Passion flower hybrids and their use in the ornamental plant market: perspectives for sustainable development with emphasis on Brazil

The Passiflora L. (Passifloraceae) genus consists of about 500 species widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions, commonly known as the passion flower. The passion flowers are considered ornamental plants because of the exotic beauty of their flowers and variant foliage. Since their introduction to the Old World, around 1625, seventeenth century, they have been used to decorate European glasshouses and gardens. Interspecific hybridization is used to produce single ornamental plants. However in some countries, such as Brazil, being centre of origin of many species, the potential value of these species has hardly been exploited. The beauty of these wild species and their hybrids is little known in Brazil. Therefore it is here intended to highlight the productive and commercial potential of the passion flowers for the purpose to generate an income in family agriculture, while maintaining the ecological balance and optimizing the use of natural resources.     

A recombinant form of chagasin from Trypanosoma cruzi: inhibitory activity on insect cysteine proteinases

BACKGROUND: The activity of the major digestive cysteine proteinase detected in the intestinal tract of larvae of the bean weevil, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say), was efficiently inhibited by the well-characterized cysteine proteinase synthetic inhibitor E-64 and also by a recombinant form of chagasin (r-chagasin), a tight-binding cysteine proteinase inhibitor protein from Trypanosoma cruzi. RESULTS: Incorporation of r-chagasin into an artificial diet system at 0.1 g kg(-1) retarded growth rate, decreased larval survival and led to complete mortality of A. obtectus at the end of the trial. The observed differences in growth rates occurred particularly in the first and second development stages. Artificial seeds containing high levels of r-chagasin (0.5-30 g kg(-1)) completely inhibited larval penetration. CONCLUSION: Together, the results reported in this paper support the hypothesis that the inhibitory activity of r-chagasin towards the major insect gut cysteine proteinase in vitro and in vivo is an accurate prediction of its insecticidal effects. The selectivity of this inhibitor against insect digestive proteinases supports the key role in parasite virulence by affecting the endogenous proteinase activity in its natural host.     

SEM and NIR characterization of four forest species charcoal

This paper characterizes wood and charcoal made from Hymenaea aurea, Mimosa scabrella, Tabebuia capitata and Eucalyptus alba by scanning electron microscopy and near infrared for the purpose of developing a technique to identify the source of charcoal samples. Ten test samples were prepared for each species, oriented in transverse, radial and tangential section. Samples were carbonized in a muffle furnace with a final temperature of 450 °C and a heating rate of 1.66 °C/min. The microscopic structures of the wood and charcoal samples were verified by scanning electron microscopy, and spectra were obtained with a spectrophotometer, equipped with an integrating sphere and operating in transmittance mode. The spectra of the wood samples present characteristic bands of lignocellulosic material, while the spectra of the charcoal samples show small or nil absorption in the near-infrared region. The near-infrared spectroscopy technique was efficient in discriminating the four species studied.     

Effect of association of fresh cassava root with corn silage in replacement for cactus cladodes on dairy cow performance

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The aim of this study was to investigate the replacement effect of cactus cladodes with cassava root and corn silage (CRCS) (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%, dry...     

Injectable eprinomectin for cattle: Tick efficacy and pharmacokinetics

The aims of the present study were to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profile and efficacy of eprinomectin (EPM) against Rhipicephalus microplus in cattle of a new injectable form of EPM (Voss Performa®). The product was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 200 μg EPM/kg, in a single dose. The efficacy of EPM against R. microplus in cattle was evaluated through field and stall tests. Studies were performed to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters of EPM with the purpose of better understanding the kinetics of the formulation. The formulation was effective in controlling R. microplus in both naturally and artificially infested cattle, providing efficacy greater than 95%. The results of pharmacokinetic study were C_max of 47.15 ± 22.20 ng/ml, T_max of 1.33 ± 0.492 days, T_1/2 of 2.96 ± 1.212 days, AUC_0–t of 228.08 ± 57.30 ng day ml⁻¹, and AUC_0-∞ of 240.50 ± 58.44 ng day ml⁻¹. Therefore, the new injectable EPM formulation becomes an important alternative for the control of cattle tick in Brazil.     

A two-enzyme constituted mixture to improve the degradation of Arthrospira platensis microalga cell wall for monogastric diets

The main goal of this study was to test a rational combination of pre-selected carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and sulphatases, individually or in combination, in order to evaluate its capacity to disrupt Arthrospira platensis cell wall, allowing the release of its valuable nutritional bioactive compounds. By the end, a two-enzyme constituted mixture (Mix), composed by a lysozyme and a α-amylase, was incubated with A. platensis suspension. The microalga cell wall disruption was evaluated through the amount of reducing sugars released from the cell wall complemented with the oligosaccharide profile by HPLC. An increase of the amount of reducing sugars up to 2.42 g/L in microalgae treated with the Mix relative to no treatment (p < .05), as well as a 7-fold increase of oligosaccharides amount (p < .001), were obtained. With resort of fluorescence microscopy, a 36% reduction of fluorescence intensity (p < .001) was observed using Calcofluor White staining. In the supernatant, the Mix caused a 1.34-fold increase in protein content (p = .018) relative to the control. Similarly, n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (p = .007), in particular 18:2n-6 (p = .016), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (p = .049) and chlorophyll a (p = .025) contents were higher in the supernatant of microalgae treated with the enzyme mixture in relation to the control. Taken together, these results point towards the disclosure of a novel two-enzyme mixture able to partial degrade A. platensis cell wall, improving its nutrients bioavailability for monogastric diets with the cost-effective advantage use of microalgae in animal feed industry.     

Improved digestibility of plant ingredient‐based diets for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) with exogenous enzyme supplementation

This study evaluated the effect of supplementation of a plant ingredients‐based diet with two levels of commercially digestive enzyme products: Synergen? and Natugrain^® on the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of nutrients and on digestive enzyme activities in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. A control diet was formulated with 450 g/kg CP (200 g/kg from fish meal + 800 g/kg from plant protein) and 180 g/kg CL (fish oil), and four other diets were made similar to the control but supplemented with 0.2 g/kg or 0.4 g/kg of Synergen? and Natugrain^®. Digestive enzyme activities were not affected by dietary treatments. Nevertheless, chyme pH along the intestine of fish fed the Natugrain^®‐supplemented diets was reduced. The ADC of nutrients increased with exogenous digestive enzyme supplementation, with the highest ADC values being observed for the 0.4 g/kg Natugrain^® diet. The ADC of dry matter, protein, lipids, energy and phosphorus in this diet were 26%, 6%, 4%, 16% and 63% higher, respectively, than in the control diet. Overall, diet supplementation with exogenous enzyme complexes seems to have high potential for improving the utilization of plant feedstuff‐rich diets for seabass juveniles. This study revealed that Natugrain^® was more effective than Synergen? in improving the ADC of nutrients and energy in European seabass juveniles.