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In Rio Grande do Sul, the main rice producer State in Brazil, low temperatures can occur during germination and seedling establishment, and in some cases, during the reproductive stage. When low temperatures occur in the early developmental stages cause delay in germination, resulting in a non-homogeneous growing. In reproductive stage, low temperatures cause spikelet sterility, directly interfering with plant yield. Researchers have shown that some phenolic compounds such as proanthocyanidins and anthocyanin are associated with low temperature tolerance in plants due to their antioxidant capacity. The red and black color in the seeds of some rice genotypes is conferred by the phenolic compounds proanthocyanidins and anthocyanin, respectively. Therefore, tis study aimed to verify whether rice genotypes with red or black seeds are more tolerant to low temperatures during germination. In this study, five rice genotypes were tested, two present seeds without pigmentation and with contrasting response to low temperature tolerance (BRS Bojuru - tolerant and BRS Pampeira - sensitive), two genotypes with red seeds (BRS 902, SCS 119 Rubi) and one black seed genotype (SCS 120 Ônix). As expected, the genotypes with pigmented seeds had a greater total phenolic compounds content. However, under low temperature conditions, the genotypes with pigmented seed showed a similar response to the sensitive genotype. Therefore, the presence of proanthocyanidins and anthocyanin in the seed of the studied genotypes does not provide tolerance to low temperatures during germination.

Rice production (Oryza sativa L.) is among the most economically important activities in the world. However, soil and salinity coming from irrigation water reduce rice yield. Therefore, the identification and/or development of salt-tolerant rice genotypes is a strategy to minimize this problem. The development of new genotypes depends on the presence of genetic diversity, and understanding the heritability of a desired trait can help in the selection process. Thus, this study aimed to identify superior genotypes, analyze the genetic diversity and estimate the heritability for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage in rice genotypes used in Brazil. For this, seedlings of 69 genotypes were kept in hydroponic solution with 40 mM NaCl (4 dSm-1) for seven days. Shoot length, root length, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight) were evaluated and the results were converted into relative performance. Tolerant and moderately salt-tolerant genotypes were identified at the seedling stage, which can be used in breeding programs and can be cultivated in high salinity areas. Principal component analysis showed the presence of genetic diversity for salinity response. Finally, it was shown that most of the observed variation is of genetic origin, which can make the breeding process less difficult.

Current estimates predict a world population growth of 9.6 billion by the year 2050, many of whom will live in countries already facing food insecurity. To feed this population, agricultural production will have to increase by approximately 50%, a difficult situation due to the effects of climate change. In order to achieve food production goals without putting the environment at risk, FAO, since 2009, has supported member countries in their initiatives to implement Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) that takes into account local and national specificities and priorities, to sustainably increase productivity and resilience, strengthen food security and mitigate damage from greenhouse gases (GHG). This literature review seeks to contribute to discussions on the recognition of the CSA concept, its applicability in agricultural systems and review advantages or disadvantages to face global climate change. In Brazil, there is growing concern, due to the country's high vulnerability and low development capacity to face environmental impacts. However, despite the attractiveness of the concept, specific criteria to guide the approaches and technologies to be used have not yet been defined.

The genus Vitis belongs to the Vitaceae family and is divided into two subgenera: Muscadinia and Vitis, the main difference between these subgenera being the number of chromosomes. There are many hypotheses about the origin of the genus, which have been formed with archaeological studies and lately with molecular analyses. Even though there is no consensus on the place of origin, these studies have shown that grapes have been used by man since ancient times, starting later on its domestication. Most studies point to the Near East and Greece as the beginning of domestication, current research suggests it took place in parallel in different sites, but in all cases Vitis vinifera (L.) subsp. sylvestris [Vitis vinifera (L.) subsp. sylvestris (Gmelin) Hagi] seems to be the species chosen by our ancestors to give rise to the now known Vitis vinifera (L.) subsp. vinifera [=sativa (Hegi)= caucasica (Vavilov)]. Its evolution and expansion into other territories followed the formation of new empires and their expansion, and this is where the historical importance of this crop lies. In this process, plants with hermaphrodite flowers were preferentially selected, with firmer, sweeter, larger fruits of different colors, thus favoring the selection of genes associated with these traits, also resulting in a change in seed morphology. Currently, genetic improvement programs have made use of wild species for the introgression of disease resistance genes and tolerance to diverse soil and climate environments. In addition, the mapping of genes of interest, both linked to agronomic and fruit quality traits, has allowed the use of molecular markers for assisted selection. Information on the domestication process and genetic resources help to understand the gene pool available for the development of cultivars that respond to producer and consumer requirements.

Rice is one of the most consumed cereals worldwide and feeds about 3 billion people. However, the occurrence of climate changes has influenced abiotic and biotic stresses and consequently affected the production and quality of rice grains. The development of new, higher yielding cultivars is necessary to ensure global food security. Although great progress has already been achieved by conventional breeding, biotechnological tools, such as transgenics and genome editing, can aid in meeting future demands. Gene editing is characterized by cutting and modifying target genes. Among the genome editing techniques, CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas), has been proposed because of its ease of manipulation. Variants such as multiple Cas proteins, base editing and prime editing, which aim to increase editing efficiency have also been proposed. Edited plants are more accepted because they are transgene-free. Thus, the objective of this review is to describe the different gene editing techniques and their respective applications in rice breeding. It was observed that the CRISPR/Cas tool was efficient in gene editing in studies related to yield, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and rice grain quality. However, the impact of this approach in breeding programs depends on the cultivation of edited plants on a large scale in the field. Based on the progress made so far, it is believed that rice breeders can bet on CRISPR/Cas and its variants to help face the current and future challenges of climate change and high food demand.

Wheat is a staple food for a large part of the world's population and faces a continuous demand for increased productivity. The presence of genetic variability allows the success in developing cultivars with higher yield. The understanding of the genetic variability available is crucial for their effective use in breeding programs. Inheritance of wheat yield components is complex, due to polygenic control and the strong influence of the environment. Therefore, an accurate heritability estimation can accelerate the selection gains towards increasing wheat yield. Thus, this study aimed to characterize agronomic traits related to yield in a collection of 99 wheat accessions used in Brazil. In addition, the heritability of these traits was estimated. The studied accessions showed variability for yield, which can be explained by the presence of variability in most yield components. Cluster analysis showed that there is variability in wheat genotypes, however, the introduction of new sources of variability in crossing blocks or the induction of mutations is suggested. The broad-sense heritability for grain yield was considered high, as well as for most of the studied agronomic traits, suggesting that it is possible to obtain genetic gain with selection in this environment. However, for greater accuracy, genetic gain values should be estimated and considered when designing selection strategies. Hectoliter weight showed low heritability, demonstrating the complexity of selection for this trait. In summary, this study demonstrates the presence of genetic variability and high heritability for agronomic traits, enabling genetic gain in breeding programs using these wheat accessions.

Rice is the staple diet to half of the world's population, being a major source of carbohydrates, vitamins, and some essential elements. However, rice naturally contains low amounts of essential minerals such as iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), which are drastically decreased after milling. Thus, populations that consume mostly rice may have micronutrient deficiency, which is associated with different diseases. On the other hand, rice irrigated by flooding has a high ability to accumulate arsenic (As) in the grain. Therefore, when rice is grown in areas with contaminated soil or irrigation water, it represents a risk factor for consumers, since As is associated with cancer and other diseases. Different strategies have been used to mitigate micronutrient deficiencies such as Fe and Zn and to prevent As from entering the food chain. Each strategy has its positive and its negative sides. The development of genetically biofortified rice plants with Fe and Zn and with low As accumulation is one of the most promising strategies, since it does not represent an additional cost for farmers, and gives benefits to consumers as well. Considering the importance of genetic improvement (traditional or molecular) to decrease the impact of micronutrient deficiencies such as Fe and Zn and contamination with As, this review aimed to summarize the major efforts, advances, and challenges for genetic biofortification of Fe and Zn and decrease in As content in rice grains.

Microsatellites (SSRs) are tandem repeat sequences in eukaryote genomes, including plant cytoplasmic genomes. The mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) has been shown to vary in size, number, and distribution of SSRs among different plant groups. Thus, SSRs contribute with genomic diversity in mtDNAs. However, the abundance, distribution, and evolutionary significance of SSRs in mtDNA from a wide range of algae and plants have not been explored. In this study, the mtDNAs of 204 plant and algal species were investigated related to the presence of SSRs. The number of SSRs was positively correlated with genome size. Its distribution is dependent on plant and algal groups analyzed, although the cluster analysis indicates the conservation of some common motifs in algal and terrestrial plants that reflect common ancestry of groups. Many SSRs in coding and non-coding regions can be useful for molecular markers. Moreover, mitochondrial SSRs are highly abundant, representing an important source for natural or induced genetic variation, i.e., for biotechnological approaches that can modulate mtDNA gene regulation. Thus, this comparative study increases the understanding of the plant and algal SSR evolution and brings perspectives for further studies.

WRKY transcription factors regulate several biological processes in plants, including responses to biotic stresses and tolerance to abiotic stresses, and are part of a gene superfamily in higher plants. There are many studies on the functions of WRKY proteins in several model species, aiming at identification and functional characterization, but there has not yet been a comprehensive analysis of the RoWRKY protein family in black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.) as shown here. In this study, the investigation of the complete genome of the black raspberry identified 62 RoWRKY genes that were evaluated and are unevenly distributed in all seven chromosomes. The proteins encoded by these genes were classified into four groups (I, II, III and IV), with those of group II divided into five subgroups (IIa - IIe) based on their conserved domains and zinc finger domain types. Motif analysis showed that all RoWRKYs contained one or two WRKY domains and that proteins from the same group had similar motif compositions. Five pairs of RoWRKY genes in segmental duplication and two pairs in tandem duplication were detected. Analysis of the structure of RoWRKY genes showed that they have 1–11 introns, with most RoWRKY genes consisting of two introns and three exons. A cis element analysis showed that all promoters of the RoWRKYs genes contain at least one cis stress-response element. Differential expression analysis of 10 samples of RNA-seq data, reviewed RoWRKY genes from black raspberry, show preferential or specific expression in tissue samples. These findings provide a complete overview of the evolution and modification of the RoWRKYs protein family, which will help the functional characterization of these proteins in the response to biotic and abiotic stresses of black raspberry.

In soils under acidic conditions, Aluminum (Al) is solubilized to its ionic form, which is toxic to plants. Al rapidly inhibits root elongation, water and nutrient uptake, resulting in crop yield reduction. Members of the MATE family are responsible for citrate transport and Al detoxification in different species. In rice, the OsFRDL1 gene (MATE family) is homologous to the HvAACT1 and SbMATE, which are involved in Al tolerance in barley and sorghum, respectively. Silencing OsFRDL1 showed that it is not involved in Al tolerance in rice. However, the OsFRDL1 expression was not accessed in rice genotypes contrasting for Al tolerance. Thus, in this study, four Brazilian rice genotypes were evaluated in response to Al treatment in different time of exposition and OsFRDL1 expression was analyzed. The analyzed cultivars displayed different responses to Al dose x time. Al affected root growth in all analyzed genotypes, however, a minor negative effect that only occurred after 72 and 48 hours of exposure was detected in Farroupilha and BRS Curinga cultivars, respectively. In contrast, BR-IRGA 410 and IAS 12-9 showed a negative effect in root growth from the first hours of exposure to Al. Two cultivars differing in Al tolerance were used for gene expression analysis. The expression of OsFRDL1 was highly increased in Al-tolerant cultivar Farroupilha than in the Al-sensitive cultivar BR IRGA 410. This results indicates that OsFRDL1 is regulated by Al. This finding suggests that OsFRDL1 is involved in Al stress response, however seems to be insufficient in controlling Al tolerance. Em solos em condições de acidez, o alumínio (Al) é solubilizado em sua forma iônica, a qual é tóxica para as plantas. O Al rapidamente inibe o crescimento radicular e a obtenção de água e nutrientes, resultando na redução da produtividade. Membros da família MATE são responsáveis pelo transporte do citrato e detoxificação do Al em diferentes espécies. Em arroz, o gene OsFRDL1 (da família MATE) é homólogo aos genes HvAACT1 e SbMATE, os quais são envolvidos na tolerância ao Al em cevada e sorgo, respectivamente. O silenciamento de OsFRDL1 demonstrou que este gene não é envolvido com a tolerância ao Al em arroz. No entanto, a expressão de OsFRDL1 não foi acessada em genótipos de arroz contrastantes quanto à tolerância ao Al. Assim, neste estudo, quatro genótipos de arroz brasileiros foram avaliados em resposta ao tratamento com Al em diferentes tempos de exposição e a expressão do gene OsFRDL1 também foi avaliada. Os genótipos analisados apresentaram diferentes respostas ao Al dose x tempo. O Al afetou o crescimento radicular em todos os genótipos avaliados, no entanto, um pequeno efeito negativo que ocorreu após 72 e 48 horas de exposição foi identificado nos genótipos Farroupilha e BRS Curinga, respectivamente. Por outro lado, BR-IRGA 410 e IAS 12-9 apresentaram um efeito negativo no crescimento radicular a partir das primeiras horas de exposição ao Al. Dois genótipos foram utilizados para as análises de expressão gênica. A expressão do gene OsFRDL1 foi aumentada no genótipo Farroupilha, tolerante ao Al, em relação ao genótipo BR IRGA 410, sensível ao Al. Estes resultados indicam que o gene OsFRDL1 está envolvido na resposta ao estresse por Al, no entanto, parece que este gene não é suficiente para controlar a tolerância ao Al.

Micronutrient deficiency affects billions of people, especially in countries where the diet is low in diversity with inadequate consumption of fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods, and higher consumption of staple food, i.e., cereals, that have low concentrations of micronutrients. Genetic biofortification is a strategy to mitigate this problem and ensure nutritional security. Wheat is a target of genetic biofortification since it contributes significantly to the caloric requirement. The biofortification process involves a screening related to the presence of genetic variability for grain mineral content. Also, the accumulation of toxic elements must be considered to ensure food safety, because if ingested above the allowed concentrations, it represents health risks. In this sense, this study aimed to quantify the micronutrients iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese and toxic elements arsenic and cadmium in a Brazilian wheat panel grown in Southern Brazil. The presence of genetic variability for the accumulation of micronutrients in the grain was detected; however, we observed that only the copper and manganese accumulation meet the human daily requirements. Iron, zinc, and selenium were detected in insufficient concentration to meet the daily demand. Arsenic and cadmium accumulation were not detected in wheat grain. The wheat genotypes grown in Brazil displayed a similar profile to that found in other countries which may be due to common high-yield breeding goals and the narrowing of the genetic variability, observed worldwide. Thus, the wheat genetic biofortification success in Brazil depends on the introduction of foreign genotypes, landraces, and wild relatives.

A healthy diet is directly associated with a nutrient-rich and toxic contaminant poor intake. A diet poor in diversity can lead to micronutrient deficiency. The intake of functional foods can provide benefits in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Oats are a functional food; are a source of soluble fiber, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols; and are low in carbohydrate content. Thus, in this study, we characterize mineral accumulation, fatty acid composition, and the absence of contaminants in oat genotypes to evaluate the potential of this cereal as food to minimize the effects of micronutrient deficiency. Most of the oat genotypes showed higher mineral levels than other cereals such as wheat, rice, and maize. FAEM 5 Chiarasul, Barbarasul, UPFA Ouro, URS Altiva, URS Brava, and URS Taura showed higher iron concentration while URS Brava showed the highest zinc concentration. The oat genotypes did not show significant arsenic, strontium, and cadmium accumulation. Considering the accumulation of trace elements in the grain, little genetic diversity among the analyzed oat accessions was detected, dividing into two groups. Regarding fatty acid composition, IPR Afrodite, FAEM 4 Carlasul, FAEM 5 Chiarasul, URS Taura, Barbarasul, and URS 21 showed higher essential fatty acid concentrations. These genotypes can be used in crosses with URS Brava, which displayed a higher Fe and Zn accumulation and is genetically distant from the other cultivars. Oat is a functional food showing ability for the accumulation of minerals and also essential fatty acids.

Water deficit is one of the most important stresses affecting the maize crop. Whilst the development of osmotic stress tolerant maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes is an effective approach for reducing yield losses, understanding of the basic mechanisms of response and tolerance is limited. Under normal conditions, autophagy works at baseline levels to maintain cellular homeostasis. However, under abiotic stress conditions, this process intensifies to remove damaged or unwanted cytoplasmic materials or to recycle materials to provide anabolic substrates and metabolites to cells. This process is mediated by ATG genes (AuTophaGy-related genes). Autophagosome expansion and maturation is mediated by ATG8 and ATG12 ubiquitin-like conjugation systems. In this sense, the aim of this study was to characterize the regulation and transcriptional profile of the ZmATG8 gene and isoforms, together with the ZmATG12 gene, in maize landrace seedlings under osmotic stress conditions. A difference in transcript profile was observed between two studied landraces, with higher transcript accumulation in landrace Argentino Amarelo, which was more affected by osmotic stress. Under the stress conditions, all ZmATG genes studied showed an increase in transcript accumulation in shoot tissues in this landrace. In contrast, for landrace Taquarao a reduction in gene expression was detected, with the exception of ZmATG8b. For root tissues under stress, landrace Argentino Amarelo showed an increase in transcript accumulation for the ZmATG genes, with the exception of ZmATG8b, whilst for landrace Taquarao an increase in expression of ZmATG8e and ZmATG12 was observed, with a reduced expression of ZmATG8c. The ZmATG genes presented cis-regulatory elements involved in osmotic stress response via abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent and ABA-independent signaling. As such, it is suggested that the known transcription factors involved in the osmotic stress signaling response may act in the regulation of ZmATG genes. This work provides evidence of autophagy transcriptional signaling in response to osmotic stress in maize.

The increasing world population and consumer requirements are driving forces for rice (Oryza sativa L.) breeding programs worldwide. The development of novel cultivars is challenged by the necessity of combining high yield and superior quality traits, in a timely manner. Precision breeding strategies, such as genetic engineering and genome editing, are important tools to accelerate and improve conventional breeding. However, successful gene delivery is dependent on several biological factors underlying plant regeneration and trait expression. In this chapter, we present and discuss the available systems for gene delivery, used in conventional transformation and genome editing of rice, and the regeneration pathways employed in the production of whole plants expressing the novel phenotypes associated to grain quality. The interaction between the gene delivery system and its biological target in recovering transformed and/or edited plants is also discussed.

Narrowing of genetic diversity and the quantitative nature of most agronomic traits is a challenge for rice breeding. Genome-wide association studies have a great potential to identify important variation in loci underlying quantitative and complex traits; however, before performing the analysis, it is important to assess parameters of the genotypic data and population under study, to improve the accuracy of the genotype-phenotype associations. The aim of this study was to access the genetic diversity, linkage disequilibrium, and population structure of a working panel of Brazilian and several introduced rice accessions, which are currently being phenotyped for a vast number of traits to undergo association mapping. Ninety-four accessions were genotyped with 7098 SNPs, and after filtering for higher call rates and removing rare variants, 93 accessions and 4973 high-quality SNPs remained for subsequent analyses and association studies. The overall mean of the polymorphic information content, heterozygosity, and gene diversity of the SNPs was comparable to other rice panels. The r2 measure of linkage disequilibrium decayed to 0.25 in approximately 150 kb, a slow decay, explained by the autogamous nature of rice and the small size of the panel. Regarding population structure, eight groups were formed according to Bayesian clustering. Principle components and neighbor-joining analyses were able to distinguish part of the groups formed, mainly regarding the sub-species indica and japonica. Our results demonstrate that the population and SNPs are of high quality for association mapping.

Rice WRKYs comprise a large family of transcription factors and present remarkable structure features and a unique DNA binding site. Their importance in plants goes beyond the response to stressful stimuli, since they participate in hormonal pathways and developmental processes. Indeed, the majority of WRKYs present an independent activation since they are able to perform self-transcriptional regulation. However, some WRKY activation depends on epigenetic and transcript regulation by micro RNAs. Their protein function depends, almost always, on the posttranslational changes. Taking to account its properties of auto-activation, all these regulators process are extremely important for complete WRKY regulation. In this sense, here we provide an overview of transcriptional activation and posttranscriptional and posttranslational regulation of rice WRKY genes under stresses.

The rice crop is one of the most important worldwide. [...]

The main aim of this study was to investigate the phenotypic correlation of yield component traits using several environmental stratifications methods. We also aimed to propose cause and effect of relationships for grain yield components in soybean genotypes under several environmental conditions. The tests were conducted in the agricultural year of 2013/2014 in four growing sites in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The experimental arrangement was randomized blocks in factorial scheme (11 x 4), consisting eleven soybean genotypes in four environments with four repetitions each. All the growing environments Tapera-RS, Derrubadas-RS and Frederico Westphalen-RS were classified as favorable for soybean cultivation. The traits such as total number of pods per plant, number of branches and number of pods with 2-3 grains showed significant linear correlations with grain yield in both methods of analysis. The path analysis was applied under favorable and unfavorable environments to accurately estimate the direct and indirect effect of traits on soybean grain yield. The mass of a thousand grains and plant height were highly associated with grain yield but mostly influenced by environmental effects. The total number of pods should be prioritized for selecting superior soybean genotypes due to its direct and indirect effects on grain yield. It has shown constant in all environmental conditions. The direct effects of number of branches and number of pods (with one grain) presented distinct effects on yield in favorable and unfavorable environments.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) presents a strategic role in social and economic levels. The aim of this study was to elucidate the presence of genetic variability for the genus Oryza, and the possibility of using genotypes with wild characteristics in rice breeding programs. The Oryza genus shows great genetic variability through wild genotypes available in the most varied environments around the world. The negative effects imposed by abiotic stresses such as flood, salinity, low temperatures, water deficiency and high temperatures may be minimized by the efficient identification of a genetic variability source from the Oryza genus. Among the main wild species presented by the Oryza genus, Oryza glumaepatula stands out being an active source of germplasm. The occurrence and preservation of genetic variability of Oryza genus is indispensable to obtain new rice genotypes, to guarantee food security for the human population, as well as to develop genotypes that adapt to climatic changes and natural adversities.

The development of rice genotypes with higher mineral content and less accumulation of toxic elements can help to mitigate problems related to mineral deficiency and insure consumption of safe foods. However, genetic improvement depends on the presence of genetic diversity. Therefore, here we characterize a rice panel, grown in southern Brazil, regarding iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) content in irrigated system with permanent flooding. The environment of each harvest season significantly influenced Cu, Zn, Se, Fe and Mn content in rice grains. None of the analyzed rice genotypes can meet the daily recommendation of Fe and Zn, being the highest contents detected for these mineral of ∼17 and ∼27 mg kg−1, respectively. We detected genotypes able to supply Mn, Cu and Se demand, and genotypes accumulating ∼37, ∼5, ∼0.200 mg kg−1 were detected, respectively. None of the analyzed genotypes showed Cd and Pb accumulation above the Brazilian allowed limits. However, As content was above of the allowed limit for most of the studied accessions, and some genotypes reached 1 mg kg−1of As in their grains. Among the genotypes, low genetic diversity was detected for the evaluated elements.

The high selection pressure applied in rice breeding since its domestication thousands of years ago has caused a narrowing in its genetic variability. Obtaining new rice cultivars therefore becomes a major challenge for breeders and developing strategies to increase the genetic variability has demanded the attention of several research groups. Understanding mutations and their applications have paved the way for advances in the elucidation of a genetic, physiological, and biochemical basis of rice traits. Creating variability through mutations has therefore grown to be among the most important tools to improve rice. The small genome size of rice has enabled a faster release of higher quality sequence drafts as compared to other crops. The move from structural to functional genomics is possible due to an array of mutant databases, highlighting mutagenesis as an important player in this progress. Furthermore, due to the synteny among the Poaceae, other grasses can also benefit from these findings. Successful gene modifications have been obtained by random and targeted mutations. Furthermore, following mutation induction pathways, techniques have been applied to identify mutations and the molecular control of DNA damage repair mechanisms in the rice genome. This review highlights findings in generating rice genome resources showing strategies applied for variability increasing, detection and genetic mechanisms of DNA damage repair.

Arsenic (As) in food is a threat for human health, and among all cereal rice is the most important source of the metalloid through diet. The dynamic of the element and the natural ability of rice to uptake, transport, and accumulate the metalloid at grains have motivated important research to be carried out in this regard. Thus, the aim of this chapter is to draw a synthesis on the main factors which ultimately determines As content in rice, from its uptake from the soil solution to its transport, metabolism, and final accumulation in grain. The element is of natural occurrence, varying in concentration, and its chemical species are modified due to a range of factors, such as the soil redox state. Among all As species, arsenite [As (III)] is the most common in anoxic conditions, such as the ones found in flooded paddy rice fields, which form is preferred for rice root uptake. Rice is naturally efficient in As(III) uptake, compared to most crops already studied, which is mainly due to its improved ability to uptake and transport silicon, especially with the aid of aquaporins, as silicic acid and arsenite are chemically analogous. Similarly, the second most important As form, arsenate [As(V)], is mainly uptaken and transported through the phosphate way. After being uptaken, As is transported either via xylem or phloem and is loaded to the grain. Within rice tissues, the element can be metabolized, being reduced, biomethylated, complexed to other elements, or even sequestered into vacuoles. The knowledge regarding the mechanisms of As uptake, transport, and metabolization in rice allows one to draw strategies in order to mitigate the content of this element in the grains, either via management practices or also via breeding and biotechnological approaches.

A Canola (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera) é cultivada no Sul do Brasil como uma alternativa para a estação fria no sistema de rotação de culturas. O sistema de plantio direto e a ocorrência de solos hidromórficos favorece a formação de ácidos orgânicos alifáticos com cadeia curta e baixo peso molecular, como os ácidos acético, butírico e propiônico. Estes ácidos podem causar efeitos negativos na produção de canola. Assim, este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a resposta de cinco genótipos híbridos de canola sob o efeito dos ácidos acético, butírico e propiônico na germinação e na fase inicial do crescimento da plântula. Os resultados demonstraram que os caracteres avaliados respondem de forma diferente em relação aos tratamentos aplicados dentro do mesmo genótipo. Dessa forma, a seleção de um genótipo que manteve um comportamento padrão nos caracteres avaliados sob estresse é dificultado. Entretanto, em uma visão geral, o genótipo Hyola 433 manteve respostas características de sensibilidade nos caracteres avaliados em relação aos ácidos utilizados. Ainda, foi detectado que o ácido acético teve menor efeito na germinação e na fase inicial de crescimento dos genótipos estudados.

Background: Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is a worldwide devastating disease of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Genetic resistance is the most effective way to control FHB and many QTL related to this trait have been mapped on the wheat genetic map. This information, however, must be refined to be more efficiently used in breeding programs and for the advance of the basic research. The objective of the present study was to in-depth analyze the QTLome of FHB resistance in bread wheat, further integrating genetic, genomic, and transcriptomic data, aiming to find candidate genes. Methods: An exhaustive bibliographic review on 76 scientific papers was carried out collecting information about QTL related to FHB resistance mapped on bread wheat. A dense genetic consensus map with 572,862 loci was generated for QTL projection. Meta-analysis could be performed on 323 QTL. Candidate gene mining was carried out within the most refined loci, containing genes that were cross-validated with publicly available transcriptional expression data of wheat under Fusarium infection. Most highlighted genes were investigated for protein evidence. Results: A total of 556 QTL were found in the literature, distributed on all sub-genomes and chromosomes of wheat. Meta-analysis generated 65 meta-QTL, and this refinement allows one to find markers more tightly linked to these regions. Candidate gene mining within the most refined meta-QTL, meta-QTL 1/chr. 3B, harvested 324 genes and transcriptional data cross-validated 10 of these genes, as responsive to FHB. One is of these genes encodes a Glycosiltransferase and the other encodes for a Cytochrome P450, and these such proteins have already been verified as being responsible for FHB resistance, but the remaining eight genes still have to be further studied, as promising loci for breeding. Conclusions: The QTLome of FHB resistance in wheat was successfully assembled and a refinement in terms of number and length of loci was obtained. The integration of the QTLome with genomic and transcriptomic data has allowed for the discovery of promising candidate genes for use in breeding programs.

The increasing demands of world’s population make it mandatory to increase food production. Global climate changes currently threaten this goal, through many adverse conditions, such as water stress by excess (waterlogging or flooding) or scarcity (drought). One alternative to overcome this challenge is the development of stress resilient crops, since an increase in the number of affected areas and the intensity of stress occurring in those, is happening as a consequence of climate changes. Molecular, physiological and epigenetic changes may be key to achieve tolerance to these stresses and are discussed in this chapter.

The most common goal for rice breeding is to improve the nutritional content and to reduce toxic components. Fourteen varieties of rice were grown for this purpose in six microclimatic regions in southern Brazil. The elemental composition of rice and As-Species were measured by ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS, respectively. Intra- and inter-species variations of essential and non-essential elements in husked grains from an important rice-producing region in Brazil are presented. Arsenic, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Se, and Zn were significantly affected by the microclimatic region and the rice varieties. The only exception observed was the effect of Pb variety selection, with 35.4 % associated with random fluctuations. Varieties with both higher levels of Fe/Zn and lower levels of As/Cd were identified in all regions studied. All regions and varieties were able to produce rice with Cd

Oryza glumaepatula is the only native wild rice from the Americas that has a diploid genome (2n = 24). Thus, this species constitutes a source of genetic variability for the improvement of Oryza sativa cultivated in the New World. Wild rice species are important sources of commercially important characters, such as tolerance to acid soils and drought, yield potential, cytoplasmic male-sterility, heat tolerance, and elongation ability. The transference of alleles associated to target characters from O. glumaepatula into O. sativa could be done via introgression or through the use of genetic engineering. Oryza glumaepatula occurs in Central and South America and Caribe, growing in flooded areas, swamps, rivers, and humid areas with clay soils and that present invasive or colonizing behavior. It presents populations with perennial, annual, or biannual cycle, depending of geographical localization, with bushy growth, fragile stems near the base of plants, which can detach and fluctuate, forming new populations. Flowering occurs between October and November, presenting self- and outcrossing. Recently, O. glumaepatula had its genome sequenced, enabling comparative studies among different Oryza species. These studies suggest the expansion and contraction of gene families, diversity, and variation in the number of noncoding genes and divergence in the sequences among the species are associated with the adaptation of each species to different environmental conditions. These results demonstrate the importance of species from the Oryza genus in the development of new O. sativa cultivars.

Problems in buildings can often be traced back to the requirements processing in the design phases. In building design, requirements processing is mainly discussed under the term briefing and is a critical and a problematic process. This study focus on the design stage and aims to summarize and analyze requirements’ processing concepts and practices by a systematic review. The main problems, guidelines, tools and methods were analyzed and compared to the requirements engineering and management approaches. The findings indicate lack of consensus about key concepts and about the coverage of requirements processing, lack of applied methods and lack of practitioners’ knowledge. From the gaps, we proposed a definition for the key concepts, and scheme of this whole requirements processing in building design and indicate recommendations for future research, which can guide important contributions, especially if supported by practical experiences. Keywords Requirements processing. Building design. Design management. Construction.

Iron (Fe) is an essential microelement for all living organisms playing important roles in several metabolic reactions. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is commonly cultivated in paddy fields, where Fe goes through a reduction reaction from Fe3+ to Fe2+. Since Fe2+ is more soluble, it can reach toxic levels inside plant cells, constituting an important target for studies. Here we aimed to verify morphological changes of different rice genotypes focusing on deciphering the underlying molecular network induced upon Fe excess treatments with special emphasis on the role of four WRKY transcription factors. The transcriptional response peak of these WRKY transcription factors in rice seedlings occurs at 4 days of exposition to iron excess. OsWRKY55-like, OsWRKY46, OsWRKY64, and OsWRKY113 are up-regulated in BR IRGA 409, an iron-sensitive genotype, while in cultivars Nipponbare (moderately resistant) and EPAGRI 108 (resistant) the expression profiles of these transcription factors show similar behaviors. Here is also shown that some cis-regulatory elements known to be involved in other different stress responses can be linked to conditions of iron excess. Overall, here we support the role of WRKY transcription factors in iron stress tolerance with other important steps toward finding why some rice genotypes are more tolerant than others.

Iron (Fe) deficiency is an important cause of health concern in developing countries, demanding mitigation strate­gies to fight this disorder. The biofortification of staple foods, such as rice ( Oryza sativa L.), could be achieved via the development of improved cultivars. Iron quantification is relatively costly and time-consuming, making its rou­tine use impracticable in breeding programs. Therefore, the identification of traits to be used in indirect selection strategies would be of high interest. This study aimed to find promising traits for use in indirect selection programs aiming Fe biofortification in rice grains. A diverse set of 95 rice genotypes, mostly Brazilian, was grown at South­ern Brazil, in 2016/2017, and Fe content in brown and polished grains, as well as other 12 morphological traits, were assayed. Analysis of variance, linear correlation, and path analysis were carried out. Different levels of asso­ciation between traits were found, being panicles per plant and caryopsis width the most promising for use in indi­rect selection aiming increased Fe content in both brown and polished rice. However, secondary traits, such as caryopsis length, have also to be considered when performing selection aiming Fe biofortification in the cereal.

Submergence can affect plant development due to the stress of oxygen depletion. Another consequence of submergence is toxicity to plants by an excess soluble iron when the soil is under anaerobic conditions. Currently, much attention has been given to the role of ethylene response transcription factors (ERFs) family, especially when plants respond to conditions of oxygen depletion. Considering such a scenario, we aimed to evaluate the transcriptional response of seven ERF genes in leaves of rice seedlings subjected to conditions of anoxia (N2), hypoxia (submergence), and iron overload (2,000 mg L−1 of FeSO4.7H2O). All the analyzed genes showed differential transcriptional expression in response to these three stresses. Analyses in the promoter region of these transcription factors indicated that the promoter region closest to the transcription start site is most responsible for the differential response of these genes under conditions of oxygen absence (anoxia) or reduction (hypoxia). On the other hand, the promoter relationship was not detected for iron stress. The methylation of these regions as a mean of regulation is also suggested as well as the possibility of redundancy of different genes expressed at similar times and stressful conditions.

Although flooding is one of the most important environmental stresses worldwide, not all plant species are intolerant to its effects. Species from semi-aquatic environments, such as rice, have the capacity to cope with flooding stress. Heat-shock proteins (Hsps) are thought to contribute to cellular homeostasis under both optimal and adverse growth conditions. Studies of gene expression in plants exposed to low levels of oxygen revealed the up-regulation of Hsp genes. However, it is not clear whether Hsp genes are transcribed as a function of tolerance or whether they represent a response to anoxic stress. Therefore, the accumulation of Hsp gene transcripts was investigated in two different cultivars, "Nipponbare" (flooding tolerant) and "IPSL 2070" (flooding sensitive), subjected to anoxic stress. Fifteen-day-old rice root seedlings from both cultivars were used. Four different treatments were performed: no anoxia (control); 24-h anoxia; 48-h anoxia; and 72-h anoxia. Anoxic stress was confirmed by the increased gene expression of alcohol dehydrogenase. The data obtained showed that both rice cultivars ("Nipponbare" and "IPSL 2070") accumulated Hsp gene transcripts under anoxic stress; however, the majority of the Hsp genes evaluated were responsive to anoxic stress in "IPSL 2070" (flooding sensitive), whereas in "Nipponbare" (flooding tolerant), only six genes were highly up-regulated. This suggests that although Hsps have an important role in the response to anoxia, they are not the major cause of tolerance.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar os efeitos de diferentes tecnologias de armazenamento na qualidade físico-química de kiwis da cultivar Tewi. Após a colheita, parte dos frutos foi submetida ao tratamento com 1-metilciclopropeno (1-MCP) e, posteriormente, frutos tratados e não tratados foram submetidos a diferentes condições de armazenamento, conforme segue: armazenamento em temperatura ambiente (20 °C ± 0,5 °C) durante 12 dias; armazenamento refrigerado (0°C ± 0,5°C) com ou sem controle da atmosfera (3 KPa O2 e 5 KPa CO2), e com ou sem absorção de etileno durante dois e quatro meses. Foram avaliadas a firmeza de polpa, o teor de sólidos solúveis e a acidez titulável. Verificou-se que, independentemente da tecnologia de conservação, houve uma diminuição na firmeza de polpa já aos dois meses de armazenamento, sendo a condição atmosfera controlada associada ao uso do 1-MCP a mais eficaz na retenção desse atributo. Frutos mantidos em temperatura ambiente apresentaram relação direta entre a redução da firmeza de polpa e o aumento do índice de sólidos solúveis; no entanto, após o armazenamento, essa relação nem sempre ocorreu. A maior acidez titulável foi verificada em frutos que receberam 1-MCP. Kiwis ‘Tewi’ apresentam bom potencial de conservação, podendo permanecer armazenados por até quatro meses em atmosfera controlada associada ao controle do etileno pelo uso de 1-MCP ou por absorção do etileno. Palavras-chave: Actinidia deliciosa; Qualidade físico-química; Pós-colheita; Firmeza de polpa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different storage technologies on the physical and chemical qualities of ‘Tewi’ kiwifruits. After harvesting, part of the fruits was treated with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), and then both the treated and non-treated fruits were stored under different conditions, as follows: storage at room temperature (20 °C ± 0.5 °C) for twelve days; refrigerated storage (0°C ± 0.5°C), with or without a controlled atmosphere (3% O2 and 5% CO2); and storage with or without ethylene adsorption for two and four months. The firmness of the flesh, soluble solids content and titratable acidity were evaluated during storage. It was noted that regardless of storage technology there was a reduction in firmness after two months. The controlled atmosphere conditions with 1-MCP were the most effective in retaining firmness. Fruits kept at room temperature showed a direct relationship between the reduction in flesh firmness and the increase in soluble solids content, although this relationship was not always observed after storage. The highest titratable acidity was observed in the fruits treated with 1-MCP. ‘Tewi’ kiwis showed good conservation potential, and could be stored for up to four months in a controlled atmosphere with ethylene management using 1-MCP or ethylene absorption. Keywords: Actinidia deliciosa; Physicochemical quality; Postharvest; Flesh firmness. Epub

Este artigo apresenta diretrizes para realizar a gestão de requisitos durante o processo de projeto de ambientes construídos (PPAC). Uma versão preliminar das diretrizes foi desenvolvida a partir de uma revisão da literatura e um estudo exploratório. Tal versão foi parcialmente aplicada e refinada em um estudo de caso, no qual foram enfatizados os requisitos ambientais de um projeto urbanístico. A aplicação no estudo de caso exigiu o uso de múltiplas fontes de dados, tais como aproximadamente 12 horas de entrevistas, consulta a documentos (por exemplo, do licenciamento ambiental) e observações de reuniões relacionadas ao PPAC. As diretrizes propostas têm uma visão holística da GR, contemplando todas as suas etapas ao longo do processo de projeto, e houve a disponibilização de mecanismos que permitem controlar inevitáveis mudanças nos requisitos. Os dados coletados também possibilitaram avaliar as diretrizes em termos de sua utilidade e facilidade de uso. Dentre os resultados do estudo de caso, ficou evidenciada contribuição das diretrizes na coleta, organização e visibilidade dos requisitos ambientais, o que beneficia a tomada de decisão. This article introduces guidelines for managing requirements during the building of the environment design process. A preliminary version of these guidelines was developed based on a literature review and an exploratory study. Such version was partially applied and enhanced in a case study of an urban project, where the environmental requirements were emphasized. Multiple sources of data were adopted in the case study, such as 12 hours of interviews, analysis of documents (e.g., environmental licenses) and observation of meetings related to the design process. The proposed guidelines have a holistic view of requirements management and involve all its phases along the design process. In addition, techniques that allow the control of change were indicated. The data available were also useful for assessing the guidelines from the perspective of their usability and effectiveness. Among the insights obtained from the case study, the contribution of the guidelines was evident in the elicitation, organization and visibility of environmental requirements, which benefits the decision-making.

Frente às já conhecidas dificuldades na gestão dos projetos de ambientes construídos, pesquisadores e profissionais têm continuamente desenvolvido e aplicado boas práticas de áreas como a gestão de projetos (GP). Contudo, ainda há carências a serem supridas, como a dificuldade em acompanhar dinamicamente a evolução dos requisitos dos envolvidos. Na tentativa de suprimir esta lacuna, o artigo objetiva analisar se a gestão de requisitos (GR) pode ser integrada à GP de ambientes construídos, e quais as principais vantagens e desvantagens desta integração. A pesquisa contou com uma revisão teórica que trouxe conceitos básicos da GP e da GR, contando esta última com contribuições da engenharia de software. Também foi realizado um estudo de caso em uma empresa construtora, através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas. A pesquisa permitiu concluir que a utilização da GR é vantajosa, apesar de não solucionar todas as dificuldades dos projetos, e que a adequada estruturação dos projetos é um condicionante para o sucesso da GR. A principal contribuição é uma proposta genérica e sistemática para integrar as etapas da GR aos projetos.

Abiotic and biotic stress conditions cause extensive losses to maize production, mainly due to protein dysfunction in these conditions. In higher plants, the occurrence of heat-shock proteins (HSPs) in response to different environmental stresses is a universal phenomenon and has been well documented. Many studies have demonstrated that most HSPs are involved in many regulatory pathways, act as molecular chaperones for other cell proteins, and have strong cytoprotective effects. Although many functional roles for HSPs are known, the mechanisms for these multiple functions are not entirely understood. Here we reviewed the correlation among HSP genes/proteins and plant tolerance, especially maize, in different environmental stresses. Due to the low availability of information regarding the expression of HSP genes in response to different stresses in maize, we decided to mine databases in order to generate new insights related to this topic.

In order to understand early molecular events associated with increase in fruit size and woolliness prevention induced by pre-harvest gibberellic acid (GA3) spraying, differential transcript accumulation of genes encoding proteins putatively involved in protein folding and protection, cell wall metabolism, and endomembrane transport was studied during fruit development of ‘Chiripa’ peach. Woolliness occurrence reached 100% in untreated peach, was reduced by 15% with GA3 spraying at the end of the pit hardening stage and was significantly reduced (by 78%) in peaches treated at the beginning of the pit hardening stage despite a significantly increased fruit size. Low incidence of woolliness after cold storage and fruit size increase in early GA3 treated peach was correlated with high transcript accumulation of genes encoding proteins putatively involved in protein folding, and protection of the endoplasmic reticulum (heat shock proteins—HSP40 er) and chloroplast (HSP17.8 ch), endomembrane transport (GTPase), as well as genes involved in cell wall loosening (expansins—Exp1, Exp2, Exp3, Exp4).

Quality of cold stored peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] is negatively affected by woolliness, a consequence of incomplete cell wall solubilization. Low transcript abundance of genes encoding proteins associated with endomembrane transport and cell wall metabolism in woolly fruit has been implicated in the process of woolliness development. In order to test this hypothesis, differential expression of genes involved in transport and cell wall metabolism were studied during ripening of peach cultivars Chimarrita (susceptible to woolliness) and Granada (not susceptible to woolliness), previously stored under cold and controlled atmosphere conditions. Unexpectedly, transcripts of endomembrane transport and cell wall metabolism associated genes had high relative accumulation in woolly ‘Chimarrita’ fruit. Although woolliness tolerant ‘Granada’ peach developed similar up-regulation, its transcript abundance was lower than ‘Chimarrita’. Results presented here suggest that woolliness prevention in peach is not entirely dependent on the up-regulation of this group of genes.

Peach [ Prunus persica (L.) Batsch, cv. Chiripa] fruit harvested from plants sprayed with gibberellic acid (GA 3 ), at the beginning (T1) and end of pit hardening (T2), kept under cold storage (CS) and controlled atmosphere (CA/CS), and from plants not sprayed with GA 3 (Control) and kept under CS, were evaluated in terms of fruit size and mass, ripening, occurrence of woolliness and expression of supposedly related genes and proteins. Peaches not sprayed with GA 3 and submitted to CS had a high incidence of woolliness, high mRNA abundance of vesicle transport genes and low mRNA abundance of genes associated with cell wall loosening, ethylene biosynthesis and heat shock proteins ( HSPs ). Early GA 3 spraying did not delay ripening but induced an increase in fruit size. In addition, it also induced a climacteric rise and prevented the occurrence of woolliness after CS. Woolliness prevention as a result of either GA 3 or CA/CS treatments resulted in higher abundance of mRNAs associated with cell wall metabolism, mitochondrial HSPs and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase ( ACCO ). A unique GA 3 response consisted of a high mRNA abundance of genes and/or proteins such as HSP40 - 1er , HSP40 - 2er , HSPCTR2 , β-mannosidase ( β-Man ) and α- l -arabinofuranosidase ( α-Ara ).

O etileno acelera o metabolismo pós-colheita de brócolis, e sua síntese é induzida por danos mecânicos e pelo aumento da temperatura. Para testar esta hipótese, foram realizados 03 experimentos. No primeiro, avaliou-se o efeito do dano mecânico na produção do etileno; no segundo, estudou-se o efeito do armazenamento refrigerado; e, no terceiro, o efeito do 1-MCP no metabolismo e conservação de brócolis. Os resultados mostraram que o dano mecânico aumenta significativamente a produção do etileno, passando de 0,25 a 501,83 mL.h-1 g-1, duas horas após a aplicação do tratamento. Já, no tratamento controle, os incrementos foram menores, passando de 0,27 para 203,13 mL.h-1 g-1. Durante o armazenamento, observou-se que a deterioração ocorreu mais rapidamente no tratamento controle (20-22 °C), com intenso amarelecimento, degradação de clorofilas e formação de odor desagradável. Os brócolis armazenados a 0-2 e a 5-7 °C mantiveram boa qualidade por 12 dias. A aplicação de 1-MCP não contribuiu para prolongar a vida-de-prateleira de brócolis Legacy a 20-22 °C, não tendo havido efeito na preservação da coloração esverdeada, nem na prevenção da degradação de clorofilas.

Flesh softening, skin browning and rotting are chief problems during cold storage (CS) of 'Fuyu' Persimmon. We studied the effects of boron (B) and calcium (Ca) sprayed on the trees during three consecutive years, on the development of skin cracks, grooves and browning in persimmon fruit under CS in Farroupilha, RS, Brazil (29°31' south, 51°21' west, about 750 m altitude). A homogeneous orchard area of 0.5 ha was delimitated and three sets of five plants for each treatment were randomly selected. The persimmon trees were sprayed at a 20 day interval, from 15th January until harvest, for three consecutive years, with: T1) water; T2) calcium nitrate at 0.5% (m/v); T3) calcium chloride at 0.5% (m/v); and T4) boron at 0.3% (m/v). The fruit were harvest with orange-reddish colour; 18-20°Brix, pulp firmness of 45 to 60N, and kept under CS at 0±1°C for 45 days. The fruits were evaluated immediately before CS, after six hours at 23±2°C after removal from CS, and after four days at 23±2°C after removal from CS. Equally boron and calcium sprayed on the trees prevented skin cracks, skin grooves and skin browning. Besides, when boron was sprayed on the trees, the mentioned effects were additive in the following year. As principais alterações indesejáveis observadas no período pós-colheita de caquis em armazenamento refrigerado (AR) são a perda de firmeza de polpa, e a ocorrência de escurecimento epidérmico e de podridões. Este trabalho teve por objetivo principal estudar as respostas da aplicação de boro (B) e cálcio (Ca), em três safras sucessivas, na prevenção da ocorrência de fissuras, estrias e escurecimento epidérmico de caquis "Fuyu". No pomar (Farroupilha-RS-Brasil, 29°31' Sul, 51°21' Oeste, aproximadamente 750m altitude) delimitou-se uma área homogênea de 0,5ha., marcando-se, ao acaso, três repetições de cinco plantas para cada tratamento: T1 - controle, caquizeiros não-pulverizados com B e Ca; T2 - pulverizações com Nitrato de Ca 0,5% (m/v); T3 - pulverizações com Cloreto de Ca 0,5% (m/v); e T4 - pulverizações com B 0,3% (m/v). As aplicações foram realizadas em três anos sucessivos a partir de 15 de janeiro a intervalos de 20 dias. Foram colhidos os caquis na coloração alaranjado-avermelhada, com 18-20°Brix e 45 a 60N, que posteriormente foram armazenados em AR a 0±1°C por 45 dias. As avaliações foram realizadas no dia do armazenamento, após seis horas a 23±2°C a partir da retirada AR, e após quatro dias a 23±2°C a partir da retirada do AR. Foi avaliada a ocorrência de frutas com fissuras, estrias e escurecimento epidérmico. Comprovou-se o efeito benéfico da aplicação de B ou Ca na prevenção de fissuras, estrias e escurecimento epidérmico. Adicionalmente, foi detectado o incremento da resposta à aplicação de B, que, além de prevenir (à semelhança das aplicações com Ca), apresentou efeito aditivo no segundo ano. O resultado sugere que as respostas às aplicações com B são progressivas.

The aim of this study was to quantify the expression of the SalT , LTP-Plant , CDPK and PP1 genes, described as responsive to salinity in rice genotypes, describe the promoter region of these genes and identify possible cis -elements that may be involved in the induction of gene expression under salinity. The cultivars BRS Bojuru (tolerant) and BRS Agrisul (sensitive) were subjected to 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 h of exposure to salt. For the analysis of qRT-PCR, two detoxification/defense genes and two cell signal transduction genes were selected. In the identification of cis- elements, a region spanning 1.000 bp in the promoter region of genes was analyzed. The Os01g0348900-SalT gene presented an increase in quantification of the relative expression (QR) of 2.081 times in the sensitive and 63.7 times in the tolerant cultivar. The Os03g0251000-LTP gene showed a contrasting increase of the expression between the cultivars BRS Agrisul (QR = 11.0) and BRS Bojuru (QR = 1.54). The genes Os03g0688300- CDPK and Os02g0820000-PP1 apparently do not show response to salinity, since in most treatments, the QR values were lower than the control. Thirty-eight cis- elements distributed in the four analyzed genes were identified. Of these, six were found only in the Os01g0348900-SalT gene promoter, suggesting a possible involvement of these cis- elements in the induction of expression of this gene under salinity. Based on these results, it can be concluded that these genes do not maintain a direct relation with salinity tolerance, but with mechanisms that allow acclimation to this condition.

Os requisitos ambientais, enquanto demandas emergentes do desenvolvimento sustentavel, surgem como mais um desafio na gestao do processo de projeto de edificios. Tradicionalmente expostas a uma serie de dificuldades gerenciais, as empresas que desenvolvem estes projetos veem-se diante de uma nova oferta de demandas, e carecem de meios para inclui-las no processo de projeto de forma organizada e alinhada aos objetivos do seu negocio. Este artigo e baseado em um estudo de caso realizado uma construtora, por meio de entrevistas e analise documental, e tem por objetivo propor um procedimento, baseado na gestao de requisitos (GR), para a analise e integracao de requisitos ambientais de um empreendimento ao processo de projeto. Entre os resultados, foi constatado que a GR e uma abordagem adequada para a integracao dos requisitos ambientais ao processo de projeto e que, para serem efetivamente considerados e atendidos, as empresas devem emitir orientacoes desde o planejamento estrategico. Outra contribuicao e a proposta de um procedimento para a modelagem dos requisitos ambientais ao longo do processo de projeto.

Os requisitos ambientais, enquanto demandas emergentes do desenvolvimento sustentavel, surgem como mais um desafio na gestao do processo de projeto de edificios. Tradicionalmente expostas a uma serie de dificuldades gerenciais, as empresas que desenvolvem estes projetos veem-se diante de uma nova oferta de informacoes e precisam desenvolver meios para identificar quais demandas sao mais alinhadas ao seu negocio. Este artigo baseou-se em um estudo de caso em uma construtora, onde foi replicada parte de um metodo de gestao de requisitos para produtos sustentaveis. Busca-se apresentar um procedimento para o levantamento e organizacao dos requisitos ambientais de um projeto para o seu gerenciamento e, em destaque, para montar o seu arranjo frente aos objetivos estrategicos da empresa . Entre os resultados, foi constatado que o metodo e adequado para a organizacao dos requisitos ambientais no projeto e que, para estes serem efetivamente considerados e atendidos, deve haver orientacoes desde o planejamento estrategico.

Reverse Transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is one of the most important techniques for gene expression profiling due to its high sensibility and reproducibility. However, the reliability of the results is highly dependent on data normalization, performed by comparisons between the expression profiles of the genes of interest against those of constitutively expressed, reference genes. Although the technique is widely used in fruit postharvest experiments, the transcription stability of reference genes has not been thoroughly investigated under these experimental conditions. Thus, we have determined the transcriptional profile, under these conditions, of three genes commonly used as reference--ACTIN (MdACT), PROTEIN DISULPHIDE ISOMERASE (MdPDI) and UBIQUITIN-CONJUGATING ENZYME E2 (MdUBC)--along with two novel candidates--HISTONE 1 (MdH1) and NUCLEOSSOME ASSEMBLY 1 PROTEIN (MdNAP1). The expression profile of the genes was investigated throughout five experiments, with three of them encompassing the postharvest period and the other two, consisting of developmental and spatial phases. The transcriptional stability was comparatively investigated using four distinct software packages: BestKeeper, NormFinder, geNorm and DataAssist. Gene ranking results for transcriptional stability were similar for the investigated software packages, with the exception of BestKeeper. The classic reference gene MdUBC ranked among the most stably transcribed in all investigated experimental conditions. Transcript accumulation profiles for the novel reference candidate gene MdH1 were stable throughout the tested conditions, especially in experiments encompassing the postharvest period. Thus, our results present a novel reference gene for postharvest experiments in apple and reinforce the importance of checking the transcription profile of reference genes under the experimental conditions of interest.