Structural reforms, productivity and technological change in Latin America

Includes bibliography

Structural change and productivity growth, 20 years later: old problems, new opportunities

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Leaf spray fertilization of boron and zinc on productivity and fruit quality of Japanese pear tree

The cultivation of fruit plants from temperate climate in tropical or subtropical regions can be a good income alternative for the producer. However, due to the little existent information about cultivation of those fruit plants, the producers use imported techniques of other producing areas, or even an association of practices used for other fruit plants, pointing out the leaf spray fertilization of micronutrients without appropriate scientific base. In this context, the objective of this study was to verify the effect of the leaf spray fertilization of B and Zn on productivity and fruit quality of Japanese pear tree. The experiment was conducted from 2004 to 2005, in Ilha Solteira, in northwestern São Paulo State-Brazil. The climate is, according to the Köpppen Classification, tropical wet and dry (Aw). The 'Okusankichi' cultivar, grafted on Pyrus communis L. rootstock was used as well as doses of 110 g.ha-1 of B and 250 g.ha-1 of Zn in each application. The treatments were: T1. water, T2. boric acid, T3. zinc sulfate, T4. T2 + T3, T5. boric acid + urea + citric acid + EDTA, T6. zinc sulfate + urea + citric acid + EDTA, T7. T5 + T6, T8. boric acid + urea + citric acid + EDTA + sodium molibdate + sulfur + calcium chloride, T9. zinc sulfate + urea + citric acid + EDTA + Fe sulfate + Mn sulfate + Mg sulfate and, T10. T8+T9. A randomized blocks design was used and the averages were compared by Tukey test. In the first crop the mixture of boric acid with quelating agents were efficient to supply B to the plants and zinc sulfate plus quelating agents were efficient to increase Zn leaf content. However, the productivity and the fruit quality were not influenced by the leaf spray of B and Zn. In the second crop the leaf content of B and Zn and the productivity were not influenced by the leaf spray; the boric acid and the zinc sulfate with or without quelating agents increased the contents of total soluble solids and, the boric acid with or without quelating agents increased the contents of total titratable acidity.

Productivity growth in Latin American manufacturing: what role for international trade intensities?

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Social dimensions of economic development and productivity: inequality and social performance

Includes bibliography

Social dimensions of economic development and productivity: inequality and social performance: an overview

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Threshold effects in the relationship between inward foreign direct investment and import productivity growth in Latin America and the Caribbean

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Employment, growth and reforms in Jamaica

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Productivity characteristics of endive as a function of spacing

Endive (Cichorium intybus) is one of the vegetables least studied in Brazil with respect to the behavior of the most commercialized cultivars, but it is known that the number of plants per area is one of the factors that most influences the productivity of various crops. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the behavior of endive using four spacings between rows and five spacings between plants, in the region of Jaboticabal-SP. The experiment was conducted in the field in the period of August 12, 2008 to November 6, 2008, in the experimental area of the Sector of Vegetable Crops and Aromatic-Medicinal Plants, Department of Crop Sciences, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences - UNESP-FCAV. The experimental design utilized was a randomized block design with a 4 × 5 factorial scheme, i.e., four spacings between rows (0.15, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30 m) and five spacings between plants (0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30 m), with three repetitions. The endive cultivar studied was 'Pão-de-Acucar', obtained from the company Tecnoseed. Seedlings were established utilizing the sowing system in 200-cell Styrofoam trays containing the substrate Plantmax Vegetables® HA. The seedlings were transplanted at 37 days after planting. After harvesting, the following characteristics were determined: height (cm), diameter of the plant in rows (cm), diameter of the plant in between rows (cm), number of leaves, fresh weight (g) and total estimated productivity (t/ha). There were no interactions between the factors studied. Based on the data, we conclude that spacings of 0.15 m between rows and of 0.15 m between plants produce plants of higher quality and with greater productivity.

Productivity, technology and domestic efforts in research and development (the growth-path of a Rayon plant)

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Water productivity assessment by using MODIS images and agrometeorological data in the Petrolina municipality, Brazil

The municipality of Petrolina, located in the semi-arid region of Brazil, is highlighted as an important agricultural growing region, however the irrigated areas have cleared natural vegetation inducing a loss of biodiversity. To analyze the contrast between these two ecosystems the large scale values of biomass production (BIO), evapotranspiration (ET) and water productivity (WP) were quantified. Monteithś equation was applied for estimating the absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (APAR), while the new SAFER (Simple Algorithm For Evapotranspiration Retrieving) algorithm was used to retrieve ET. The water productivity (WP) was analysed by the ratio of BIO by ET at monthly time scale with four bands of MODIS satellite images together with agrometeorological data for the year of 2011. The period with the highest water productivity values were from March to April in the rainy period for both irrigated and not irrigated conditions. However the largest ET rates were in November for irrigated crops and April for natural vegetation. More uniformity of the vegetation and water variables occurs in natural vegetation, evidenced by the lower values of standard deviation when comparing to irrigated crops, due to the different crop stages, cultural and irrigation managements. The models applied with MODIS satellite images on a large scale are considered to be suitable for water productivity assessments and for quantifying the effects of increasing irrigated areas over natural vegetation on regional water consumption in situations of quick changing land use pattern. © 2012 SPIE.

Relationship between citrus productivity and indicators of uniformity in trickle irrigation system

In trickle irrigation systems, the design is based on the pre-established emission uniformity (EU) which is the combined result of the equipment characteristics and its hydraulic configuration. However, this desired value of the EU may not be confirmed by the final project (in field conditions) and neither by the yield uniformity. The hypotheses of this research were: a) the EU of a trickle irrigation system at field conditions is equal to the emission uniformity pre-established in the its design; b) EU has always the lowest value when compared with other indicators of uniformity; c) the discharge variation coefficient (VC) is not equal to production variation coefficient in the operational unit; d) the difference between the discharge variation coefficient and the productivity variation coefficient depends on the water depth applied. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between EU used in the irrigation system design and the final yield uniformity. The uniformity indicators evaluated were: EU, distribution uniformity (UD) and the index proposed by Barragan & Wu (2005). They were compared estimating the performance of a trickle irrigation system applied in a citrus orchard with dimensions of 400m x 600m. The design of the irrigation system was optimized by a Linear Programming model. The tree rows were leveled in the larger direction and the spacing adopted in the orchard was 7m x 4m. The manifold line was always operating on a slope condition. The sensitivity analysis involved different slopes, 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12%, and different values of emission uniformity, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 and 94%. The citrus yield uniformity was evaluated by the variation coefficient. The emission uniformity (EU) after design differed from the EU pre-established, more sharply in the initial values lower than 90%. Comparing the uniformity indexes, the EU always generated lower values when compared with the UD and with the index proposed by Barragan. The emitter variation coefficient was always lower than the productivity variation coefficient. To obtain uniformity of production, it is necessary to consider the irrigation system uniformity and mainly the water depth to be applied.

Productivity and water suppression in different beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) phenological stages

Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is widespread in the social and economic scene in Brazil, as well it is Brazilian population main dish, and it also helps small and medium farmers' income. The objective of this study was to compare the productivity performance of common bean Carioca - IAC Alvorada with irrigation suppression in each of the five phenological phases. The experiment was conducted in plots in a greenhouse at College of Agronomical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu - SP. The hypothesis is that if the water supply is suppressed in one of the five development stages of irrigated common beans, the yield reduction would be at least 20%. The treatments consisted of suppression irrigation in one of the five development stages (stage V1 to V3, stage V4 to early flowering, flowering stage, pod formation stage and pod filling stage) compared with the irrigation at all stages and suppression of irrigation at all stages, with seven treatments and four replications. The treatments most affected by water suppression were those which suffered suppression of irrigation during the vegetative phase and flowering stage. Treatments with water suppression in all stages, and suppression during the phases (stage V1 to V3, stage V4 to early flowering, flowering stage, pod formation stage and pod filling stage) showed yield reduction of approximately 95%, 55.1%, 49.5%, 63,1%, 30.2% and 35.6%, respectively, when compared to treatment with irrigation all stages. All treatments considered confirmed the hypothesis.

Productivity: agriculture compared with the economy at large

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