Caracterização dos genes scMUTM1 e scMUTM2 de cana-de-açúcar

Plants are organisms sessile and because of this they are susceptible to genotoxic effects due to environmental exposure such as light [including ultraviolet (UV)], heat, drought and chemicals agents. Therefore, there are differents pathways in order to detect a lesion and correct. These pathways are not well known in plants. The MutM/Fpg protein is a DNA glycosylase that is responsible for detect and correct oxidative lesions. In the sugarcane genome, it was found two possible cDNAs that had homology to this protein: scMUTM1 and scMUTM2. The aim of this work was to characterize the role of these cDNAs in plants. In order to do this, the expression level after oxidative stress was evaluated by semiquantitative RT-PCR. Another point analyzed in order to obtain the full-length gene, it was to use a sugarcane genomic library that was hybridized with both cDNAs as a probe. It was found two clones that will bought and sequenced. The promoter region was also cloned. It was obtained sequences only for scMUTM2 promoter region. The sequences obtained were divided into six groups. It was found regulatory motifs such as TATA-box, CAAT-box, oxidative stress element response and regulatory regions that response to light. The other point analyzed was to characterize the N-terminal region by PCR constructs. These constructs have deletions at 5 region. These sequences were introduce into Escherichia coli wild type strain (CC104) and double mutant (CC104mutMmutY). The results showed that proteins with deletions of scMUTM1 N-terminal region were able to complement the Fpg and MutY-glycosylase deficiency in CC104 mutMmutY reducing the spontaneous mutation frequency

Produtividade e composição bromatológica do capim-marandu a fontes e doses de nitrogênio

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of doses and sources of nitrogen in the productivity and quality characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu. A randomized block design in a factorial scheme 5x3x3, with 4 repetitions was used. The treatments were constituted by 5 doses of nitrogen: 0, 50, 100, 150, 200 kg/ha/cut, 3 sources: Entec - amonium sulfonitrate + nitrification inhibitor - dymethilpirazolphosphate, Ammonium sulfate and Urea, in 3 cuts, accomplished with intervals of 30, 30 and 34 days to evaluate the production of dry mass, crude protein content (PB), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), total digestible nutrients (NDT) and chlorophyll content. The chlorophilometer data increased when user as a function of N doses with Entec and Urea sources and up to 174 kg/ha of N with ammonium sulfate; showing significant correlation with N content in plants. Independently of the source, the application up to 200 kg N/ha/application in Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu provided increment in the production of dry mass improving the quality composition for increasing the PB and NDT content and, decreasing the FDN and FDA contents.

Evapotranspiração da cultura da melancia irrigada com água de diferentes salinidades

Sabe-se que a determinação precisa da evapotranspiração da cultura (ETc) é de grande importância para o uso eficiente da água, principalmente em regiões áridas e semiáridas onde se faz necessária a utilização de água salina para irrigação. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a evapotranspiração da melancia, cultivar Mickylee, com o uso de diferentes níveis de salinidade da água de irrigação. O experimento foi conduzido na Fazenda Experimental da Alagoinha, pertencente à Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Mossoró - RN. Os níveis de salinidade da água de irrigação foram: S1 = 0,55; S2 = 1,65; S3 = 2,35; S4 = 3,5, e S5 = 4,5 dS m-1, sendo os tratamentos dispostos no delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. A determinação da evapotranspiração de referência (ETo) foi realizada pelo método FAO-Penmam-Monteith, e a ETc, pelas leituras obtidas em lisímetros de pesagem, instalados nos tratamentos S1 e S5. Os resultados mostraram que a ETc da melancia diminui com o aumento da salinidade da água aplicada e que a evapotranspiração total durante o ciclo foi de 245 e 214 mm, respectivamente, para os tratamentos S1 e S5. Os valores médios de Kc obtidos para cada fase fenológica foram 0,23; 0,68; 1,12; 0,90 e 0,24; 0,61; 0,98 e 0,78, respectivamente, para as águas S1 e S5.

Fenologia da figueira-da-índia em Selvíria - MS

A figueira-da-índia é uma cactácea de origem mexicana, com grande potencial produtivo para as condições edafoclimáticas do Brasil, porém a falta de conhecimento faz com que a cultura seja pouco cultivada. Com o objetivo de avaliar a fenologia da figueira-da-índia, o presente trabalho foi realizado em plantas com 4 anos de idade, no espaçamento de 1,0 x 2,5 m, na área experimental da Fazenda de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão da Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira - UNESP, localizada no município de Selvíria - MS, de agosto de 2006 a janeiro de 2007. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, com dez repetições, com uma planta por parcela experimental, ocasião em que foram avaliados a fenologia e o crescimento dos frutos. O período de emissão das gemas concentrou-se nos meses de setembro e outubro. O florescimento, ocorreu 30 dias após a emissão da gema florífera. Os frutos atingiram a maturidade fisiológica (ponto de colheita) aos 66 dias após o florescimento e aos 72 dias apresentavam-se maduros, aptos para o consumo. O período de desenvolvimento dos frutos, desde a emissão da gema florífera até a maturidade fisiológica, foi de 96 dias. A curva de crescimento dos frutos foi do tipo quadrática. A cultura da figueira-da-índia pode tornar-se uma alternativa principalmente para pequenos produtores, visto que não exige grandes investimentos para sua implantação e condução, além de se adaptar bem às condições ambientais de nosso País. Seus frutos possuem excelentes preços tanto no mercado nacional como no internacional, e o aproveitamento na forma de doces e geleias pode incrementar a renda dos produtores.

Screening and Production Study of Microbial Xylanase Producers from Brazilian Cerrado

Hemicelluloses are polysaccharides of low molecular weight containing 100 to 200 glycosidic residues. In plants, the xylans or the hemicelluloses are situated between the lignin and the collection of cellulose fibers underneath. The xylan is the most common hemicellulosic polysaccharide in cell walls of land plants, comprising a backbone of xylose residues linked by beta-1,4-glycosidic bonds. So, xylanolytic enzymes from microorganism have attracted a great deal of attention in the last decade, particularly because of their biotechnological characteristics in various industrial processes, related to food, feed, ethanol, pulp, and paper industries. A microbial screening of xylanase producer was carried out in Brazilian Cerrado area in Selviria city, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. About 50 bacterial strains and 15 fungal strains were isolated from soil sample at 35 A degrees C. Between these isolated microorganisms, a bacterium Lysinibacillus sp. and a fungus Neosartorya spinosa as good xylanase producers were identified. Based on identification processes, Lysinibacillus sp. is a new species and the xylanase production by this bacterial genus was not reported yet. Similarly, it has not reported about xylanase production from N. spinosa. The bacterial strain P5B1 identified as Lysinibacillus sp. was cultivated on submerged fermentation using as substrate xylan, wheat bran, corn straw, corncob, and sugar cane bagasse. Corn straw and wheat bran show a good xylanase activity after 72 h of fermentation. A fungus identified as N. spinosa (strain P2D16) was cultivated on solid-state fermentation using as substrate source wheat bran, wheat bran plus sawdust, corn straw, corncob, cassava bran, and sugar cane bagasse. Wheat bran and corncobs show the better xylanase production after 72 h of fermentation. Both crude xylanases were characterized and a bacterial xylanase shows optimum pH for enzyme activity at 6.0, whereas a fungal xylanase has optimum pH at 5.0-5.5. They were stable in the pH range 5.0-10.0 and 5.5-8.5 for bacterial and fungal xylanase, respectively. The optimum temperatures were 55C and 60 A degrees C for bacterial and fungal xylanase, respectively, and they were thermally stable up to 50 A degrees C.

Efeito do adubo verde e época de semeadura sobre a produtividade do feijão, em plantio direto em região de cerrado

Effect of green manure and sowing date on the productivity of bean no-tillage in the Cerrado region. Green manure and sowing date are two important factors that influence the productivity of cultivars. The objective of this study was to evaluate the production of biomass from different vegetation covers (millet, sorghum and Brachiaria brizantha) and the accumulation of nutrients and their effects on the bean cultivars (Pearl, IAC Tuna and Carioca Precoce) at different sowing dates (6/22 and 7/6). The experiment was conducted at the experimental area of the Universidade Estadual Paulista - Unesp, located in Selviria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, in the 2006/2007 agricultural year. The randomized blocks design was used with four replications, and the evaluations of the coverage were: the biomass of fresh and dry matter and nutrients accumulated in plants; for the beans: cycle, final stand, number of pods/plant, number of seeds per pod, mass of 100 seeds, and productivity. It was observed that millet and sorghum showed higher productivity of fresh and dry mass, and accumulate greater quantity of nutrients in straw; the time most suitable for sowing was in June, and the late sowing of cv. Carioca Precoce did not affect their productivity, the use of Brachiaria brizantha straw in coverage provided better conditions for productivity in the bean no-tillage system.

Características físicas e químicas de frutos de maracujazeiro-amarelo enxertado em três porta-enxertos

O mercado de frutas frescas do maracujá-amarelo valoriza a qualidade interna e externa dos frutos. Assim, este trabalho teve o objetivo de avaliar o efeito do porta-enxerto e do tipo de enxertia na qualidade dos frutos de maracujazeiro-amarelo (Passiflora edulis Sims). O experimento foi conduzido no município de Adamantina-SP, no período de abril de 2006 a junho de 2007, adotando-se o delineamento em blocos ao acaso, em esquema fatorial 3 x 2 + 1 tratamento adicional, com quatro repetições. Os porta-enxertos avaliados foram: P. edulis (maracujá-amarelo), P. alata (maracujá-doce) e P. gibertii (maracujá-giberti), em dois tipos de enxertia: hipocotiledonar e convencional por garfagem tipo fenda cheia e um tratamento adicional, sem enxertia. Utilizou-se como copa o maracujazeiro-amarelo (Passiflora edulis Sims). Avaliaram-se o comprimento, o diâmetro, a massa fresca e a classificação dos frutos no período de novembro de 2006 a abril de 2007, a massa e a espessura da casca dos frutos, o rendimento do suco, o teor de sólidos solúveis totais (SST), a acidez total titulável (ATT) e o ratio (SST/ATT) dos frutos no mês de dezembro de 2006. O diâmetro e a massa fresca de frutos obtidos de plantas enxertadas sobre P. gibertii foram inferiores em relação aos de plantas pé-franco e aos de plantas enxertadas sobre P. alata. Os maiores comprimentos de frutos foram encontrados em plantas não enxertadas. Os porta-enxertos utilizados não influenciaram no teor de SST, na ATT e no ratio. O método de enxertia não interfere no diâmetro, no comprimento, na massa fresca dos frutos, na massa e na espessura da casca, no rendimento do suco e no teor de SST.

Revitalização do Rio Golandim (RN/Brasil) após décadas de contaminação por efluentes industriais e domésticos: este rio está recuperado?

Environmental pollution causes the loss of the quality of aquatic resources and also affects the health of human beings. The Golandim River is located in São Gonçalo do Amarante (RN Brazil) and had its water recovered seven years ago by measurements of parameters of the water s quality analyses physicochemistry, microbiological and heavy metals. However, it is not well established if this river is truly recovered, so this study provides a wide knowledge about the quality of these waters. Therefore, this investigation was accomplished by assays of ecotoxicology utilizing Ceriodaphnia dubia and of genotoxicity of the river s water using a biomarker Tradescantia Pallida (Trad-MCN). In set, it carried through a study of environmental perception through questionnaires that approached questions related to the profile of the interviewed one, knowledge on the environment and of the river Golandim with the community that lives in the neighborhoods of the river to diagnosis as they perceive the environment where live and its problems. The assays of the water had been carried out by collecting samples in three different sites of the Golandim River. They were collected between the periods of December 2010 (dry season in the northeast of Brazil) and July 2011 (rainy season in the northeast of). The analysis of the data allowed observing that the majority of the inhabitants are adult and presents a global vision of what it is part of the environment, the majority mentions the pollution of the river as one of the problems of the city, considering it serious. The ecotoxicology assay showed that there was not acute toxicity in all three samples collected. Meanwhile, all these three samples demonstrated significant chronic toxicity. The results from the Trad-MCN assay presented an increase in the frequency of micronucleus in one of the sites analyzed (S3) (p<0.01), in both seasons collected. On the other hand, the sites S1 and S2 did not presented a significant increase of micronucleus using this bioassay. The analyses of chemicals detected an increase in the levels of some metals, in different seasons and samples, which can be associates with some compounds found in urban and industrial areas. On the other hand, the physicochemistries parameters demonstrated that the Golandim River is recouped, when compared with the values presented at the CONAMA s legislation. However, these results indicate the presence of compounds capable of inducing chromosomal mutation in plants. On the other hand, the parameters physicistchemistries demonstrate that the river Golandim is if recouping, since when compares the values observed with the legislation of the CONAMA. All these results point to the fact that the Trad-MCN assay was sensitive and efficient biomarker for chromosomal instability and the C. dubia ecotoxicology assay was as though an efficient biomarker of toxicity of water s quality. The results from Trad-MCN associated with the ecotoxicology demonstrates that these analyses are important for environmental monitoring, once the first bioassay described above indicates alterations at the standards of cells and the other one indicates alterations at the standards of organisms. This study alerts for the necessity to carry out biological assays for the analyses of the water s quality

Caracterização de dois cDNAs homológos e uma AP endonuclease em cana-de-açúcar

The genome of all organisms is subject to injuries that can be caused by endogenous and environmental factors. If these lesions are not corrected, it can be fixed generating a mutation which can be lethal to the organisms. In order to prevent this, there are different DNA repair mechanisms. These mechanisms are well known in bacteria, yeast, human, but not in plants. Two plant models Oriza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana had the genome sequenced and due to this some DNA repair genes have been characterized. The aim of this work is to characterized two sugarcane cDNAs that had homology to AP endonuclease: scARP1 and scARP3. In silico has been done with these two sequences and other from plants. It has been observed domain conservation on these sequences, but the cystein at 65 position that is a characteristic from the redox domain in APE1 protein was not so conservated in plants. Phylogenetic relationship showed two branches, one branch with dicots and monocots sequence and the other branch with only monocots sequences. Another approach in order to characterized these two cDNAs was to construct overexpression cassettes (sense and antisense orientation) using the 35S promoter. After that, these cassettes were transferred to the binary vector pPZP211. Furthermore, previously in the laboratory was obtained a plant from nicotiana tabacum containing the overexpression cassette in anti-sense orientation. It has been observed that this plant had a slow development and problems in setting seeds. After some manual crossing, some seeds were obtained (T2) and it was analyzed the T2 segregation. The third approach used in this work was to clone the promoter region from these two cDNAs by PCR walking. The sequences obtained were analyzed using the program PLANTCARE. It was observed in these sequences some motives that may be related to oxidative stress response

Bromatological evaluation of eleven corn cultivars harvested at two cutting heights

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and dry matter in vitro digestibility of stem, leaf, straw, cob and kernel fractions of eleven corn (Zea mays) cultivars, harvested at two cutting heights. The experiment was designed as randomized blocks, with three replicates, in a 2 × 11 factorial arrangement (eleven cultivars and two cutting heights). The corn cultivars evaluated were D 766, D 657, D 1000, P 3021, P 3041, C 805, C 333, AG 5011, FOR 01, CO 9621 and BR 205, harvested at a low cutting height (5 cm above ground) and a high cutting height (5 cm below the first ear insertion). Cutting height influenced the dry matter content of the stem fraction, which was lower (23.95%) in plants harvested at the low, than in plants harvested at the high cutting height (26.28%). The kernel fraction had the highest dry matter in vitro digestibility (85.13%), while cultivars did not differ between each other. Cob and straw were the fractions with the highest level of neutral detergent fiber (80.74 and 79.77%, respectively) and the lowest level of crude protein (3.84% and 3.69%, respectively). The leaf fraction had the highest crude protein content, both for plants of low and high cuttings (15.55% and 16.20%, respectively). The increase in the plant cutting height enhanced the dry matter content and dry matter in vitro digestibility of stem fraction, but did not affect the DM content of the leaf fraction.

Crescimento e índices de troca gasosa em plantas de pepino irrigadas com água enriquecida com CO2

Avaliou-se o efeito do enriquecimento da água de irrigação com CO2 sobre índices fisiológicos de desenvolvimento e troca gasosa de folhas de plantas de pepino do tipo japonês, cultivados em ambiente protegido. Os experimentos realizados em duas épocas do ano foram instalados em delineamento experimental de blocos ao acaso com 4 tratamentos e 5 repetições. Os tratamentos foram constituídos pelos híbridos Hokuho e Tsuyataro, irrigados com água comum ou enriquecida com CO2, em uma concentração de 1 no primeiro e 0,25 no segundo experimento. A produção de massa de material seco e área foliar adotaram tendência exponencial, não sendo possível observar o início da diminuição da taxa de produção de massa do material seco aos 63 dias após transplante (DAT). A taxa de crescimento da comunidade e taxa de crescimento relativa do híbrido Hokuho irrigado com água comum foi diferente do irrigado com água enriquecida com CO2, no entanto, no híbrido Tsuyataro foram semelhantes. A taxa de assimilação líquida atingiu a máxima pendente na fase de crescimento vegetativo e floração, e foi reduzida drasticamente após os 20 DAT no híbrido Hokuho, e após os 35 DAT no híbrido Tsuyataro. A razão de área foliar diminuiu ligeiramente nos dois híbridos com o desenvolvimento do cultivo. No início observaram-se diferenças entre irrigação com água comum e enriquecida com CO2, porém após 20 DAT não se apreciaram mais diferenças. Quanto a troca gasosa, a taxa assimilatória líquida de CO2 e de transpiração, conductância estomática e eficiência no uso da água foram semelhantes entre plantas irrigadas com água comum e enriquecida com CO2 durante o primeiro semestre. Já no segundo semestre, maiores valores foram registrados pelas plantas irrigadas com água enriquecida.

Rooting of healthy and CVC-affected 'Valência' sweet orange stem cuttings, through the use of plant regulators

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Expressão diferencial dos genes VuUCP1a e VuUCP1b em caupi sob estresse salino

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

CaPrx, a Coffea arabica gene encoding a putative class III peroxidase induced by root-knot nematode infection

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Molecular models for shikimate pathway enzymes of Xylella fastidiosa

The Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterium that is the cause of citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC). The shikimate pathway is of pivotal importance for production of a plethora of aromatic compounds in plants, bacteria, and fungi. Putative structural differences in the enzymes from the shikimate pathway, between the proteins of bacterial origin and those of plants, could be used for the development of a drug for the control of CVC. However, inhibitors for shikimate pathway enzymes should have high specificity for X. fastidiosa enzymes, since they are also present in plants. In order to pave the way for structural and functional efforts towards antimicrobial agent development, here we describe the molecular modeling of seven enzymes of the shikimate pathway of X. fastidiosa. The structural models of shikimate pathway enzymes, complexed with inhibitors, strongly indicate that the previously identified inhibitors may also inhibit the X. fastidiosa enzymes. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.