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Mucorales is an order of mostly saprobic fungi which includes broad host range plant pathogens. They are often associated with fruits, causing post-harvest deterioration and economic loss. In markets in the municipality of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, fruits with symptoms of soft rot and the presence of fungi with the appearance of Mucorales have been observed. Sporangiophores bearing black and globose sporangia were visualized on the surface of the rotten tissues. Isolates obtained from symptomatic tissues were cultured in potato dextrose agar culture medium, and cultural and microscopic observations were performed. According to the morphological characteristics, the isolates were identified as Gilbertella persicaria and their identity was confirmed by phylogenetic analyses of the ITS and LSU rDNA regions. Gilbertella persicaria, the unique species of the genus, is commonly found in soil, water, dung and often isolated from fruit with post-harvest soft rot. In the present study, nine isolates were obtained and identified, five from acerola, two from cashew, one from papaya and breadfruit. To our knowledge, this is the first report of G. persicaria causing acerola and papaya rot in Brazil and the first report of the species as a cashew and breadfruit pathogen in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silvopastoral systems can have animal welfare and sustainability benefits because trees continually remove carbon from atmosphere, reducing greenhouse effects. Thisstudy identified the most promising fruit trees for inclusion in silvopastoral systems to dairy cattle calves. This experiment was conducted at Embrapa Agrossilvipastoril, Brazil, between 2014 and 2018. Five silvopastoral systems with fruit trees and 'Tifton-85' grass were designed to evaluate tree growth and light environment under the canopies. Data were analyzed using SAS® and PDIFF (P < 0.10). Caja fruit trees had the greatest tree height (5.4 m) and trunk diameter (23.4 cm), while acerola fruit tree had the smallest (1.8 m and 8.3 cm, respectively). At 42 months (drought 2017), caja, cashew, and guava trees had similar heights. Guava trees had the highest light interception (89.3%), both cashew cultivars provided medium levels of shade (50 to 60% LI) and with greater constancy between the rainy and dry seasons. The systems that showed increased light interception during the drought period were those with CCP76 in 2017 and EMB51 in 2018. Higher incidences of wavelengths of the spectral composition of light occurred between the rainfall (2015) and drought (2017) periods, and greater differences in the ratio of red:far red in 2015. By 2018, there were no more differences between the rainy and dry seasons for the spectral composition of light under the tree canopies. Cashews and guava trees have adequate growth and light environment to support silvopastoral systems but Caja and acerola fruit trees showed limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cashew nut is an important product in Brazil, both for consumption and export, with the pulp of the cashew fruit being considered a by-product despite its high flavonoid content. In this study, the use of cashew pulp extract as a treatment for acne and in the prevention of early skin damage was investigated. Its flavonoid content was determined using spectrophotometric identification, and its effects on cell and bacterial viability, the migration of keratinocytes, and antioxidant activity in vitro were evaluated. Furthermore, it was incorporated into an emulsion for topical administration, and the physical-chemical stability parameters of the formulation were determined. The cashew pulp contained flavonoids with healing and antioxidant activity, and was not toxic to keratinocyte cells in a viability test. The flavonoid-rich formulation was stable, indicating that this is a promising formulation for use in the treatment of acne and protection of skin against premature damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the energy potential of five types of biomass waste from cultures of banana (Musa spp.), cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.), babassu coconut (Orbignya speciosa), mango (Mangifera indica), and several flowers from the central hinterland of Ceará, Brazil was evaluated, to investigate their applicability as potential sources of alternative energy, for example, Briquettes. Many countries have been looking for new types of energy that are sustainable and clean, and biomass energy has been attracted attention in the last years because, is a renewable resource that, can be transformed in gaseous, liquid, and solid fuel. However, there are still many points that need investigation, for example, physicochemical properties and analytical characterization, energy efficiency, and cost. Therefore, the evaluation of the energy potential of biomass derived from a specific region is necessary. The thermal and oxidative behavior of the samples were evaluated by thermogravimetric (TG-DTG) analysis in atmospheres of nitrogen (N2) and synthetic air. For biomass characterization, the following analyses were done: immediate chemical analysis and high calorific value. The results showed that all the samples of biomass residues displayed high calorific values (>11 MJ/kg) and the immediate analysis showed that these residues displayed acceptable reactivities with a high volatile content (>70%). Average percentages were calculated for each parameter, and the following relationships were obtained for the different samples of biomass waste: Moisture (M): Mnitrogen > Mair; Volatile Matter (VM): VMair > VMnitrogen, and Ash Content (AC): ACair > ACnitrogen. The differences in the temperatures and decomposition rates of cellulose and hemicellulose enabled the investigation of the influence of oxidative and inert gas (synthetic air and nitrogen) upon the characteristics of waste decay, as well as inferences regarding the use of the thermogravimetric techniques in the study of the decomposition of different biomasses, for possible application as energy sources, as a quick, effective, and accurate tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The giant grasshopper Tropidacris collaris (Stoll, 1813) (Orthoptera: Romaleidae) is a Neotropical species that causes economic damage to diverse and unrelated crops. We report herein the occurrence of this grasshopper in orchards of dwarf cashew Anacardium occidentale L. (Anacardiaceae) located in the state of Ceará, one of the main cashew-producing areas of Brazil. Nymphs and adults were observed feeding on cashew leaves during June and July 2016, causing partial or total defoliation of some plants. This report updates the feeding plants of T. collaris and its distribution in Brazil and serves as an early warning of possible future attacks by the pest on cashew orchards in the northeastern region of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Netto, M. S. B., Lima, W. G., Correia, K. C., da Silva, C. F. B., Thon, M., Martins, R. B., Miller, R. N. G., Michereff, S. J., and Câmara, M. P. S. 2016. Analysis of phylogeny, distribution, and pathogenicity of Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with gummosis of Anacardium in Brazil, with a new species of Lasiodiplodia . We identified Botryosphaeriaceae species associated with gummosis on Anacardium in Brazil. Isolates were sampled and identified on the basis morphology and phylogeny, through analysis of a partial translation elongation factor 1-α sequence, ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacers, and β-tubulin gene sequence. Ten taxa were identified, namely, Lasiodiplodia brasiliense , L. euphorbicola , L. gonubiensis , L. iraniensis , L. jatrophicola , L. gravistriata sp. nov., L. pseudotheobromae , L. theobromae , Neofusicoccum batangarum , and Pseudofusicoccum stromaticum . Lasiodiplodia theobromae has been previously reported in cashew and is the most prevalent species observed. All the other species are reported here for the first time on this host. All species of Botryosphaeriaceae were pathogenic on detached green cashew shoots. Differences in aggressiveness were observed among the species, with N. batangarum , L. iraniensis , L. jatrophicola , and L. gravistriata characterized as the most aggressive species, whilst L. euphorbicola and L. pseudotheobromae were identified as the least aggressive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Cashew is an extremely important source of income for thousands of people in the Brazilian Northeastern—in growing the plant, in harvesting the nuts, in processing the kernels and apples, and in marketing the products. Diseases have been reported to cause significant cashew yield loss in Brazil, a major cashew-producing country. Anthracnose is by far the most important disease. Other foliar infections, namely black mould, angular leaf spot and powdery mildew are considered of lesser importance. Gummosis of branches and trunk has increased its severity in all northeastern producing states. Nematode attack has so far not been detected in this crop. Fungal deterioration of kernels, a pre- and post-harvest problem, causes losses of million of dollars per annum. The spraying of pesticides in Brazilian cashew plantatations is seldom practiced by most farmers due to economic and social reasons. Some diseases are more severe on dwarf cashew clones than on common tall cashew plants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Anacardium othonianum Rizzini, a cashew tree native to the Brazilian Cerrado, is economically important due to its applications in the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. However, A. othonianum yields a crop with low productivity due to a number of factors, such as nutritionally poor soils, drought and losses due to pests and diseases. Brazil is one of the nine largest cashew nut producers worldwide, and sustainable technologies are needed to increase the productivity of this crop. In this context, the use of endophytic microorganisms could promote plant growth and provide protection against phytopathogens. In this study, the isolation of the root endophytic community of A. othonianum led to the characterization of 22 distinct bacterial strains with multifunctional traits for plant growth promotion. The results of in vitro assays to assess auxin synthesis, phosphate solubilization, phosphatase and siderophore production and biocontrol against Fusarium oxysporum led to the selection of Acinetobacter lwoffii Bac109 and Pantoea agglomerans Bac131 as the most promising strains. The reinoculation of the Bac109 and Bac131 strains onto A. othonianum seeds showed that the treatment containing a mixture of these strains was the most effective in promoting increases in the biometric parameters of early plant growth. Thus, this study highlights the biotechnological potential of a consortium of A. lwoffii Bac109 and P. agglomerans Bac131 for future applications in sustainable cashew cultivation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)