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In order to further address the known interaction between ethylene and components of the oxidative system, we have used the ethylene-insensitive Never ripe ( Nr ) tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) mutant, which blocks ethylene responses. The mutant was compared to the control Micro-Tom (MT) cultivar subjected to two stressful situations: 100 mM NaCl and 0.5 mM CdCl 2 . Leaf chlorophyll, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities in roots, leaves and fruits, and Na and Cd accumulation in tissues were determined. Although we verified a similar growth pattern and Na and Cd accumulation for MT and Nr , the mutant exhibited reduced leaf chlorophyll degradation following stress. In roots and leaves, the patterns of catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) production under the stressful conditions tested were very similar between MT and Nr mutant. However, Nr fruits showed increased H 2 O 2 production, reduced and enhanced APX activity in NaCl and CdCl 2 , respectively, and enhanced GPOX in NaCl. Moreover, through non-denaturing PAGE, a similar reduction of SOD I band intensity in both, control MT and Nr mutant, treated with NaCl was observed. In leaves and fruits, a similar SOD activity pattern was observed for all periods, genotypes and treatments. Overall the results indicate that the ethylene signaling associated with NR receptor can modulate the biochemical pathways of oxidative stress in a tissue dependent manner, and that this signaling may be different following Na and Cd exposure.

The extracytoplasmic function sigma factor σ T is the master regulator of general stress response in Caulobacter crescentus and controls the expression of its paralogue σ U . In this work we showed that PhyR and NepR act, respectively, as positive and negative regulators of σ T expression and function. Biochemical data also demonstrated that NepR directly binds σ T and the phosphorylated form of PhyR. We also described the essential role of the histidine kinase gene CC3474, here denominated phyK, for expression of σ T -dependent genes and for resistance to stress conditions. Additionally, in vivo evidence of PhyK-dependent phosphorylation of PhyR is presented. This study also identified a conserved cysteine residue (C95) located in the periplasmic portion of PhyK that is crucial for the function of the protein. Furthermore, we showed that PhyK, PhyR and σ T regulate the same set of genes and that σ T apparently directly controls most of its regulon. In contrast, σ U seems to have a very modest contribution to the expression of a subset of σ T -dependent genes. In conclusion, this report describes the molecular mechanism involved in the control of general stress response in C. crescentus.

Nitrogen uptake and metabolism are essential to microbial growth. Gat1 belongs to a conserved family of zinc finger containing transcriptional regulators known as GATA-factors. These factors activate the transcription of Nitrogen Catabolite Repression (NCR) sensitive genes when preferred nitrogen sources are absent or limiting. Cryptococcus neoformans GAT1 is an ortholog to the Aspergillus nidulans AreA and Candida albicans GAT1 genes. In an attempt to define the function of this transcriptional regulator in C. neoformans, we generated null mutants (gat1Δ) of this gene. The gat1 mutant exhibited impaired growth on all amino acids tested as sole nitrogen sources, with the exception of arginine and proline. Furthermore, the gat1 mutant did not display resistance to rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug that transiently mimics a low-quality nitrogen source. Gat1 is not required for C. neoformans survival during macrophage infection or for virulence in a mouse model of cryptococcosis. Microarray analysis allowed the identification of target genes that are regulated by Gat1 in the presence of proline, a poor and non-repressing nitrogen source. Genes involved in ergosterol biosynthesis, iron uptake, cell wall organization and capsule biosynthesis, in addition to NCR-sensitive genes, are Gat1-regulated in C. neoformans.

Sugarcane is now an extremely important crop, particularly in tropical countries. Its use for sugar and ethanol production is critical and cultivated area and biomass yield are increasing. Environmental pollution by anthropogenic activities is perhaps one of the most disturbing problems the world is facing and the cultivation of crops is subjected to this pollution, which may result in drastic effects on crop production. Curiously, the literature on the study of abiotic stresses on sugarcane is very limited, indicating that there is far more research to be done and investigations on this topic need to be prioritized. In this article, we have tried to focus on four key abiotic stresses, drought, temperature, salt and toxic metals, to which sugarcane is most likely to be subjected and reviewed the scarce current literature on the subject.

Tomato high pigment (hp) mutants represent an interesting horticultural resource due to their enhanced accumulation of carotenoids, flavonoids and vitamin C. Since hp mutants are known for their exaggerated light responses, the molecules accumulated are likely to be antioxidants, recruited to deal with light and others stresses. Further phenotypes displayed by hp mutations are reduced growth and an apparent disturbance in water loss. Here, we examined the impact of the hp1 mutation and its near isogenic line cv Micro-Tom (MT) on stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), CO2 assimilation (A) and water use efficiency (WUE). Detached hp1 leaves lost water more rapidly than control leaves, but this behaviour was reversed by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), indicating the ability of hp1 to respond to this hormone. Although attached hp1 leaves had enhanced gs, E and A compared to control leaves, genotypic differences were lost when water was withheld. Both instantaneous leaf-level WUE and long-term whole plant WUE did not differ between hp1 and MT. Our results indicate a link between exaggerated light response and water loss in hp1, which has important implications for the use of this mutant in both basic and horticultural research.

Henrique da Silva Fontes e a criação da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

A lguns exploradores, como Pero Vaz de Caminha, o cronista do descobrimento, fizeram relatos da biodiversidade brasileira. A carta de Caminha descreve genericamente alguns animais e plantas, mas nao restam duvidas sobre o uso do corante vermelho extraido do urucum (Bixa orellana) e o preto derivado do suco do jenipapo (Genipa americana). Os dois corantes ainda sao utilizados pelos indios para adornarem a pele e o processo de extracao do urucum e o mesmo de 500 anos atras. Outros exploradores vieram a seguir e enriqueceram os registros da biodiversidade, como Hans Staden (Duas viagens ao Brasil, 1557) que descreveu a importância da mandioca na alimentacao diaria dos indios. O desafortunado aventureiro alemao foi aprisionado pelos indios Tupinambas — nove meses de "engorda", pois ele era demasiado magro para ser consumido num ritual antropofagico. As invencionices de Staden foram plagiadas por outros exploradores, de modo que a antropofagia passou a ser vista como pratica corriqueira entre os nativos do Novo Mundo. Os relatos de Andre Thevet (Les singularitez de la France Antarctique, 1550) e Jean de Lery (Histoire d'un voyage faict en la terre du Bresil, 1574) tem importância historica. Thevet descreveu o modo peculiar de extracao do suco de jenipapo pelos indios. Eles mastigavam o fruto e dele extraiam um liquido claro, mas que, ao ser espalhado pelo corpo, se transformava num corante entre negro e azulado. Outra curiosidade foi a descoberta da pacoveira, o nome que os nativos davam a bananeira. Thevet ficou encantado com as propriedades nutricionais e singularidade da planta, pois o fruto era saboroso, nutritivo e abundante; ele podia ser consumido imediatamente ou era cozido e servia de complemento alimentar nas refeicoes. A dieta alimentar dos nativos era rica em proteinas de origem animal, complementada por frutas e raizes. Eles nao usavam animais para aragem do solo, mas plantavam milho, batata-doce e mandioca; eles ateavam fogo nas matas para limpar o terreno, sulcavam a terra com instrumentos de madeira e lancavam as sementes para o plantio. Os indios consumiam uma ampla variedade de produtos naturais, mas nao viviam unicamente num sistema de caca-e-coleta.

Good reviews have been published over the years regarding many aspects of plant response to light, such as important advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of light perception, signaling and control of gene expression by the photoreceptors. Moreover, many efforts have been undertaken on the manipulation of these mechanisms to improve horticultural crop production. In this paper we present an overview about the photoreceptors, the relationship between their absorptive and reflective properties and their control of plant development as well perspectives focused on photomorphogenesis manipulation.

Esse artigo descreve e analisa relações que emergem da atuação dos profissionais do Programa Mais Médicos para o Brasil na saúde indígena do Tocantins, a partir do contato desses profissionais com o povo Akw?/Xerente. Recorreu-se aos relatos de profissionais e de indígenas Xerente, coletados na área indígena onde atuam e nos novos espaços que surgem pela dinâmica do Programa. Dessa zona de contato entre profissionais e indígenas emergiram novas formas de relacionamento. Fatores como permanência dos profissionais, formação adequada e disponibilidade foram importantes para a interação desses profissionais com a comunidade contribuindo para uma relação mais simétrica. De outro lado, o processo histórico de relação dos Xerente com a sociedade circundante consistiu num elemento facilitador dessa relação.

Este artigo analisa a questão do conservadorismo no que concerne à gestão de recursos por tesourarias de instituições financeiras públicas, que incorrem em um trade-off por não ter essa gestão como prioridade, mas sim as atividades associadas ao desenvolvimento. Fazendo-se uso do capital asset pricing model (CAPM), as evidências para o Banco do Nordeste do Brasil, o maior banco de desenvolvimento regional da América Latina, sugerem que sejam viáveis as mudanças institucional e na legislação que restringe a política de investimentos dessas organizações.This article analyzes the conservative behavior of public financial institutions' treasuries, which incur a trade-off for prioritizing their development-related activities instead of their funds management. Using the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), evidence from the Northeast Bank of Brazil, the largest regional development bank in Latin America, suggests that changes in the institutions, as well as in the legislation that restricts their investment policy, are feasible.

Hormones are molecules involved in virtually every step of plant development and studies in this field have been shaping plant physiology for more than a century. The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, long used as a tool to study plant hormones, lacks significant important developmental traits, such as fleshy climacteric fruit, compound leaf and multicellular trichomes, suggesting the necessity for alternative plant models. An attractive option often used is tomato, a species also of major economic importance, being ideal to bring together basic and applied plant sciences. The tomato Micro-Tom (MT) cultivar makes it possible to combine the direct benefits of studying a crop species with the fast life cycle and small size required for a suitable biological model. However, few obscure questions are constantly addressed to MT, creating a process herein called "MT mystification". In this work we present evidence clarifying these questions and show the potential of MT, aiming to demystify it. To corroborate our ideas we showed that, by making use of MT, our laboratory demonstrated straightforwardly new hormonal functions and also characterized a novel antagonistic hormonal interaction between jasmonates and brassinosteroids in the formation of anti-herbivory traits in tomato.

The nonlocal nonlinearity of castor oil was investigated using the Z-scan technique in the CW regime at 514 nm and in femtosecond regime at 810 nm. Large negative nonlinear refractive indexes of thermal origin, thermo-optical coefficients and degree of nonlocality were obtained for both laser excitation wavelengths. The results indicate that the electronic part of the nonlinear refractive index and nonlinear absorption were negligible. Our results suggest that castor oil is promising candidate as a nonlinear medium for several nonlocal optical applications, such as in spatial soliton propagation, as well as a dispersant agent in the measurement of absorptive properties of nanoparticles.

Flow pumps have been developed for classical applications in Engineering, and are important instruments in areas such as Biology and Medicine. Among applications for this kind of device we notice blood pump and chemical reagents dosage in Bioengineering. Furthermore, they have recently emerged as a viable thermal management solution for cooling applications in small-scale electronic devices. This work presents the performance study of a novel principle of a piezoelectric flow pump which is based on the use of a bimorph piezoelectric actuator inserted in fluid (water). Piezoelectric actuators have some advantages over classical devices, such as lower noise generation and ease of miniaturization. The main objective is the characterization of this piezoelectric pump principle through computational simulations (using finite element software), and experimental tests through a manufactured prototype. Computational data, such as flow rate and pressure curves, have also been compared with experimental results for validation purposes.

Os contos de fadas e as historias populares revelam a estrutura social, supersticoes e o comportamento do homem antigo. Esse material pode ser util para a compreensao do sistema legal e conflito parental (orfandade, negligencia e abuso infantil perpetrado pelas madrastas), assim como ele revela o status social das esposas e das criancas na familia patriarcal. Fadas, bruxas e personagens como Rapunzel e Chapeuzinho Vermelho indicam um vies feminil, mas as garotas e mulheres jovens eram susceptiveis a serios abusos, principalmente negligencia parental, abandono e casamento precoce (efeito Cinderela). O artigo examina as doencas mentais e disturbios comportamentais (e.g., esquizofrenia, alcoolismo, mal de Parkinson e perturbacoes do sono) exibidos pelos personagens dos contos de fadas e literatura popular.

A estimativa da variabilidade genética existente em um banco de germoplasma é importante não só para a conservação dos recursos genéticos, mas também para aplicações no melhoramento de plantas. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a divergência genética entre 78 acessos de uma coleção de germoplasma de tomateiro, com base em 74 marcadores RAPD e correlacionar esses resultados àqueles da caracterização morfoagronômica realizada para 27 descritores. Foi utilizado o agrupamento hierárquico UPGMA para analisar os dados, observando-se a formação de 13 grupos. Esses grupos foram correlacionados a cinco descritores (hábito de crescimento, tipo de folha, cor do fruto, número de lóculos e formato do fruto). Alguns grupos apresentaram peculiaridades, a exemplo do grupo IV, que reuniu acessos com frutos no formato de pêra; o grupo VII com acessos resistentes a murcha-bacteriana e o grupo IX, que englobou acessos com folhas do tipo batata. As análises por bootstrap revelaram poucos agrupamentos consistentes. Houve correlação positiva e altamente significativa entre as matrizes geradas pelos 27 descritores qualitativos e pelos marcadores RAPD (t = 14,02). A correlação de Mantel (r = 0,39) foi altamente significativa, porém de baixa magnitude. O baixo valor verificado para esta correlação sugere que ambas as etapas de caracterização (morfoagronômica e molecular) são importantes para um conhecimento mais amplo e melhor discriminação entre os acessos de tomate.The estimation of genetic variability in a germplasm bank is important not only for the conservation of the genetic resources, but also for applications in plant breeding. The genetic divergence among 78 tomato accessions was studied, based on 74 RAPD markers. Also, a correlation between the molecular profile and 27 morphological and agronomic data was performed. Cluster analysis (UPGMA), used to study the data, resulted in 13 groups that were correlated with five descriptors (growth habit, leaf type, fruit color, locule number, and fruit shape). Some groups had particularities, such as group IV that assembled accessions with pear shape fruits; group VII, that clustered accessions with bacterial wilt resistance, and group IX, that gathered accessions with potato leaf type. Bootstrap analysis revealed few consistent clusters. The results showed a positive and significant correlation between the matrixes generated out of qualitative and molecular data (t = 14.02). Mantel's correlation was highly significant, but with a low value (r = 0.39), which suggests that for a wise use of the germplasm bank accessions, both characterization, molecular and morphoagronomic, should be carried out.

O índio brasileiro e a Revolução Francesa

Sigma factors of the ECF subfamily are important regulators of stress responses in bacteria. Analysis of Caulobacter crescentus genome sequence has indicated the presence of 13 members of the ECF (extracytoplasmic function) subfamily, suggesting that these regulators play an important role in C. crescentus physiology. This work describes the characterization of two highly similar C. crescentus ECF sigma factors, sigma(U) and sigma(T). The corresponding genes are not essential under normal growth conditions and absence of sigma(U) does not impair bacterial resistance to the environmental stresses tested. However, absence of sigma(T) significantly affects the ability of C. crescentus cells to survive osmotic and oxidative stress. Using transcription fusions to sigT and sigU upstream regions we demonstrate that both genes are induced by osmotic stress in a sigma(T)-dependent manner. Determination of sigU and sigT transcription start sites revealed an identical promoter motif, typical of ECF-dependent promoters. Transcriptome analysis revealed 40 putative members of the sigma(T) regulon, including sigU and sigR, encoding another ECF subfamily member, and genes involved in general stress responses and cell envelope functions. Twenty of those genes exhibit the sigT/sigU promoter motif in their upstream regions. Our data indicate a role of sigma(T) in distinct stress responses in C. crescentus.

Os autores estudaram a incidência de hipotensão postural sistólica e diastólica numa população de idosos (n:60; >60 anos, 31 do sexo feminino) residentes no Lar São Vicente de Paulo, em Sorocaba-SP. Houve queda significativa de pressão arterial em 30% dos casos. No primeiro minuto (a pressão arterial foi medida na posição ortostática durante 3 minutos consecutivos), a hipotensão sistólica foi mais freqüente nas mulheres; entretanto, no primeiro minuto, a queda da pressão diastólica foi mais freqüente nos homens. Os autores tecem comentários sobre as causas de hipotensão postural, a fisiopatologia, principais conseqüências e tratamento.

Background As bacterial cells enter stationary phase, they adjust their growth rate to comply with nutrient restriction and acquire increased resistance to several stresses. These events are regulated by controlling gene expression at this phase, changing the mode of exponential growth into that of growth arrest, and increasing the expression of proteins involved in stress resistance. The two-component system SpdR/SpdS is required for the activation of transcription of the Caulobacter crescentus cspD gene at the onset of stationary phase. Results In this work, we showed that both SpdR and SpdS are also induced upon entry into stationary phase, and this induction is partly mediated by ppGpp and it is not auto-regulated. Global transcriptional analysis at early stationary phase of a spdR null mutant strain compared to the wild type strain was carried out by DNA microarray. Twenty-three genes showed at least twofold decreased expression in the spdR deletion mutant strain relative to its parental strain, including cspD, while five genes showed increased expression in the mutant. The expression of a set of nine genes was evaluated by quantitative real time PCR, validating the microarray data, and indicating an important role for SpdR at stationary phase. Several of the differentially expressed genes can be involved in modulating gene expression, including four transcriptional regulators, and the RNA regulatory protein Hfq. The ribosomal proteins NusE and NusG, which also have additional regulatory functions in transcription and translation, were also downregulated in the spdR mutant, as well as the ParE1 toxin. The purified SpdR protein was shown to bind to the regulatory region of CC0517 by Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay, and the SpdR-regulated gene CC0731 was shown to be expressed at a lower level in the null cspD mutant, suggesting that at least part of the effect of SpdR on the expression of this gene is indirect. Conclusions The results indicate that SpdR regulates several genes encoding proteins of regulatory function, which in turn may be required for the expression of other genes important for the transition to stationary phase. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-016-0682-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Neste estudo objetivou-se identificar comprimentos de onda e faixas espectrais provenientes de reflectâncias hiper e multiespectrais utilizando regressão PLS e promover avaliação comparativa desses métodos e de dez índices de vegetação, para determinar aqueles que melhor estimam níveis de severidade de mofo-branco em feijão. Foram implantados experimentos nos municípios de Viçosa e de Oratórios, estado de Minas Gerais. Reflectâncias hiperespectrais foram obtidas com espectroradiômetro cuja faixa útil de leitura adotada foi entre 440 e 900 nm. Reflectâncias multiespectrais foram obtidas de imagens de câmara constituídas de cinco bandas (vermelho, verde, azul, Red-edge e infravermelho). Os índices de severidade da doença foram baixos; em Viçosa a média foi de 5,8% e em Oratórios, 7,4%. Modelos matemáticos utilizando reflectâncias hiperespectrais tiveram melhor desempenho para estimar mofo-branco; a banda do red-edge apresentou os comprimentos de onda que melhor estimam a severidade do mofo-branco. Índices de vegetação resistentes a efeitos da reflectância de solo estimaram melhor o mofo-branco do que os demais índices. This study aimed to identify wavelengths and spectral ranges from hyper and multispectral reflectance using PLS regression; and to promote comparative evaluation of these methods and ten vegetation indices to determine those that best estimate levels of white mold severity in common beans. Experiments were implemented in the municipalities of Viçosa and Oratorios, Minas Gerais state. Hyperspectral reflectance measurements were acquired with the spectroradiometer, whose useful reading range was between 440 and 900 nm. Multispectral reflectance measurements were obtained from camera images comprising five bands (red, green, blue, red-edge and infrared). The indexes of disease severity were low. In Viçosa the average was 5.8% and in Oratorios, 7.4%. Mathematical models using hyperspectral reflectance performed better for estimating white mold. The red-edge band presented the wavelengths that best estimate the severity of white mold. Vegetation index resistant to the soil reflectance effects was better to estimate white mold than the other indices.

EIF5A1 protein has a particular amino acid residue, named hypusine, that has never been found in others proteins and is highly conserved in Archaea and Eukarya domains. The hypusine is essential fo...

Background With the aim of remaining viable, bacteria must deal with changes in environmental conditions, including increases in external osmolarity. While studies concerning bacterial response to this stress condition have focused on soil, marine and enteric species, this report is about Caulobacter crescentus, a species inhabiting freshwater oligotrophic habitats. Results A genomic analysis reported in this study shows that most of the classical genes known to be involved in intracellular solute accumulation under osmotic adaptation are missing in C. crescentus. Consistent with this observation, growth assays revealed a restricted capability of the bacterium to propagate under hyperosmotic stress, and addition of the compatible solute glycine betaine did not improve bacterial resistance. A combination of transcriptomic and proteomic analyses indicated quite similar changes triggered by the presence of either salt or sucrose, including down-regulation of many housekeeping processes and up-regulation of functions related to environmental adaptation. Furthermore, a GC-MS analysis revealed some metabolites at slightly increased levels in stressed cells, but none of them corresponding to well-established compatible solutes. Conclusion Despite a clear response to hyperosmotic stress, it seems that the restricted capability of C. crescentus to tolerate this unfavorable condition is probably a consequence of the inability to accumulate intracellular solutes. This finding is consistent with the ecology of the bacterium, which inhabits aquatic environments with low nutrient concentration. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-015-0404-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Photoperiod controls many plant developmental responses, including tuber formation in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants. Photoperiodic stimuli are received by phytocromes in the leaves and must be conveyed to the underground portion of the plant for the tubers to develop, but the nature of the signal responsible for this is hitherto unknown. Plant hormones are known to have a role in tuber formation, through a series of complex interactions between them and with other substances. Here, some accessions from the large collection of hormone and photomorphogenic mutants in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were used to study the process of tuberization through grafting onto potato rootstocks. The chosen photomorphogenic mutants were aurea (au, chromophore deficient), far red insensitive ( fri, PHYA deficient), temporary red insensitive (tri, PHYB1 deficient) and high pigment (hp, exaggerated phytochrome response), as well as the hormone mutants gibberellin deficient-1 (gib-1), dwarf (d, brassinosteroid deficient), diageotropica (dgt, auxin insensitive), notabilis (not, ABA deficient), procera ( pro, gibberellin hypersensitive). Tuber number, tuber and shoot dry weight and sprouting were quantified as a measure of the tuber induction capability of each genotype. Tomato scions were always less effective to promote tuberization than the potato scions. Among photomorphogenic mutants, the highest tuberization was achieved with the chromophore deficient (au). The tuber induction capability was (in decreasing order) d, gib-1, dgt, not and pro for hormone mutants. A clear-cut negative correlation (r = 0.98) was observed between dry tuber weight and dry shoot weight. Sprouting also varied to a large extent, the most sprouting-inducer was the gibberellin deficient scion. These results lead us to suggest that source–sink relationship, which is affected by both hormones and photomorphogenesis, has a pivotal role in tuber formation and that tomato scions fail to produce a substance(s) involved in the convertion of the stolon into the strong sink that forms the tuber. # 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A tecnologia de aplicação de agrotóxicos visa à colocação uniforme do produto no alvo, com mínima perda por escorrimento e deriva. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a deposição e a deriva de calda fungicida pulverizada em feijoeiro com diferentes bicos e volumes de aplicação. Empregou-se o delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições, em esquema fatorial (2 x 2): dois tipos de bico de pulverização (jato plano standard e jato cônico vazio) e dois volumes de aplicação (125 e 250 L ha-1). O estudo de deposição foi realizado analisando-se a distribuição de um traçador nas posições superior e inferior da planta, pela técnica da espectrofotometria, enquanto a deriva foi avaliada utilizando-se de alvos artificiais, posicionados fora da área-alvo. O fungicida, juntamente com o traçador, foi aplicado três vezes, com um pulverizador de pressão constante (CO2). Os bicos propiciaram cobertura semelhante da folhagem do feijoeiro, tanto na posição superior quanto na inferior do dossel. O volume de aplicação de 250 L ha-1 proporcionou maior retenção de calda na folhagem e maior uniformidade de cobertura das plantas que o volume de 125 L ha-1; já as gotas formadas nas aplicações com bicos de jato cônico vazio ficaram mais sujeitas à deriva que as produzidas com bicos de jato plano, especialmente quando se empregou baixo volume de aplicação. As aplicações realizadas proporcionaram, em geral, baixa uniformidade de deposição ao longo do dossel do feijoeiro e risco potencial de deriva elevado.The fungicide application technology should provide efficient control of vegetable diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the deposition and the drift of fungicide sprayed in a common bean crop with different nozzles and two volumes of application. A completely randomized block design with four replications was used, in a factorial model 2 x 2: two spray nozzles (standard flat fan and hollow cone) and two spray volumes (125 and 250 L ha-1). The study of deposition was made by a tracer analysis in different positions of the crop, using spectrophotometer. The drift was evaluated using artificial targets placed outside the application area. The fungicide, with the tracer was applied three times, using a CO2 - pressurized sprayer. The results allowed the following conclusions: the flat fan and hollow cone nozzles provided similar cover of the bean leaves, both in the superior and the inferior position of the crop; the application volume of 250 L ha-1 provided higher retention of fungicide in the leaves and higher uniformity of coverage of the plants than the volume of 125 L ha-1; the droplets formed in the application with hollow cone nozzles were more favorable to the drift than the ones produced with flat fan nozzles, specially when low application volume was used; and the applications, in general, provided low deposition uniformity and high drift potential.

The in vitro regeneration ability of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentumMill.) remains the main limiting factor for efficient genetic transformation. However, competence for in vitro regeneration can be transferred from wild Lycopersicon species to the cultivated tomato. The high regeneration capacity presented by the MsK genotype, derived from L. peruvianum, was attributed to the dominant loci Rg-1 and Rg-2 .I n the present work, we have transferred the high organogenetic competence from the MsK genotype to the cultivar Micro-Tom, which presents miniature size (8-cm tall) and a rapid life cycle (75 days from seed to fruit ripening). We obtained stable and non-segregating F6 ‘Micro-MsK’ plants, which were expressively superior to Micro-Tom in regeneration capacity, when hypocotyls but not cotyledons were used as explants. In addition to the regeneration ability, the obtained genotype presented a delayed leaf senescence and a reduced apical dominance. The development of ‘Micro-MsK’ genotype will enable the application of insertional mutagenesis in functional genomics of tomato. © 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cinco acessos de feijão-de-vagem (UENF 1429, UENF 1432, UENF 1442, UENF 1445 e UENF 1448), e combinações híbridas F1, foram analisados quanto à capacidade geral e específica de combinação no delineamento em blocos ao acaso com quinze repetições. Decorrente da perda de parcelas utilizou-se o modelo de Griffing (1956) para dados desbalanceados, conforme proposto por Martins Filho et al. (1992). Os valores dos quadrados médios para capacidade geral de combinação foram altamente significativos, em 1% de probabilidade, pelo teste F, para todas as características avaliadas. Por sua vez, para capacidade específica de combinação as características número médio de sementes por vagem (NS) e altura média da inserção da primeira vagem (APV) não exibiram significância. Com base nos resultados de g i, os acessos UENF 1429, UENF 1442 e UENF 1445 são indicados como os mais promissores para uso 'per se'. Com relação aos híbridos, as combinações UENF 1429 x UENF 1432, UENF 1429 x UENF 1445, UENF 1432 x UENF 1445 e UENF 1445 x UENF 1448 têm potencial para geração de genótipos superiores.Five accessions of snap bean (UENF 1429, UENF 1432, UENF 1442, UENF 1445 and UENF 1448) and their diallelic F1 hybrids were evaluated for general and specific combining ability in randomized complete block design with fifteen replications. Due to variation caused by the loss of plots, the Griffing's Methodology (1956) for unbalanced diallel was used, according to Martins Filho et al. (1992). Mean square values of the general combining ability were highly significant, at 1% of probability, for the F test, for all evaluated traits. For specific combining ability of mean number of seeds per pod and mean insertion of the first pod were not significant. Based on the g i results, the accessions UENF 1429, UENF 1442 and UENF 1445 were indicated for using 'per se'. The hybrids UENF 1429 x UENF 1432, UENF 1429 x UENF 1445, UENF 1432 x UENF 1445 and UENF 1445 x UENF 1448 have potential to obtain superior genotypes.

Avaliou-se a utilização de marcadores RAPD para estimar a diversidade em 42 acessos do gênero Abelmoschus e um de Hibiscus. As estimativas das distâncias genéticas foram feitas com base no complemento aritmético do Índice de Jaccard. Foram utilizadas as técnicas de análise multivariada, através de agrupamento hierárquico do vizinho mais próximo e método de Tocher, para estudar os arranjos dos grupos de genótipos, bem como analisar os métodos de agrupamentos empregados. Trinta e um iniciadores foram utilizados para amplificar fragmentos de DNA pela reação de polimerização em cadeia (PCR) e foram gerados 103 fragmentos RAPD. O agrupamento hierárquico dos 43 genótipos com base no método do vizinho mais próximo separou os acessos, de modo geral, conforme as espécies botânicas, formando 6 grupos distintos. Isto foi confirmado pela projeção das distâncias genéticas no plano bidimensional, onde o primeiro e maior dos grupos reuniu os acessos de A. esculentus e A. caillei. Por outro lado, o método de Tocher reuniu 90% do germoplasma no grupo I incluindo, neste, os acessos de A. moschatus e A. manihot, além das outras duas espécies anteriores. O método de otimização de Tocher permitiu a formação de apenas 4 grupos de genótipos, mostrando-se coerente apenas em parte à análise de agrupamento hierárquico. Porém, o reagrupamento dos acessos do grupo I de Tocher pelo método hierárquico, revelou a existência de maior heterogeneidade genética no germoplasma estudado.RAPD markers were utilized to estimate the diversity among 42 Abelmoschus and 1 Hibiscus accessions . The genetic distances were based on the arithmetic complement of the Jaccard index. For this purpose we used the multivariate analysis technique by hierarchycal single linkage and the Tocher methods to obtain the genotypes agglomeration as well as to analyze the methods employed. Thirty-one random decamer primers were used do amplify DNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 103 RAPD fragments were generated. The hierarchycal method of single linkage has separated 43 genotypes, in a general way, according to the botanical species, forming six different groups. The genetic distances projection on the bidimentional level confirmed that the first and largest group has united A.esculentus and A. caillei accessions.On the other hand, the Tocher method grouped 90% of the germoplasm at group I, including A. moschatus and A. manihot accessions, besides the other two previous species. The Tocher optimization method allowed the formation of just 4 genotype groups. There was only partial coherence to the hierarchycal grouping analysis. The Tocher group I accessions regrouping by the hierarchycal method revealed the existence of a most important genetic heterogenity on the studied germplasm.

Vinte e sete caracteres morfoagronômicos, 13 quantitativos e 14 qualitativos, foram utilizados para a avaliação da diversidade genética em 39 acessos do gênero Abelmoschus, por meio das análises de agrupamento hierárquico do vizinho mais próximo e de componentes principais, utilizando-se a distância Euclidiana média padronizada como medida de dissimilaridade. As plantas foram cultivadas em condições de campo na Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, em Campos dos Goytacazes, utilizando-se o delineamento experimental em blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições. A formação dos grupos de acessos, com base no método hierárquico do vizinho mais próximo, revelou resultados semelhantes aos obtidos pela análise em componentes principais, já que ambos os métodos reuniram os acessos de A. esculentus e A. caillei. O método hierárquico agrupou os genótipos de forma idêntica tanto para os 27 descritores quantitativos e qualitativos quanto para os 13 descritores quantitativos separadamente, demonstrando que os descritores qualitativos tiveram pouca influência na discriminação genotípica. Por outro lado, os descritores qualitativos foram capazes de classificar corretamente as espécies, porém mascararam a variabilidade genética no germoplasma, não possibilitando um rastreamento mais abrangente dos genomas. Os descritores que menos contribuíram para a discriminação dos acessos foram, largura do epicálice, peso de 100 sementes, número de segmentos do estigma, altura da planta, comprimento da folha, largura da folha, nó do primeiro florescimento e comprimento do fruto.Twenty-seven morphological characteristics (13 quantitative and 14 qualitative) were used to evaluate the genetic diversity of 39 Abelmoschus accessions by hierarchic method of single linkage and principal component analysis for the grouping of the genotypes. Standardized average Euclidean distance was used as dissimilarity measure. Plants were grown in field conditions at the Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, in Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil, using randomized complete blocks design with four replications. The accessions groups formation based on the hierarchic method of single linkage showed similar results to those obtained by principal components analysis since both methods grouped A. esculentus and A. caillei accessions. The hierarchic method has grouped the genotypes in the same way as for the 27 descriptors (quantitative and qualitative) as for the 13 quantitative descriptors, demonstrating that qualitative descriptors had a little influence on the genotypic discrimination. Qualitative descriptors were able to correctly classify species, although they masked the genetic variability at the germplasm, not allowing a comprehensive survey of the genomes. The characters that less contributed for the genotypes discriminations were the epicalyx length, 100 seeds weight, number of stigma segments, plant height, leaf width, first flowering node and fruit length.

Na busca da diminuição do efeito-estufa é necessário utilizar energia renovável através da biomassa do capim-elefante. Objetivou-se avaliar as características morfoagronómicas de cultivares numa experiência não irrigada em área cultivável num delineamentos de blocos casualizados num esquema de parcelas subdivididas com 12 repetições. As cultivares ‘Guaçu/IZ.2’, ‘Cameroon-Piracicaba’ e ‘Cana D’África’, constituíram as parcelas, e nas subparcelas as doses de 500 e 1000 kg ha-1 de N, estas fracionadas em cinco aplicações durante o cultivo no período chuvoso. Retiraram-se amostras da área útil de 2,25 m2 nas subparcelas, em três cortes, medidas, pesadas e secas. Submeteram-se os dados à análise de variância conjunta pelo teste F. Utilizou-se teste de Tukey a 5% de probabilidade. Conclui-se que as cultivares, em geral, não diferiram entre si na produção de matéria seca, mesmo sob condições ambientais contrastantes, porém houve decréscimo na matéria seca e na altura, em virtude dos stresses hídricos ocorridos no terceiro corte. Entretanto, Cameroon-Piracicaba apresentou um menor perfilhamento, maior diâmetro do colmo e maior largura da lâmina em relação às demais. A cv. ‘Guaçu/IZ.2’ manifestou tendência a apresentar valores próximos à ‘Cameroon-Piracicaba’; e a cv. ‘Cana D’África’ apresentou esta tendência apenas em relação à largura da lâmina nas doses elevadas de adubação azotada., Revista de Ciências Agrárias, vol. 37 n.º 1 (2014)

Cracking nuts with tools is a behavior documented in a small number of populations of tufted capuchins, mainly in semi-arid Caatinga and Caatinga-Cerrado transitional environments of northeastern Brazil. Only one of these populations inhabits the less arid Cerrado in Central Brazil, where environments are composed of a heterogeneous mosaic of fields, savannas and forest formations. We conducted surveys in 10 of 20 localities where nutcracking by capuchins was reported by the local inhabitants in the Cerrrado of Northern Goiás and Tocantins. Our purpose was to evaluate nutcracking sites (anvils and associated hammers and nuts) based on indirect evidence of extensive pounding of nuts and seeds. Nutcracking was confirmed at all 10 surveyed localities. A total of 270 sites were identified. Surveyed localities included areas that were ecologically similar to those where capuchins crack nuts in Caatinga, as well as less arid localities with more typical Cerrado habitat. Anvils and hammers were made of materials including quartz, limestone, sandstone and wood, and displayed a wider range of sizes (i.e., 60-3,750 g for hammers' weight) than reported at previously studied localities. Nuts of seven genera were found in association with anvils and hammers. We conclude that nutcracking by capuchins are not restricted to arid environments and argue that the occurrence and diversity of nutcracking tool sites result from complex interactions of environmental variables (e.g., availability of food and mineral resources, density of canopy cover) and social variables (e.g., spatial cohesiveness and tolerance among group members) that need to be examined through long-term research of habituated groups. Localities in the Cerrado of Northern Goiás and Tocantins vary considerable in the ecological conditions faced by wild groups, and therefore offer the opportunity to examine these interactions.

No Brasil, a fungigação na cultura do feijão vem sendo empregada pelos agricultores desde o início de 1980, porém ainda são poucos os trabalhos desenvolvidos para avaliar a eficiência desta técnica. Assim, com o presente trabalho objetivou-se avaliar a eficácia do fungicida epoxiconazol, aplicado via água de irrigação no controle de doenças da parte aérea do feijoeiro, nos sistemas de plantio convencional e direto e avaliar o efeito da lâmina de água na eficiência da fungigação. Aplicou-se o fungicida epoxiconazol via pivô central na cultura do feijão, nos plantios direto e convencional, em diferentes lâminas de água (3, 5 e 7 mm) avaliando-se a severidade de doenças em parcelas tratadas e não-tratadas. Para comparação, o produto também foi aplicado de forma convencional (pulverizador costal a pressão constante). Os resultados alcançados permitiram afirmar que o fungicida epoxiconazol, aplicado via pivô central, reduziu a severidade da mancha angular e da mancha de alternária do feijoeiro; e as lâminas de água utilizadas na fungigação não influenciaram a eficácia do fungicida epoxiconazol.The fungigation of bean crops have been used in Brazil by the agriculturists since the beginning of the 1980's. However, few surveys have been conducted to evaluate the efficiency of this technique. Thus, the objectives of this work were to evaluate the efficacy of the fungicide epoxiconazol, applied through irrigation water, for the control of diseases in bean crops, under conventional and no-till systems; as well as to study the influence of depth of applied water on the fungigation efficiency. The fungicide epoxiconazol was applied on the bean crops, under conventional and no-till systems, by a center pivot system with different depths of applied water (3, 5 and 7 mm), and disease severity was evaluated for each test. The efficiency of the fungicide application by a conventional system (compression knapsack sprayer) was also evaluated. The results obtained allow us to affirm that the fungicide epoxiconazol, applied by a center pivot system, decreased the severity of bean angular leaf spot and bean alternaria leaf spot; and the depth of applied water by fungigation did not influence the efficacy of the fungicide epoxiconazol.

The effects of litter size on maternal care, body weight and infant development of golden hamsters were investigated from a longitudinal perspective. Litters were culled to 1, 3, 6 and 9 pups, and the behavior and body weight of mothers and pups were recorded from the 5th to the 25th postpartum day. We noted that the time spent by mothers in bodily interactions with pups decreased as a function of litter size; maternal pup retrievals reached their maximum around the 13–15th day, which coincided with the increased locomotor activity of pups at this time; the total number of pup retrievals by the mother increased as a function of the litter size, but mothers of larger litters were more ‘efficient’ (i.e. they failed less frequently in exhibiting a full sequence of retrievals) and exhibited a low litter-size proportional mean number of retrievals. All mothers gradually lost body mass throughout lactation, and decrease in body weight was significantly related to litter size. The mean body weight gain (%) by pups decreased as a function of litter size, but we also noted that single and larger litter pups exhibited a decreased body mass (grams) by the 15th day, suggesting that infant development may be impaired at both extremes of experimental conditions. We concluded that the behavior of mothers and pups was affected by the litter size, and it appeared that the litter had an optimal size—not so large as to overlap the mother's physical capacity, and not so small as to fail to compensate for the parental investment.