Reexamining a host-associated genomic diversity of Bean Golden Mosaic Virus (BGMV) isolates from Phaseolus species and other Fabaceae hosts.

Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris and P. lunatus) are the major hosts of bean golden mosaic begomovirus (BGMV). Robust taxonomic criteria were established for Begomovirus species demarcation. However, DNA–A identities among BGMV isolates display a continuous variation (89–100%), which conflicts with the current concept of a single viral species. The diversity of 146 Brazilian isolates designated in the GenBank as BGMV was assessed by comparing their complete DNA–A sequences. The isolates were clustered into four groups, being discriminated mainly by their original Fabaceae hosts. Additional Sequence Demarcation Tool analyses indicated that BGMV-related viruses comprise two clear-cut groups: isolates reported infecting mainly P. vulgaris (identities of 96–97% to the reference NC_004042 isolate) and a group associated with P. lunatus (identities of 89–91%). Moreover, we recognized a distinct set of genomic features in the iterons and Rep-associated protein motifs across these two diversity groups. The host prevalence and genomic differences suggest that most P. lunatus isolates are currently misclassified as BGMV strains, being more likely samples of a closely related (but distinct) Begomovirus species. Hence, the implications of this BGMV diversity should be taken into consideration by classical and biotech breeding programs aiming for large-spectrum viral resistance in Phaseolus species

Tratos culturais corretos.

A produção de algodão, comparada com as de soja e de milho, é bem mais complexa e exigente em manejo agronômico e investimentos financeiros. Assim, é fundamental planejar, implementar e conduzir adequadamente a lavoura, para minimizar os riscos e garantir suficiente retorno financeiro, com sustentabilidade ambiental. Dentre alguns importantes manejos e tratos culturais do algodoeiro, estão as adubações, o manejo de plantas daninhas e o controle do crescimento

A novel UX-based approach for ontology evaluation: applying tree testing to the agricultural product types ontology.

This paper introduces a novel approach to evaluating ontologies by integrating user experience (UX) metrics, specifically the Tree Testing protocol, into the validation process. Traditional ontology validation often focuses on verifying competency questions via SPARQL queries, overlooking the critical role of domain specialists in assessing usability and conceptual alignment. To address this gap, we applied Tree Testing to the Agricultural Product Types Ontology (APTO), tracking specialists’ navigation paths as they completed 11 domain-specific tasks. This method provided actionable insights into APTO’s usability, revealing structural weaknesses and areas needing refinement. The study involved experts in ontological modeling within the agricultural domain, ensuring feedback was relevant and domain-specific. The findings underscore the value of UX metrics, such as Tree Testing, in identifying user navigation patterns and conceptual misunderstandings. This research illustrates the importance of integrating UX-driven methodologies into ontology design to foster more user-centered and practical knowledge representations for real-world applications. By bridging the gap between technical validation and user-centered evaluation, this work contributes to developing ontologies that are not only technically sound but also intuitive and aligned with the needs of domain experts

Machine learning techniques associated with infrared thermography to optimize the diagnosis of bovine subclinical mastitis.

Abstract: Bovine subclinical mastitis (SCM) is the costliest disease for the dairy industry. Technologies aimed at the early diagnosis of this condition, such as infrared thermography (IRT), can be used to generate large amounts of data that provide valuable information when analyzed using learning techniques. The objective of this study was to evaluate and optimize the use of machine learning by applying the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm in the diagnosis of bovine SCM, based on udder thermogram analysis. Over 14 months, a total of 1035 milk samples were collected from 97 dairy cows subjected to an automatic milking system. Somatic cell counts were performed by flow cytometry, and the health status of the mammary gland was determined based on a cutoff of 200,000 cells/mL of milk. The attributes analyzed collectively included air temperature, relative humidity, temperature-humidity index, breed, body temperature, teat dirtiness score, parity, days in milk, mammary gland position, milk yield, electrical conductivity, milk fat, coldest and hottest points in the mammary gland region of interest, average mammary gland temperature, thermal amplitude, and the difference between the average temperature of the region of interest and the animal’s body temperature, as well as the microbiological evaluation of the milk. Using the XGBoost algorithm, the most relevant variables for solving the classification problem were identified and selected to construct the final model with the best fit and performance. The best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC: 0.843) and specificity (Sp: 93.3%) were obtained when using all thermographic variables. The coldest point in the region of interest was considered the most important for decision making in mastitis diagnosis. The use of XGBoost can enhance the diagnostic capability for SCM when IRT is employed. The developed optimized model can be used as a confirmatory mechanism for SCM

Avaliação econômico-financeira da produção de açaizeiro irrigado e não irrigado no estado do Amazonas.

O cultivo do açaí tornou-se atividade agrícola rentável no Amazonas. Pelas características nutricionais e composição da polpa, cresce a demanda por esse produto, dentro e fora do País. A pesquisa foi realizada na região metropolitana de Manaus, por ser uma grande produtora de açaí, e teve como objetivo analisar o aspecto econômico da cultura, comparando um sistema de produção convencional com um sistema irrigado

Análise arquitetônica, vegetativa e reprodutiva de três clones de castanheira-do-brasil no estado do Amazonas.

A castanheira (Bertholletia excelsa) destaca-se pelos seus benefícios às comunidades locais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar fenotipicamente os clones 606, Aruanã e Santa Fé e avaliar os descritores morfológicos vegetativos e reprodutivos para suas identificações. O estudo foi conduzido na Agropecuária Aruanã, localizada na Rodovia AM-010, Km 213, Itacoatiara, AM

Overcoming Stability Hurdles of Transition Metal Phosphides for H2 Evolution: A Review.

The necessity of efficient electrolyzers for H2 production has boosted the number of publications on the development of highly active and stable electrocatalysts. Recently, transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have been reported as excellent materials for H2 electrochemical production. Though most publications demonstrate the applicability of Co, Mo, Fe, and Ni-based TMPs in a wide pH range, there’s a lack of consolidated information about the material’s durability versus pH, especially in harsh environments (e.g., high acidity or alkalinity and seawater). The main purpose of this review is to correlate the advancement of knowledge about the TMPs electronic and physical-chemical properties and the improvement of hydrogen evolution reaction in a wide range of pH and salinity to present some meaningful perspectives for the near future development

Caracterização molecular, morfológica e patogênica de isolados de fusarium spp. Associados a podridão da coroa em bananas.

A banana (Musa spp.) pertence à ordem Zingiberales, família Musaceae e ao gênero Musa. Originária do Sudeste Asiático e do Oeste do Pacífico, foi introduzida e popularizada em diversas regiões do mundo. Atualmente, é a fruta mais produzida globalmente e a segunda mais consumida, sendo o Brasil o sexto maior produtor. No Brasil, a produção foi registrada em aproximadamente 6,9 milhões de toneladas em 2024, com destaque para o consumo interno. Apesar de sua importância econômica, a bananicultura enfrenta desafios devido a doenças pós-colheita, que impactam a qualidade dos frutos e causam perdas econômicas. A podridão da coroa foi identificada como uma das principais doenças, sendo causada por diversos fungos, com destaque para Colletotrichum spp., Lasiodiplodia spp., Verticillium spp. e, principalmente, Fusarium spp. A doença se manifesta após a maturação dos frutos, comprometendo sua comercialização. Dessa forma, o objetivo desse trabalho, foi realizar a caracterização molecular, morfológica e patogênica de isolados de Fusarium spp. obtidos de diferentes cultivares no Brasil. Foram coletados 40 isolados de Fusarium spp. de pencas de banana assintomáticas em 10 municípios do Brasil, nos estados do Ceará, Goiás e Rio Grande do Norte os quais foram georreferenciados e provenientes das cultivares, Prata, Nanica e Grand Naine. Os isolados foram submetidos a análises morfológicas, moleculares (utilizando os genes TEF1 e RPB2) e testes de patogenicidade. A análise filogenética revelou uma diversidade significativa de espécies dentro dos complexos: Fusarium fujikuroi Species Complex (FFSC); Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti Species Complex (FIESC) e Fusarium oxysporum Species Complex (FOSC). No FFSC, Fusarium musae foi a espécie mais prevalente; enquanto no FIESC, destacaram-se Fusarium sulawesiense e Fusarium pernambucanum. No FOSC, Fusarium triseptatum e Fusarium fabacearum foram identificados. Os testes de patogenicidade demonstraram que todos os isolados foram capazes de causar sintomas da doença, com F. triseptatum (FOSC) sendo o mais agressivo. Os resultados destacam a complexidade da podridão da coroa da banana, com diferentes espécies de Fusarium sendo responsáveis pela doença.Co-orientadora: Dra. Christiana de Fátima Bruce da Silva

Phosphorus fractions in a lowland production system in subtropical soil under no-tillage

ABSTRACT: Phosphorus (P) is one of the most limiting elements for plant nutrition in tropical and subtropical soils due to its high binding energy on the surface of iron and aluminum oxides and hydroxides. Flooded rice cultivation occurs in lowlands, influencing redox reactions and P dynamics. This study aimed to evaluate the forms of phosphorus and their lability after soil reoxidation subsequent to a period of flooding for irrigated rice cultivation following four seasons of cultivation with soybean-ryegrass and corn-white clover succession in an Albaqualf (Planossolo) fertilized with triple superphosphate under no-tillage. The experiments were conducted in Albaqualf (Planossolo), in a 2 × 2 double factorial scheme, with factor 1 being P fertilization and factor 2 being flooding followed by drainage. Triple superphosphate was used as the P source. One of the experiments consisted of a soybean-ryegrass, and the other consisted of corn-white clover, cultivated for four years, with irrigated rice cultivated in the fifth year. Using TSP increased the soil P-labile fraction by 107 and 114 %, for soybean-ryegrass succession and cornwhite clover succession, respectively. After the end of the flooding period and post-soil drainage, a reduction of 17 and 13 % was observed in the P-labile and P-moderately labile fractions, in soybean-ryegrass, respectively. And the same fractions in the cornwhite clover succession decreased 12 and 5 %, respectively. Using P fertilizer increases the fractions of P-labile, P-moderately labile, and P-less labile in the soil. Soil drainage after rice cultivation reduces the fractions of labile and moderately labile phosphorus in the soil, regardless of the crop succession used

GLOSOB: The Global Soil Biodiversity Observatory.

As part of the post-2020 Plan of Action of the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Soil Biodiversity (CBD 2020), adopted at the 2022 Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was mandated to implement a global soil biodiversity and ecosystem function monitoring framework. This initiative aligns with past and recent efforts of the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and its recently created International Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB), as well as those from other international initiatives such as the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) and the global Soil Biodiversity Observation Network (SoilBON). Through these initiatives, participating countries are therefore encouraged to improve their knowledge of soil biodiversity and implement sound policies and actions to prioritize soil biodiversity in National Reports and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)