Sistematización del proceso de producción de plantas forestales en el jardín botánico y vivero Santa Elena, periodo 2009-2013, Managua, Nicaragua

El presente estudio fue realizado en El Jardín Botánico y Vivero Santa Elena perteneciente a la Alcaldía de Managua, del departamento de áreas verdes de la Dirección General de Ornato el cual se encarga de la reproducción y producción de plantas. El propósito del mismo fue evaluar los procesos de producción de plantas Forestales en el período 2009-2013, Para la realización del trabajo investigativo se establecieron tres etapas metodológicas, siendo la primera etapa la organización del trabajo la que abarca desde la planificación del trabajo, visitas, revisión documental, elaboración de instrumentos de campo, identificación del personal clave, estableciéndose en la segunda etapa la recopilación de la información para llevar a cabo la investigación a través de la revisión del inventario de plantas forestales de los 5 años en estudio y la digitalización de los registros manuales de producción, también se obtuvo información adicional realizando entrevistas a los informantes claves del vivero. La tercera etapa es la de procesamiento y análisis de toda la información esta se fundamentó en la elaboración de la base de datos de los registros de producción de plantas en el programa Microsoft Excel, analizando la información recopilada de los registros y entrevistas realizadas, según los resultados del inventario de la producción de plantas forestales durante el estudio fue de 2,829,930 comprendiendo las etapas de producto proceso y producto terminado en ambos casos se producen en bolsas plásticas de polietileno y a terrón, siendo las plantas de bolsas plásticas las de mayor producción con un total de 2,791,170 plantas y las plantas a terrón con un total de 38,760 , las especies con más demanda son el Roble (Tabebuia rosea (Bertol.) DC.), Caoba del pacifico (Swietenia humilis Zucc.), Cortez (Tabebuia chrysantha. (Jacq.) Nicholson), Madroño (Calycophyllum candidissimum (Vahl.) DC.), y Malinche (Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) que se utilizan para reforestar pistas, avenidas, boulevares, siendo la producción de plantas del vivero destinadas principalmente a la alcaldía misma a través de la dirección de Ornato para las áreas verdes de Managua; el método que utilizan para el registro de las plantas en el vivero es de forma manual lo que no garantiza que la producción de plantas registrada sea la correcta.

Contribution of plant phytochemicals to organic homeostasis: focus on the aging process and opportunistic infections

Aging process is conceived as a normal stage during human life cycle, but it is also considered a hot topic among scientists and medical community. Alarming rates of premature aging and oxidative stress-related diseases have increasingly affect human individuals. Stress, pollution and exposition to chemical substances are considered the main triggering factors for those conditions; in addition, they also suppress the immune system and, therefore, improve organic vulnerability and occurrence of opportunistic infections [I]. Apart from the associated morbidity and mortality, the increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance improve the severity of the clinical conditions [2]. Botanical preparations possess a multitude of bioactive properties, namely acting as antimicrobials, antioxidants, and homeostasis modulators. Thus, upcoming alternatives, mainly based in plant phytochemicals, are necessary to improve the wellbeing as also life expectancy of individuals. The present study aims to evaluate and to compare both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of plant extracts rich in phenolic compounds. Among the tested plants, Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (licorice) evidenced the most pronounced free radicals scavenging and antimicrobial effects, followed by Salvia officina/is L. (sage), Thymus vulgaris L. (thyme) and Origanum vulgare L. (oregano). Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (blue gum) and Juglans regia L. (walnut) also showed a high effect, while Pterospartum tridentatum (L.) Willk. (carqueja) and Rubus ulmifolius Schott (elm leaf blackberry) displayed moderate effects, and lastly, Tabebuia impetigirwsa (Mart. ex DC) Standley (pau d'arco), Foeniculum vulgare Miller (fennel), Rosa canina L. (rose hips) and Matricaria recutita L. (chamomile) gave only slight effects. In general, the most pronounced bioactivities were observed in the plant preparations (infusion>decoction>hydromethanolic extract) with higher levels of phenolic compounds (both flavonoids and phenolic acids). The observed synergisms between the phenolic compounds present in the extracts highlight the use of phytochemicals as future health promoters. However, further studies are necessary to understand the effective mode of action of individual phenolic constituents as also the existence of polyvalence relationships between them.

Determination of potassium and sodium in an ash sample by gamma-ray spectroscopy

Neutron activation analysis and gamma-ray spectroscopy were used to determine the quantity of potassium and sodium in an ash sample of Tabebuia sp bombarded with thermal neutrons. These techniques, widely applied in nuclear physics, can be used in the context of wood science as an alternative for the usual physical chemistry methods applied in this area. The quantity of K and Na in an 8.60 +/- 0.10 mg of ash was determined as being 1.3 +/- 0.3 mg and 11.0 +/- 1.8 mu g, respectively. The ratio of Tabebuia sp converted into ash was also determined as 0.758 +/- 0.004%.

Plantas forrageiras das caatingas: usos e potencialidades.

Coleta de analises; descricao e usos das especies: camaratuba, carqueija, catingueira-verdadeira, espinheiro/jacurutu/jiquiri, facheiro, favela/faveleira, feijao-brabo, imbuzeiro/umbuzeiro, juazeiro, jurema-preta, jurema-vermelha, macambira, mandacaru/mandacaru-de-boi, manicoba, marmeleiro/marmeleiro-preto, moleque-duro, mororo/unha-de-vaca, quebra-faca, sabia, sete-cascas/cascudo/pau-de-casca. Comentarios gerais e recomendacoes.

Surface wettability of Brazilian tropical wood flooring treated with He plasma.

This study investigated the effect of plasma treatment on changes of surface wettability of wood flooring from two Brazilian tropical species, Hymenaea spp. (rode locus) and Tabebuia spp. (lapacho). Wood flooring samples were plasma treated at low pressure in a helium atmosphere. Energy level was set at 100 W and four glow discharge times (5, 15, 30 and 45 s) were tested. Changes in wettability were investigated by measuring apparent contact angle, droplet volume and spreading contact area. The results showed less susceptibility of lapacho wood to the plasma treatments, while reduction of apparent contact angle in rode locus wood reached up to 76% for longer discharge times. In general, discharge time of 15 s produced the same effect as discharge of 45 s on wettability, which is important for industrial applications. Visual analyses revealed increase of water droplet spreading on lapacho wood surface, even though the variation of spreading contact area was not significant. Plasma treatment is feasible to improve wettability of tropical woods. Nevertheless, these findings should be investigated further due to the intrinsic characteristics of woods from tropical species.

Restauração de florestas exploradas seletivamente no Acre.

Por meio de técnicas de restauração, florestas exauridas podem ser conduzidas de maneira a minimizar os efeitos da exploração seletiva que as modificaram. O plantio de mudas é um método rápido e eficaz de restauração de florestas. Este trabalho objetiva descrever os resultados de plantios de enriquecimento de florestas de produção nos municípios de Xapuri, Brasiléia e Rio Branco, no estado do Acre. Foram utilizadas dez espécies florestais madeireiras comerciais: amarelão (Aspidosperma vargasii A. DC.), angelim (Ormosia arborea (Vell.) Harms), cedro (Cedrela odorata L.), cerejeira (Amburana acreana (Ducke) A. C. Sm.), freijó (Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav.) Oken), ipê (Tabebuia serratifolia (Vahl) G. Nicholson), itaúba (Mezilaurus itauba (Meisn.) Taub. ex Mez), jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril L.), mogno (Swietenia macrophylla King) e timbaúba (Enterolobium maximum Ducke). Os plantios foram entre outubro/2011 a março/2012, totalizando 1273 mudas. Os tratamentos silviculturais de condução e o monitoramento foram nos anos de 2012, 2013, 2014 e 2015. Após 48 meses ao plantio, a taxa média de sobrevivência foi de 42,3%, altura total média de 1,52 m e diâmetro médio de 1,88 cm. As espécies com os melhores desempenhos com relação a crescimento e sobrevivência foram cerejeira, cedro, freijó, jatobá, mogno e timbaúba.