Evaluation of “UFV Aeroponic System” to Produce Basic Potato Seed Minitubers

We evaluated misting nozzle types and the coating on the bucket’s inner wall on the yield of basic potato seed minitubers. Tubers of potato cv. Agata were sprouted in a non-acclimatized greenhouse from June to September 2013. Six treatments were evaluated, three types of misting nozzle (32 L/h with anti-drip, 32 L/h without anti-drip, and 9 L/h without anti-drip) and two types of bucket inner lining, with and without polyurethane, with four replications. Dry weight of roots, stems and leaves besides minituber number and tuber fresh weight were evaluated. The “UFV Aeroponic System” effectively produces minitubers and should be equipped with a fogger with an outflow of 32 L/h without anti-drip and no inner lining of the bucket for optimal yield.     

Pathogenic and molecular comparison of Puccinia kuehnii isolates and reactions of sugarcane varieties to orange rust

Sugarcane orange rust, a disease caused by Puccinia kuehnii, was first reported in Brazil in 2009. There are no studies comparing the Brazilian P. kuehnii collections and the reaction of important sugarcane varieties under controlled conditions. This work compared the reaction of seven sugarcane varieties inoculated with six different P. kuehnii isolates from Brazilian sugarcane areas and verified the pathogenic and genetic variability of these isolates. The incubation (I) and latency (L) disease periods, disease severity (SEV), total number of lesions (TNL), total number of sporulating lesions (TNSL), and percentage of sporulating lesions (%SL) were evaluated. Furthermore, ITS1 and IGS ribosomal sequences of all P. kuehnii isolates used in this study were compared with pathogen sequences from 13 different countries. The disease incubation ranged from 7 to 10 days and the latency ranged from 10 to 21 days. SEV and TNL showed large variations and few significant differences between the reaction of the varieties to P. kuehnii, in contrast with the variables TNSL and %SL. The P. kuehnii isolates did not compose different virulent races, but the isolate from one site (Araras) was a more aggressive race. The ITS1 and IGS ribosomal sequences of six P. kuehnii isolates were identical with each other and to most P. kuehnii American sequences deposited at GenBank. The studied sequences of P. kuehnii isolates differed from the sequences from Asia, Tahiti and Oceania.     

Effects of a single intravenous bolus of fentanyl on the minimum anesthetic concentration of isoflurane in chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

Objective

To assess the temporal effects of a single fentanyl intravenous (IV) bolus on the minimum anesthetic concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in chickens and to evaluate the effects of this combination on heart rate (HR) and rhythm, systemic arterial pressures (sAP) and ventilation.

P and Ca requirements for Japanese quail

Four experiments were conducted to estimate the phosphorus and calcium requirements for weight maintenance and weight gain in Japanese quails during their growth phase from 16 to 36 days. Japanese quails aged 16 days were used for estimating the phosphorous and calcium requirements for weight maintenance or weight gain, with these quails composing each reference slaughter group and the others distributed in a completely randomized design, housed in cages of galvanized wire (33 × 33 × 16 cm) that were stored in acclimatized chambers with specific environmental temperatures. The light programme used during the 20‐day experimental period was 24 h of artificial light. Analysis of the data showed that the prediction equations for estimating the phosphorus and calcium requirements for weight maintenance and weight gain of Japanese quails between 16 and 36 days of age were P (g/quail/day) = P^0.75*(9.3695 + 7.7397*T) + 9.70*WG, in which P is the phosphorus requirement, and Ca (g/quail/day) = P^0.75*(363.99 – 8.0262*T) + 28.15*WG, in which Ca is the calcium requirement, P is BW (kg), T is temperature (°C) and WG (g/quail/day).     

Reproductive performance of postpartum ewes treated with insulin or progesterone hormones in association with ram effect

The reproductive performance of postpartum Santa Inês (SI) and Morada Nova (MN) ewes treated with insulin or progesterone hormones in association with ram effect was evaluated. Ewes from SI (n = 69) and MN (n = 69) breeds were randomly allocated to three groups of each breed (T1—ram effect only; T2—ram effect + insulin; T3—ram effect + progesterone). Progesterone concentrations (ηg/ml; mean ± SD) before and after introduction of rams (n = 6) were 0.51 ± 0.22 and 3.78 ± 0.68 (T1), 0.65 ± 0.21 and 3.77 ± 0.78 (T2) and 0.52 ± 0.21 and 3.84 ± 0.84 (T3) in SI ewes and 0.74 ± 0.19 and 3.71 ± 0.56 (T1), 0.70 ± 0.21 and 3.79 ± 0.75 (T2) and 0.81 ± 0.14 and 3.87 ± 0.80 (T3) in MN ewes, respectively. Thus, lower progesterone concentrations were found before the introduction of rams (p < .05). After the introduction of rams, preovulatory peaks of LH (ηg/ml) occurred at 28 (T1), 44 (T2) and 48 (T3) hr in SI ewes and at 64 (T1), 40 (T2) and 44 (T3) hr in MN ewes. The mean number of ovulations was similar between groups (p > .05), was 1.3 ± 0.51 (T1), 1.5 ± 0.54 (T2) and 1.6 ± 0.51 (T3) in SI ewes and 1.3 ± 0.51 (T1), 1.6 ± 0.51 (T2) and 1.6 ± 0.51 (T3) in MN ewes. In conclusion, the ram effect alone is effective at inducing and synchronizing oestrus in sheep under postpartum anoestrus, irrespective of hormone treatments.     

Temporal and spatial dynamics of begomovirus disease in tomatoes in central Brazil

Over the last two decades, begomovirus diseases have increased in importance in Brazilian tomato crops. The major management strategy in Brazil is the application of insecticides to control the whitefly vector, but this is often unsuccessful. The objective of this work was to study the spatial and temporal progression of the disease in two processing tomato production areas in Central Brazil. A total of 24 plots (225 plants each) in six fields were evaluated weekly by visual inspection for plants with begomovirus symptoms. The predominant begomovirus in tomato plants with symptoms was Tomato severe rugose virus, and it was also detected in weeds and other crop plants. No correlation between incidence of begomovirus disease and whitefly population was found. The disease progression was rapid, with a slightly aggregated distribution of plants with symptoms. No relevant differences were observed in the temporal and spatial analyses, although an important difference was detected between plots located at the centre (PC) and the edge (PE) of the fields. In the temporal analysis, the begomovirus incidence and area under disease progress curve values were lower in PC than in PE. In the spatial analysis, plants with begomovirus symptoms were more aggregated in PC than in PE. These results suggest that the distribution of plants with symptoms in PC and PE could be a result of three dissemination mechanisms: one random (primary) and two aggregated, a real secondary spread, and a false secondary spread. The implications of these differences on disease management are discussed.     

The occurrence of wild cotton <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gossypium mustelinum</Emphasis> Miers ex Watt populations in the coast of Pernambuco,Northeastern Brazil

In this study, we describe three populations of the wild cotton Gossypium mustelinum Miers ex Watt in the coastal plain to the north of the State of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. These populations occur in urban areas in current expansion and under imminent risks of extinction, due to land use changes for house constructions. Distances between these new occurrences and the populations already mapped in the Northeast semiarid Caatinga (Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, and Bahia) range from approximately 270–950 km. Besides distant, the populations on the coastal plain of Pernambuco also occur in very distinct climatic and edaphic conditions. Aiming at allowing the ex situ conservation of these genetic resources, branches of 66 plants were collected, propagated by the asexual breeding method cutting to regenerate an accession of each plant. These now constitute a germplasm collection in the Department of Agronomy of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.     

Effect of Steeping Conditions (Sulfur Dioxide,Lactic Acid,and Temperature) on Starch Yield,Starch Quality,and Germ Quality from the Intermittent Milling and Dynamic Steeping Process (IMDS) for a Brazilian Corn Hybrid

Effect of lactic acid, SO₂, temperature, and their interactions were assessed on the dynamic steeping of a Brazilian dent corn (hybrid XL 606) to determine the ideal relationship among these variables to improve the wet‐milling process for starch and corn by‐products production. A 2×2×3 factorial experimental design was used with SO₂ levels of 0.05 and 0.1% (w/v), lactic acid levels of 0 and 0.5% (v/v), and temperatures of 52, 60, and 68°C. Starch yield was used as deciding factor to choose the best treatment. Lactic acid added in the steep solution improved the starch yield by an average of 5.6 percentage points. SO₂ was more available to break down the structural protein network at 0.1% than at the 0.05% level. Starch‐gluten separation was difficult at 68°C. The lactic acid and SO₂ concentrations and steeping temperatures for better starch recovery were 0.5, 0.1, and 52°C, respectively. The Intermittent Milling and Dynamic Steeping (IMDS) process produced, on average, 1.4% more starch than the conventional 36‐ hr steeping process. Protein in starch, oil content in germ, and germ damage were used as quality factors. Total steep time can be reduced from 36 hr for conventional wet‐milling to 8 hr for the IMDS process.