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Sorghum is one of the most drought-tolerant cereals. However, strong water stress, especially during the reproductive phase, causes significant grain yield reduction. Drought events are common in second crops planted after soybean harvest in Brazil. The objective of the present study was to assess grain sorghum hybrids grown under pre- and post-flowering drought stress. Twenty-five hybrids were subjected to two water stress environments (pre- and post-flowering) and one environment with non-water stress. The experimental design was a split plot based on a randomized complete block with three replicates. Water stress pre-flowering reduced plant height, accelerated flowering, and increased panicle index compared with water stress post-flowering. Both pre- and postflowering stress reduced yield, by 45% and 48%, respectively. Grain mass was greatly affected by stress occurring post-flowering but not by that occurring pre-flowering. Therefore, the reduction in yield caused by pre-flowering stress is due more to the reduction of grain number in the panicle, whereas the reduction when stress occurs post-flowering is due more to reduction in grain size. The plant chlorophyll index decreased when stress occurred pre-flowering and reverted after irrigation had resumed, demonstrating recovery in the photosynthetic capacity of the sorghum plant. With post-flowering stress, the chlorophyll index decreased significantly 30 days after the stress, affecting grain filling, with consequent yield loss. Made available in DSpace on 2021-11-04T02:08:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Grain-sorghum-under.pdf: 504317 bytes, checksum: 3fc3c875b8c487324447a79b2e1a6a84 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021

Selection of tolerant plants is essential to meet the challenges of food production. The objective of this study was to evaluate agronomic and physiological characteristics as indicators for the selection of water restriction-tolerant grain sorghum genotypes. The experiments were conducted in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Two trials were installed in each year, one subjected to full irrigation and the other to water restriction. In the first one, irrigation was performed periodically, at a 2-day interval, to maintain soil moisture close to field capacity. In the second one, irrigation was suspended in the pre-flowering period, keeping the restriction for 30 days. Four sorghum genotypes were used: 9503062 and 9618158 - drought sensitive (S); 9910032 and P898012 - drought tolerant (T). The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replicates. Stomatal conductance, relative chlorophyll content, photosynthetically active leaf area, plant height and yield were evaluated. Joint analysis of the experiments subjected to full irrigation and water restriction of the three years was performed. Under water restriction it was not possible to distinguish between sensitive and tolerant materials. The characteristics evaluated in this experiment did not allow a conclusive distinction between tolerant and sensitive genotypes. Made available in DSpace on 2020-08-24T04:11:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Agronomic-physiological.pdf: 684693 bytes, checksum: ded501d7d6f865c92d99119df48c90d4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2020

The definition of experimental plot size is an essential tool to ensure precision in statistical analysis in experiments. The objective of this study was to estimate the plot size for the cactus pear cv. Gigante using the Modified Maximum Curvature Method, under the semi-arid conditions of Northeastern Brazil. The uniformity test was conducted at the Federal Institute of Bahia, Guanambi Campus, Bahia state, Brazil, during the agricultural period from 2009 to 2011. The spatial arrangement was composed of ten rows with 50 plants each, whose evaluated area was formed by the eight central rows with 48 plants per row, making 384 plants and area of 153.60 m2. The following variables were evaluated: plant height; length, width and thickness of cladode; number of cladodes; total area of cladodes; cladode area and green mass yield in the third production cycle. In the evaluations, each plant was considered as a basic experimental unit (BEU), with an area of 0.4 m2, comprising 384 basic units (BU), whose adjacent ones were combined to form 15 pre-established plot sizes with rectangular shapes and in rows. The characteristics total area of cladodes and green mass yield require larger plot sizes to be evaluated with greater experimental accuracy. For experimental evaluation of cactus pear cv. Gigante, plot size should be eight plants in the direction of the crop row. RESUMO A definição do tamanho da parcela experimental configura-se como ferramenta essencial para assegurar a precisão na análise estatística em experimentos. Assim objetivou-se estimar o tamanho de parcela para a cultura da palma forrageira cv. Gigante por meio do Método da Máxima Curvatura Modificado, nas condições do Semiárido Nordestino. O ensaio de uniformidade foi conduzido no Instituto Federal Baiano, Campus Guanambi, Bahia, Brasil, no período agrícola de 2009 a 2011. O arranjo espacial foi composto por dez fileiras com 50 plantas cada, cuja área útil foi formada pelas oito fileiras centrais com 48 plantas por fileira, perfazendo 384 plantas e área de 153,60 m2. Foram avaliadas as variáveis altura da planta; comprimento, largura e espessura do cladódio; número de cladódios; área total do cladódio; área do cladódio e a produtividade de massa verde no terceiro ciclo de produção. Nas avaliações, cada planta foi considerada como uma unidade experimental básica (UEB), com área de 0,4 m2, contemplando 384 unidades básicas (UB), cujas adjacentes foram combinadas de modo a formar 15 tamanhos de parcelas pré-estabelecidos com formatos retangulares e em fileiras. As características área total do cladódio e produtividade de massa verde exigem maiores tamanhos de parcela para serem avaliadas com maior precisão experimental. Para avaliação experimental da palma forrageira cv. Gigante, o tamanho de parcela deve ser de oito plantas no sentido da fileira de cultivo.

The air quality during the Summer 2016 Olympic Games in two Olympic zones, Maracanã (Tijuca) and Deodoro, was studied. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were collected and analyzed following method TO-15 (United States Environmental Protection Agency), during and in the days after the Games. The total VOC (C4-C12) concentrations were 39.2-160.9 and 36.6-191.4 µg m-3 for Tijuca and Deodoro, respectively. These concentrations were lower than values previously obtained in Tijuca and other areas of the city. VOC speciation and benzene/toluene ratios were also different as a consequence of the restrictions imposed on vehicular transit during the Olympic Games. Concentrations were discussed considering the reactivity and ozone forming potential of individual compounds. Criteria pollutants, determined by the Tijuca Automatic Monitoring Station, were also analyzed. The preventive policies were successful in decreasing the concentrations of CO and PM10, leading to a decrease in mean ozone levels. However, air quality indexes were not dramatically reduced, because of the increase in NOx emissions and isolated events of higher ozone levels.

In this work, the air quality indexes (AQIs) determined in Rio de Janeiro from July to September 2016, before and during the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, in the monitoring stations operated by the Municipal Secretariat of the Environment, were compiled and analyzed. Only four automatic monitoring stations determined all the Brazilian criteria pollutants (smog, total particulate matter, PM10 (particulate matter < 10 mm), NO2, ozone and SO2). NO2 and PM10 levels were generally lower during the Olympic period because of restrictions on vehicular flux. However, ozone concentrations remained high, due to unfavorable meteorological conditions. The worst conditions were observed in Bangu and Irajá Districts, where ozone concentrations frequently exceeded 160 mg m-3. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as ozone concentrations increase above this value, health effects became increasingly numerous and more severe. Brazilian air quality allowable standards are clearly higher than WHO guidelines, which, in addition to the combined results of the adopted air quality indexes and the use of a restricted number of criteria pollutants to report the air quality, led to AQIs in the intervals good and moderate, despite concentrations frequently being high in terms of WHO guidelines.

This work aimed to identify elite lineages and cultivars of special grains with better agronomic performance, adaptability and productivity stability at different growing seasons in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-05T00:46:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CNPAF2018bicp119.pdf: 567694 bytes, checksum: 9124384fc2f401ebfa73daad9bda07c9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-04

This work aimed to select common bean lines of black commercial class, with higher productivity, adaptability and stability of production between lines evaluated in Value for Cultivation and Use tests (VCU) of common bean in different environments of Minas Gerais State.

Severe anemia is the earliest and a frequently fatal complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection. Here we describe Aotus infulatus as a primate model suitable to study this malaria complication. Both non-splenectomized and splenectomized monkeys receiving different inocula of P. falciparum FVO strain presented large (> 50%) decreases in hematocrit values during infection. Non-splenectomized animals were able to control parasite growth (parasitemia did not exceed 4%), but they had to be treated because of severe anemia. Three of 4 splenectomized monkeys did not control parasitemia and were treated, but developed severe anemia after treatment when presenting a negative blood film. Destruction of parasitized red blood cells alone cannot account for the degree of anemia. Non-splenectomized monkeys repeatedly infected with homologous parasites became rapidly and progressively resistant to reinfection and to the development of severe anemia. The data presented here point to A. infulatus as a suitable model for studying the pathogenesis of severe malarial infection.

Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Department of Immunology. Laboratory of Malaria Research. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Funda??o Nacional de Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Bel?m, PA, Brasil. Statens Seruminstitut. Clinical Biochemistry. Copenhagen, Denmark. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Funda??o Nacional de Sa?de. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Bel?m, PA, Brasil. Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. CECAL. Department of Primatology. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Department of Immunology. Laboratory of Malaria Research. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Funda??o Nacional de Sa?de. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Bel?m, PA, Brasil. Institut Pasteur. Biomedical Parasitology. Paris, France. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Funda??o Nacional de Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Bel?m, PA, Brasil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Funda??o Nacional de Sa?de. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Bel?m, PA, Brasil. Institut Pasteur. Biomedical Parasitology. Paris, France. Funda??o Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Department of Immunology. Laboratory of Malaria Research. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of various antigen-adjuvant fomulations derived either from the merezoite-surface protein-3(MSP-3)or the glutamate-richprotein (GLURP) of Plasmodium falciparum were evaluated in Saimiri sciureus monkeys. These Proteins were selected for immunogenicity studies based primarily on their capacity of inducing an antibody-dependent cellular inhibition effect on parasite growth. Some of the S.sciureus monkeys immunized with MSP-3 212-380 - AS02 or GLURP 27-500 - alum were able to fully or partially control parasitaemia upon an experimental P. falciparum [Falciparum Uganda Palo Alto (FUP-SP) stain] blodd-stage infection, and thisprotection was related to the prechallenge antibody titres induced. The data are indicative that MSP-3 and GLURP can induce protective immunity against an experimental P. falciparum infection usig adjuvants that are aceptable for human use and this sholud trigger further studies with those new antigens.

Severe anemia is the earliest and a frequently fatal complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection. Here we describe Aotus infulatus as a primate model suitable to study this malaria complication. Both non-splenectomized and splenectomized monkeys receiving different inocula of P. falciparum FVO strain presented large (> 50%) decreases in hematocrit values during infection. Non-splenectomized animals were able to control parasite growth (parasitemia did not exceed 4%), but they had to be treated because of severe anemia. Three of 4 splenectomized monkeys did not control parasitemia and were treated, but developed severe anemia after treatment when presenting a negative blood film. Destruction of parasitized red blood cells alone cannot account for the degree of anemia. Non-splenectomized monkeys repeatedly infected with homologous parasites became rapidly and progressively resistant to reinfection and to the development of severe anemia. The data presented here point to A. infulatus as a suitable model for studying the pathogenesis of severe malarial infection.

Soybean has a wide range of applications in the industry and, due to its crop potential, its improvement is widely desirable. During drought conditions, soybean crops suffer significant losses in productivity. Therefore, understanding the responses of the soybean under this stress is an effective way of targeting crop improvement techniques. In this study, we employed the Suppressive Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) technique to investigate differentially expressed genes under water deficit conditions. Embrapa 48 and BR 16 soybean lines, known as drought-tolerant and -sensitive, respectively, were grown hydroponically and subjected to different short-term periods of stress by withholding the nutrient solution. Using this approach, we have identified genes expressed during the early response to water deficit in roots and leaves. These genes were compared among the lines to assess probable differences in the plant transcriptomes. In general, similar biochemical processes were predominant in both cultivars; however, there were more considerable differences between roots and leaves of Embrapa 48. Moreover, we present here a fast, clean and straightforward method to obtain drought-stressed root tissues and a large enriched collection of transcripts expressed by soybean plants under water deficit that can be useful for further studies towards the understanding of plant responses to stress.