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The production of açaí seed waste from the commercial and extractive exploitation of the Euterpe oleraceae palm tree is a serious problem that contributes to environmental contamination and production of greenhouse gases, a fact that suggests the need for an environmentally correct destination for this waste produced on a large scale. To this end, this study was conducted to evaluate the potential of acaí seed biochar (BCA) in mitigating the toxic effects of copper in Brazilian mahogany plants, analyzing biometrics and gas exchange. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with five blocks, in a 4 × 3 factorial scheme, corresponding to the control (without Cu) and three concentration of Cu (200, 400, and 600 mg Cu kg−1) and three levels of BCA (0%, 5% and 10%) proportional to the amount of soil in the pots, totaling sixty experimental units. The use of 5% BCA in soils contaminated with up to 200 mg kg−1 Cu promoted biometric increase (height, diameter, number of leaves), maintaining gas exchange (photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, internal carbon and internal/external carbon), and consequently, maintaining water use efficiency in plants under abiotic stress, resulting in plant growth. The findings of this study allow us to indicate the use of biochar in remediating and improving the growth of plants grown in copper-contaminated soils. The production of biochar from açaí seeds is an ecologically sustainable alternative, because it reduces its accumulation on public roads and contributes to reducing soil pollution. In the context of public policies, biochar production could be a source of income in the context of the bioeconomy and circular economy practiced in the Amazon, because it is produced in large quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The production of açaí seed waste from the commercial and extractive exploitation of the Euterpe oleraceae palm tree is a serious problem that contributes to environmental contamination and production of greenhouse gases, a fact that suggests the need for an environmentally correct destination for this waste produced on a large scale. To this end, this study was conducted to evaluate the potential of acaí seed biochar (BCA) in mitigating the toxic effects of copper in Brazilian mahogany plants, analyzing biometrics and gas exchange. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with five blocks, in a 4 × 3 factorial scheme, corresponding to the control (without Cu) and three concentration of Cu (200, 400, and 600 mg Cu kg−1) and three levels of BCA (0%, 5% and 10%) proportional to the amount of soil in the pots, totaling sixty experimental units. The use of 5% BCA in soils contaminated with up to 200 mg kg−1 Cu promoted biometric increase (height, diameter, number of leaves), maintaining gas exchange (photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, internal carbon and internal/external carbon), and consequently, maintaining water use efficiency in plants under abiotic stress, resulting in plant growth. The findings of this study allow us to indicate the use of biochar in remediating and improving the growth of plants grown in copper-contaminated soils. The production of biochar from açaí seeds is an ecologically sustainable alternative, because it reduces its accumulation on public roads and contributes to reducing soil pollution. In the context of public policies, biochar production could be a source of income in the context of the bioeconomy and circular economy practiced in the Amazon, because it is produced in large quantities.

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The agroforestry systems (AFS) in the Amazon stand out in the national and international scenario due to the possibility of cultivating tropical forest species of high commercial value as the Brazilian mahogany, concomitantly, has sought to use more robust approaches to quantifying timber volume that does not require the same assumptions as traditional approaches. In this context, this study aimed to develop volumetric equations, by traditional approaches, by mixed modeling, and by machine learning techniques, that accurately estimate the commercial volume of Brazilian mahogany trees in an AFS in Amazon as well as verify whether there are differences in the estimates of these approaches by univariate analysis. For that, 108 trees were sampled in 36 circular plots of 500 m2 to estimate the commercial volume. Volumetric equations were developed from the fit of the Schumacher and Hall volumetric model and Kozak taper, by nonlinear regression, from the application of nonlinear mixed modeling in the most precise traditional model and training of artificial neural network (ANN) and supporting vector machines. The analysis of variance indicated that there was no significant difference between the mean values estimated by the equations developed by the different approaches tested in the inventoried individual data. Nevertheless, it is recommended to use the equation generated by ANN to perform estimations in other populations, because it presented more precise estimates in the test set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]