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Heat stress (HS) occurs when animals are enable to effectively dissipate excessive body heat, potentially affecting their welfare and productivity. Several tools can be used to mitigate HS in dairy cows. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of thermoregulatory mineral supplementation on dairy cows' physiological response to HS and reproductive status. Thirty pluriparous Holstein dairy cows (2.8 ± 0.3 lactation), from a semi confinement production system (freestall barn), were enrolled in a 35 days duration experiment, and divided into two groups: 15 cows receiving a thermoregulatory mineral mixture containing calcium, sodium, chlorine, and potassium (200 g/day; TRT); and, 15 cows that did not receive any type of supplement (CON). Data on respiration rates (RR), rectal temperature (RT), milk yield, barn temperature, relative humidity, and temperature and humidity index (THI) were obtained on weekly evaluations (D7, D14, D21, D28, and D35). ANOVA and correlation analysis were used to compare variables between groups, and physiological and climate variables, regardless of group. Related to farm's protocols, on D0 and D35, all cows were submitted to US evaluation and categorized as inseminated, pregnant, and not pregnant, and this data analysed using Fisher's exact test. Cows in the TRT group had lower RT, compared to the CON group (38,8 °C and 39,0 °C, respectively; P = 0.0147), however both averages were within physiological range. As to physiological variables, stronger positive correlations were found between RR and RT with barn temperature and THI. In this study, the thermoregulatory mineral supplement did not significantly affect physiological responses to HS or reproductive status., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Background: The current techniques for determining carbon and nitrogen content to provide information about the nutritional status of plants are time-consuming and expensive. For this reason, the objective of this study was to develop an analytical method for the direct and simultaneous determination of nitrogen and carbon elemental content in soybean leaves using near-infrared spectroscopy and compare the performance of conventional (1100-2500 nm spectral range) and portable equipment (1100-1700 nm spectral range). Partial least-squares regression models were developed using 27 soybean leaf samples collected during the 2021 harvest and applied for the simultaneous determination of carbon and nitrogen in 13 samples collected during the 2022 harvest., Results: The root-mean-square error of prediction values for nitrogen and carbon were low (2.42 g kg -1 and 4.37 g kg -1 respectively) for the benchtop method yielded low but higher for the portable method (3.82 g kg -1 and 10.7 g kg -1 respectively). The benchtop method did not show significant differences when compared with the reference method for determining nitrogen and carbon. In contrast, the portable methodology showed potential as a screening method for determining nitrogen levels, particularly in fieldwork., Conclusion: The methodologies evaluated in this study were implemented and evaluated under real crop monitoring conditions, using independent sets of calibration and prediction samples. Their utilization enables the acquisition of cost-effective, safe analytical data aligning with the principles of green analytical chemistry. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

The fast decline in the physiological quality of seeds during storage is a serious problem. It is known that the reduction of seed quality may be related to its biochemical constitution. However, the relationship between the composition and the mechanisms linked to the loss of vigor of soybean seeds during aging has not been elucidated yet. Thus, the aim of this work was to analyze the role of the biochemical composition of soybean seeds in the physiological quality and in the tolerance to deterioration due to natural and artificial aging. Seeds of six soybean genotypes were analyzed initially and after being submitted to natural aging, storage for eight months, and artificial aging, using the temperature of 41 °C and 100 % relative humidity for 96 h. Moisture content, germination and vigor tests were carried out. Also, there were measured the content of oil, total protein, soluble protein, malonaldehyde, and fatty acids palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic. It was verified that the physiological quality of soybean seeds decreased with both kinds of aging. However, the deterioration process occurs by distinct mechanisms. The biochemical composition of the seeds is associated with the physiological quality and their storage potential is changed by natural and artificial aging. The tolerance of the seed to deterioration is related to soluble protein and fatty acids content. Oleic fatty acid and soluble protein can be used as indicators of physiological quality in soybean seeds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Studies were conducted in the laboratory and in the greenhouse with the objective of evaluating nymph development, adult body weight gain, and damage of different species of pentatomids feeding on fruit (hereafter referred to as siliqua) of canola, Brassica napus (L.) var. oleifera. Nymphs of Nezara viridula (L.) were able to reach adulthood feeding on siliquae (93.3% survivorship), while nymphs feeding on siliquae that had their seeds removed showed arrested development, only reaching the 4 th instar and did not complete development to adulthood. Adults of N. viridula gained body weight feeding on canola siliquae, particularly during the first two weeks of adult life, dropping weight thereafter. Adults of another species of pentatomid, Diceraeus furcatus (F.), also gained body weight, while adults of Euschistus heros (F.) lost weight. N. viridula adults caused significantly greater damage to seeds (shrunken and with rotten aspect) within siliqua and to the siliqua walls (whitish spots with lesions in the form of starbursts, called rosettes) compared to D. furcatus and to E. heros. The amount of damaged seeds caused by N. viridula adults during the first week of adult life was greater (ca. 60%) compared to those of older females 32 days of age (27%). Damage symptons caused by the feeding activity on siliqua walls (commonly known as rosettes) reached up to 10% of the total area with similar injury rates for N. viridula adults of different ages. The majority of N. viridula (70%) caused rosette, while only 20% of E. heros and 5% of D. furcatus produced similar damage., (© 2023. Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil.)

Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted with the Neotropical brown stink bug, Euschistus heros (F.), to evaluate and compare adult damage at two infestation levels (2 and 4 adults/plant) and feeding behavior on seeds of three resistant soybean cultivars bearing the Block technology ('BRS 1003 IPRO', 'BRS 543 RR', and 'BRS 391') compared to a susceptible cultivar ('BRS 5601 RR'). No difference in number or weight of damaged seeds (as percentages) was found among the cultivars at either infestation level. Differences were only observed between infestation levels within cultivar; higher values were reported with 4 adults/plant, except for 'BRS 543 RR'. At 2 adults/plant, total seed area damaged (mm2) and percentage of seed area damaged were significantly lower only on 'BRS 1003 IPRO'; significant differences among cultivars were found in damage to internal but not external seed surfaces. At 4 adults/plant, all Block cultivars differed from 'BRS 5601 RR' in overall seed damage, and greater percent damage occurred on both seed surfaces on 'BRS 5601 RR'. Electropenetrography (EPG) demonstrated that adults reached and fed in the seeds of all soybean cultivars. However, the feeding event duration in seeds of Block cultivars was much shorter than on 'BRS 5601 RR', which likely explains differences between internal and external seed damage. Furthermore, the total duration of feeding activities on seeds of Block cultivars was ca. 4-6 times shorter than on the susceptible cultivar; these two EPG feeding variables account for the lower seed damage observed for the Block cultivars. These cultivars represent an important new strategy for pest control on soybean., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Corn crop, due to its easy adaptation to the most diverse agroecosystems, spreads throughout the different regions of the world, making it one of the most important agricultural crops. In this crop, pest insects stand out for causing losses both in the field and in warehouses. The application of essential oils can be an important technique to be investigated in the management of insects due to its known insecticidal activity and low risk to the environment. The objective of the work was to value the insecticide and repellent effect of essential oils of exotic lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) and native lemongrass (Elionurus sp.) for the management of maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais (Mots., 1855, Coleoptera: Curculionidae)). The chemical analysis of the oils made by CG-MS showed that the chemical composition of the native and exotic lemongrass is similar, however, the exotic species presented a greater number of compounds. The essential oils of native and exotic lemon grass have efficiency on maize weevil mortality, and it is verified that the increase in the applied dose reflects in a reduction in the insect's exposure time for death to occur. The essential oil of both species showed repellent capacity at all times evaluated. Thus, it can be said that both species have the capacity and potential to be used in the management of corn weevil, and can be an alternative for smallhorders farmers and organic production.

Copper (Cu) is an essential element for plants, especially in photosynthesis, as it is required for plastocyanin function in electron transfer reactions at thylakoid membranes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, Cu deficiency leads to the Cu economy response, in which plants prioritize Cu usage by plastocyanin in detriment of non-essential cupric proteins. In rice (Oryza sativa), however, this response has not been characterized. Rice OsHMA5 is a Cu xylem-loading transporter involved in Cu translocation from roots to shoots, as suggested by the analysis of oshma5 mutant plants. Aiming to understand how rice plants respond to Cu deficiency and how decreased Cu translocation to shoots can affect this response, we characterized the physiological and molecular responses of WT and oshma5 plants under control and Cu deficiency treatments. We found evidence that shoots of oshma5 plants are more prone to Cu deficiency compared to shoots of WT plants, as demonstrated by decreased chlorophyll and Cu concentrations, and electron transport rate. Gene expression analysis revealed that Cu high-affinity transporters OsCOPT1 and OsCOPT5, along with a set of miRNAs and three Cu/Zn superoxide dismutases are responsive to Cu deficiency in both WT and oshma5 plants, suggesting their involvement in the Cu economy response. However, Fe superoxide dismutase was not up-regulated in rice, indicating a difference compared to the A. thaliana Cu economy model. Therefore, we provide evidence for a partially conserved Cu economy response in rice, in comparison to A. thaliana., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Rice is a daily staple for half of the world's population. However, rice grains are poor in micronutrients such as Fe and Zn, the two most commonly deficient minerals in the human diet. In plants, Fe and Zn must be absorbed from the soil, distributed and stored, so that their concentrations are maintained at sufficient but non-toxic levels. The understanding of mechanisms of Fe and Zn homeostasis in plants has the potential to benefit agriculture, improving the use of micronutrients by plants, as well as to indicate approaches that aim at biofortification of the grains. ZIP transporters are commonly associated with Zn uptake, but there are few reports about their physiological relevance in planta . Here we describe a Tos17 loss-of-function line for the Zn plasma membrane transporter OsZIP7 ( oszip7 ). We showed that the absence of functional OsZIP7 leads to deregulated Zn partitioning, increasing Zn accumulation in roots but decreasing in shoots and seeds. We also demonstrated that, upon Zn deficiency, oszip7 plants slightly increase their photosynthetic performance, suggesting that these plants might be primed for Zn deficiency which makes them more tolerant. On the other hand, we found that Zn excess is more deleterious to oszip7 plants compared to wild type, which may be linked to secondary effects in concentrations of other elements such as Fe. Our data suggest that OsZIP7 is important for Zn homeostasis under physiological Zn concentrations, and that Fe homeostasis might be affected due to loss of function of OsZIP7., (© Prof. H.S. Srivastava Foundation for Science and Society 2020.)

This study compared the two breed groups of Girolando (½ Holstein ½ Gyr vs. ¾ Holstein ¼ Gyr) through analysis of the percentages (stressed or non-stressed cows) of rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR) and pregnancy rate (PR), and means of production and reproduction parameters to determine the group best suited to rearing in semiarid tropical climate. The experiment was conducted at the farm, in the municipality of Umirim, State of Ceará, Brazil. Two hundred and forty cows were used in a 2 × 2 factorial study; 120 of each group were kept under an intensive system during wet and dry seasons. The environmental parameters obtained were relative humidity (RH), air temperature (AT), and the temperature and humidity index (THI). Pregnancy diagnosis (PD) was determined by ultrasonography 30 days after artificial insemination (AI). The milk production of each cow was recorded with automated milkings in the farm. The variables were expressed as mean and standard error, evaluated by ANOVA at 5% probability using the GLM procedure of SAS. Chi-square test at 5% probability was applied to data of RT, RR, pregnancy rate (PR), and the number of AIs to obtain pregnancy. The majority of ½ Holstein cows showed mean values of RT and RR within the normal range in both periods and shifts. Most animals of the ¾ Holstein group exhibited the RR means above normal during the afternoon in the rainy and dry periods and RT means above normal during the afternoon in the dry period. After analyses, ½ Holstein crossbred cows are more capable of thermoregulating than ¾ Holstein cows under conditions of thermal stress, and the dry period was more impacting for bovine physiology with significant changes in physiological parameters, even for the first breed group. Knowledge of breed groups adapted to climatic conditions of northeastern Brazil can directly assist cattle farmers in selecting animals best adapted for forming herds.

This study compared two breed groups of Girolando (½ Holstein ½ Gyr vs. ¾ Holstein ¼ Gyr) through analysis of physiological, productive, and reproductive parameters to determine the group best suited to rearing in a semiarid tropical climate. The experiment was conducted at the Companhia de Alimentos do Nordeste (CIALNE) farm, in the municipality of Umirim, State of Ceará, Brazil. Eighty cows were used in a 2 × 2 factorial study; 40 of each breed group were kept under an extensive system during the wet season and an intensive system during the dry season. The collection of physiological data and blood samples were obtained in the afternoon after milking. Rectal temperature (RT), surface temperature (ST), and respiratory rate (RR) were obtained for each cow after milking. Blood samples were obtained by tail vein puncture and were determined triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) and cortisol. The environmental parameters obtained were relative humidity (RH) and air temperature (AT), and from these, a temperature and humidity index (THI) was calculated. Pregnancy diagnosis (PD) was determined by ultrasonography 30 days after artificial insemination (AI). The milk production of each cow was recorded with automated milkings in the farm. The variables were expressed as mean and standard error, evaluated by ANOVA at 5% probability using the Proc GLM of SAS. Chi-square test at 5% probability was applied to data of pregnancy rate (PR) and the number of AI's to obtain pregnancy. It can be concluded that the breed group ½ Holstein ½ Gyr is most suited for farming under conditions of thermal stress.

Zein is a biodegradable and biocompatible material extracted from renewable resources; it comprises almost 80% of the whole protein content in corn. This review highlights and describes some zein and zein-based materials, focusing on biomedical applications. It was demonstrated in this review that the biodegradation and biocompatibility of zein are key parameters for its uses in the food-packing, biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the presence of hydrophilic-hydrophobic groups in zein chains is a very important aspect for obtaining material with different hydrophobicities by mixing with other moieties (polymeric or not), but also for obtaining derivatives with different properties. The physical and chemical characteristics and special structure (at the molecular, nano and micro scales) make zein molecules inherently superior to many other polymers from natural sources and synthetic ones. The film-forming property of zein and zein-based materials is important for several applications. The good electrospinnability of zein is important for producing zein and zein-based nanofibers for applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery. The use of zein's hydrolysate peptides for reducing blood pressure is another important issue related to the application of derivatives of zein in the biomedical field. It is pointed out that the biodegradability and biocompatibility of zein and other inherent properties associated with zein's structure allow a myriad of applications of such materials with great potential in the near future.

The scope of this work was to rescue and document the traditional knowledge regarding the medicinal plants used by Passo da Ilha rural community, in Pato Branco, Paraná State, Southern Brazil (26 degrees 11' S, 52 degrees 36' W and 760 m high). Structured interviews were made in field research with 16 informants who had the traditional knowledge about medicinal plants. The research was carried out from October to December 2000. The plants were collected in the field, identified and their vouchers were housed at the Herbarium 'Irina Delanova De Gemtchjnicov' (BOTU) of São Paulo State University, in Botucatu. A total of 47 botanical families and 114 species of medicinal plants were identified. These plants ere suitable for ore than 30 different edicinal uses. The residents are mainly of European descent, which justify the presence of many exotic plants. The knowledge on how to use medicinal plants properly is held mainly by the females, and decreases in the newer generations, denoting 'cultural erosion' in progress.

The rice stem bug, Tibraca limbativentris Stal, is an important pest of rice in Brazil. This work evaluated the occurrence of parasitoids in eggs of T.limbativentris egg parasitism in rice crops in the Maranhão State. The eggs collected exhibited an average parasitism of 32%. The parasitoids collected were Telenomus podisi (Ashmead), Trissolcus urichi (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) and Oencyrtus submetallicus (Howard) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae).

This study describes the fauna of predator insects, parasitoids and ants associated with aphids on kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala D.C.) in organic system. The aphid was identified as Lipaphis pseudobrassicae Davis, and this is the first record of the species attacking kale in Brazil. Primary parasitism by Diaeretiella sp. and Aphidius sp. and hyperparasitism by Aphydencyrtus sp., Alloxysta sp., Pachyneuron sp. and Syrphophagus sp. were observed. Twenty species of Coccinellidae were collected, and eight of them were observed in adult and larval stages attacking the aphid: Hyperaspis (Hyperaspis) festiva Mulsant, which was the most abundant (72.5% of all predator insects obtained), Cycloneda sanguinea (L.), Eriopis connexa Germar, Coleomegilla maculata DeGeer, Hippodamia convergens Guérin, Heterodiomus sp., Scymnus (Pullus) sp.1 and Scymnus (Pullus) sp.2. Aphidophagous Syrphidae larvae collected on leaves ofkale infested by L. pseudobrassicae belong to the species Allograpta exotica (Wiedemann) and Ocyptamus gastrostactus (Wiedemann). Larvae and pupae of Syrphidae were parasitized by Pachyneuron sp., Syrphophagus sp. and Diplazon laetatorius Fabricius. Larvae of Chrysopodes sp. were observed feeding on L. pseudobrassicae. Species of ants associated with the colony of this aphid were Ectatomma quadridens Fabricius and Pheidole sp.