terra, foram determinados os teores do carbono orgânico do solo e das frações húmicas. A fração humina predominou, seguido da fração ácidos húmicos nos pedoambientes Salina e Capão (sedimentos arenosos e calcário), enquanto, para os demais pedoambientes a fração humina é seguida da fração ácidos fúlvicos. Exceção com o predomínio das frações alcalinosolúveis no horizonte A2 do perfil MS03 (Capão) e horizontes A2 e Bw1 do perfil MS17 (Planalto). Com base na distribuição das frações húmicas não foi detectado acúmulo das frações alcalinosolúveis para os horizontes subsuperficiais caracterizados como Bh dos perfis MS01 e MS12 (Salina).

Crescimento de Stryphnodendron adstringens no bioma Cerrado, Formosa, GO.

2015

Influência da densidade de semeadura nas características agronômicas de cultivares de girassol.

RESUMO: O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a influência de densidades de semeadura de genótipos de girassol em suas características agronômicas. O experimento foi realizado no campo experimental do IFMT, Campus Campo Novo do Parecis - MT, entre os meses de fevereiro e junho de 2015. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi de blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial 5 x 5, sendo cinco genótipos de girassol AGUARÁ 04, GNZ NEON, HÉLIO 251, SYN 045 e SYN 3950HO) e cinco populações de plantas (30.000, 37.500, 45.000, 52.500 e 60.000 plantas ha-1), com 3 repetições. Foram analisadas as características altura de planta, diâmetro da haste, tamanho do capítulo, massa de mil aquênios e produtividade de aquênios. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de variância, seguido de teste Tukey para cultivares e análise de regressão para as diferentes populações de plantas (p<0,05). O genótipo SYN 045 apresentou a maior produtividade de aquênios, 1.708,90 kg ha-1 enquanto que a população de 60.150 plantas ha-1 foi a que possibilitou a maior produtividade de aquênios, 2.391,92 kg ha-1. ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of sowing density of sunflower genotypes on their agronomic characteristics. The experiment was conducted in the experimental field of IFMT, Campus Campo Novo do Parecis - MT, between February and June 2015. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a factorial 5 x 5, five sunflower genotypes (AGUARÁ 04, GNZ NEON, HÉLIO 251, SYN 045 and SYN 3950HO) and five plant populations (30,000, 37,500, 45,000, 52,500 and 60,000 plants ha-1) with 3 repetitions. Plant height, stem diameter, chapter length, mass thousand achenes and achenes productivity were analyzed. The data were submitted to analysis of variance followed by Tukey test for cultivars and regres. -

Comportamento temporal de genótipos de girassol no Cerrado do Distrito Federal em safrinha de 2014 e 2015.

RESUMO:Com o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento agronômico de genótipos de girassol no Cerrado do Distrito Federal, foram conduzidos ensaios na safrinha dos anos de 2014 e 2015, na estação experimental da Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina, DF. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições, e foram avaliados 12 genótipos de girassol: HLA 2015, NTC 90, SYN 065, M734, BRS G44, HLA 2014, BRS G45, BRS G43, HLA 2013, HLA 2017, BRS G46, HLA 2016. As características avaliadas foram rendimento de grãos, tamanho do capitulo, peso de mil aquênios, altura de plantas e dias de floração inicial. Diferenças significativas foram encontradas para as características avaliadas. Os genótipos que se destacaram em relação ao rendimento de grãos foram HLA 2014 (3.161 kg ha-1) e a testemunha M743 (3.212 kg ha-1). Além disso, o ensaio do ano 2014 apresentou uma média de rendimento maior (2.829 kg ha-1) e mais precoces (63,10 dias) em relação a 2015. O trabalho permitiu a identificação de materiais promissores para exploração em programas de melhoramento genético. ABSTRACT: Aiming the evaluation on agronomic behavior of sunflower genotypes in the Brazilian savannah, experiments were carried on in the second crop of 2014 and 2015 at Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária dos Cerrados (Embrapa), Planaltina, DF. A complete randomized block design was used with four replications and 12 genotypes of sunflower were analyzed: HLA 2015, NTC 90, SYN 065, M734, BRS G44, HLA 2014, BRS G45, BRS G43, HLA 2013, HLA 2017, BRS G46, HLA 2016.The evaluated characteristics were grain yield, head, weight thousand achenes, plant height, and flowering time. Significant differences were found in all evaluated characteristics. The genotypes that stood out in seed yield were HLA 2014 (3161 kg ha-1) and M743 (3212 kg ha-1). Besides, the 2014 experiment presented a seed yield average higher (2829 kg ha-1), and earlier flowering (63,10 days) when compared to 2015 experiment. This study allowed the identification of promising materials to explore in breeding programs.

A review of spectral properties of plants and their potential use for crop/weed discrimination in row-crops

R. Zwiggelaar, 'A review of spectral properties of plants and their potential use for crop/weed discrimination in row-crops', Crop Protection 17 (3), 189-206 (1998)

Investigating the removal of some pharmaceutical compounds in hospital wastewater treatment plants operating in Saudi Arabia

The concentrations of 12 pharmaceutical compounds (atenolol, erythromycin, cyclophosphamide, paracetamol, bezafibrate, carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, caffeine, clarithromycin, lidocaine, sulfamethoxazole and Nacetylsulfamethoxazol (NACS)) were investigated in the influents and effluents of two hospital wastewater treatment plants (HWWTPs) in Saudi Arabia. The majority of the target analytes were detected in the influent samples apart from bezafibrate, cyclophosphamide, and erythromycin. Caffeine and paracetamol were detected in the influent at particularly high concentrations up to 75 and 12 ug/L, respectively. High removal efficiencies of the pharmaceutical compounds were observed in both HWWTPs, with greater than 90 % removal on average. Paracetamol, sulfamethoxazole, NACS, ciprofloxacin, and caffeine were eliminated by between >95 and >99 % on average. Atenolol, carbamazepine, and clarithromycin were eliminated by >86 % on average. Of particular interest were the high removal efficiencies of carbamazepine and antibiotics that were achieved by the HWWTPs; these compounds have been reported to be relatively recalcitrant to biological treatment and are generally only partially removed. Elevated temperatures and high levels of sunlight were considered to be the main factors that enhanced the removal of these compounds.

Expert assessments of retrofitting coal-fired power plants with carbon dioxide capture technologies

A set of 13 US based experts in post-combustion and oxy-fuel combustion CO2 capture systems responded to an extensive questionnaire asking their views on the present status and future expected performance and costs for amine-based, chilled ammonia, and oxy-combustion retrofits of coal-fired power plants. This paper presents the experts' responses for technology maturity, ideal plant characteristics for early adopters, and the extent to which R&D and deployment incentives will impact costs. It also presents the best estimates and 95% confidence limits of the energy penalties associated with amine-based systems. The results show a general consensus that amine-based systems are closer to commercial application, but potential for improving performance and lowering costs is limited; chilled ammonia and oxy-combustion offer greater potential for cost reductions, but not without greater uncertainty regarding scale and technical feasibility. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Information processing without brains--the power of intercellular regulators in plants.

Plants exhibit different developmental strategies than animals; these are characterized by a tight linkage between environmental conditions and development. As plants have neither specialized sensory organs nor a nervous system, intercellular regulators are essential for their development. Recently, major advances have been made in understanding how intercellular regulation is achieved in plants on a molecular level. Plants use a variety of molecules for intercellular regulation: hormones are used as systemic signals that are interpreted at the individual-cell level; receptor peptide-ligand systems regulate local homeostasis; moving transcriptional regulators act in a switch-like manner over small and large distances. Together, these mechanisms coherently coordinate developmental decisions with resource allocation and growth.

Biogeographic analysis of the woody plants of the Southern Appalachians: Implications for the origins of a regional flora.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: We investigated the origins of 252 Southern Appalachian woody species representing 158 clades to analyze larger patterns of biogeographic connectivity around the northern hemisphere. We tested biogeographic hypotheses regarding the timing of species disjunctions to eastern Asia and among areas of North America. METHODS: We delimited species into biogeographically informative clades, compiled sister-area data, and generated graphic representations of area connections across clades. We calculated taxon diversity within clades and plotted divergence times. KEY RESULTS: Of the total taxon diversity, 45% were distributed among 25 North American endemic clades. Sister taxa within eastern North America and eastern Asia were proportionally equal in frequency, accounting for over 50% of the sister-area connections. At increasing phylogenetic depth, connections to the Old World dominated. Divergence times for 65 clades with intercontinental disjunctions were continuous, whereas 11 intracontinental disjunctions to western North America and nine to eastern Mexico were temporally congruent. CONCLUSIONS: Over one third of the clades have likely undergone speciation within the region of eastern North America. The biogeographic pattern for the region is asymmetric, consisting of mostly mixed-aged, low-diversity clades connecting to the Old World, and a minority of New World clades. Divergence time data suggest that climate change in the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene generated disjunct patterns within North America. Continuous splitting times during the last 45 million years support the hypothesis that widespread distributions formed repeatedly during favorable periods, with serial cooling trends producing pseudocongruent area disjunctions between eastern North America and eastern Asia.

Phytochrome diversity in green plants and the origin of canonical plant phytochromes.

Phytochromes are red/far-red photoreceptors that play essential roles in diverse plant morphogenetic and physiological responses to light. Despite their functional significance, phytochrome diversity and evolution across photosynthetic eukaryotes remain poorly understood. Using newly available transcriptomic and genomic data we show that canonical plant phytochromes originated in a common ancestor of streptophytes (charophyte algae and land plants). Phytochromes in charophyte algae are structurally diverse, including canonical and non-canonical forms, whereas in land plants, phytochrome structure is highly conserved. Liverworts, hornworts and Selaginella apparently possess a single phytochrome, whereas independent gene duplications occurred within mosses, lycopods, ferns and seed plants, leading to diverse phytochrome families in these clades. Surprisingly, the phytochrome portions of algal and land plant neochromes, a chimera of phytochrome and phototropin, appear to share a common origin. Our results reveal novel phytochrome clades and establish the basis for understanding phytochrome functional evolution in land plants and their algal relatives.

Can nuclear power plants be built in Britain without public subsidies and guarantees?

This report examines the credibility of the claim by the UK government that nuclear power plants can be built in the UK without public subsidies and guarantees