Lixiviação de íons potássio, cálcio e magnésio para determinação do vigor em sementes de milho doce.

O teste de lixiviação de íons de potássio, cálcio e magnésio é baseado na integridade das membranas celulares das sementes, sendo considerado um procedimento rápido para a avaliação do vigor em sementes de várias espécies. Porém, para sementes de milho doce não se têm informações necessárias para a validação deste procedimento. Com isso, o trabalho teve como objetivo obter informações que permitam o aperfeiçoamento dos testes de lixiviação de potássio, cálcio e magnésio para a avaliação do vigor em sementes de milho doce. Foram utilizados 14 lotes de sementes de milho doce de duas cultivares, BR-401 e BR-402. O delineamento utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado com três repetições. A qualidade fisiológica das sementes foi avaliada por meio dos testes de germinação, condutividade elétrica, emergência a campo, lixiviação de potássio, de cálcio e de magnésio. Os testes de lixiviação de potássio e magnésio foram eficientes na avaliação do vigor em sementes de milho doce. A condutividade elétrica apresentou correlação negativa com a emergência de plântulas e positiva com a lixiviação de íons de potássio e magnésio

Seedling emergence and yield performance of wheat cultivars depending on seed vigor and sowing density.

Título em português: Emergência de plântulas e desempenho produtivo de cultivares de trigo em função do vigor de sementes e densidades de semeadura

Ophthalmoplegia due to Miller Fisher syndrome in a patient with myasthenia gravis

Here, we describe a 79-year-old man, admitted to our unit for worsening diplopia and fatigue, started a few weeks after an episode of bronchitis and flu vaccination. Past medical history includes myasthenia gravis (MG), well-controlled by Pyridostigmine, Azathioprine, and Prednisone. During the first days, the patient developed progressive ocular movement abnormalities up to complete external ophthalmoplegia, severe limb and gait ataxia, and mild dysarthria. Deep tendon reflexes were absent in lower limbs. Since not all the symptoms were explainable with the previous diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, other etiologies were investigated. Brain MRI and cerebrospinal fluid analysis were normal. Electromyography showed a pattern of predominantly sensory multiple radiculoneuritis. Suspecting Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), the patient was treated with plasmapheresis with subsequent clinical improvement. Antibodies against GQ1b turned out to be positive. MFS is an immune-mediated neuropathy presenting with ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia. Even if only a few cases of MFS overlapping with MG have been described so far, the coexistence of two different autoimmune disorders can occur. It is always important to evaluate possible differential diagnosis even in case of known compatible diseases, especially when some clinical features seem atypical

Physiological potential of soybean industrially treated with different spray volumes and dry powder.

The industrial treatment of seeds has favored the development of new technologies such as the use of dry powder. It has made application of spray volumes higher than those used in the conventional treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of industrial treatments at different spray volumes with and without application of dry powder on physiological quality of soybean seeds. A completely randomized experimental design was performed with four replications in a 5 x 2 factorial arrangement for cultivars BRS 359 RR and BRS 284. The factors were five spray volumes (0, 600, 1200, 1800 and 2400 mL. 100 kg-1) with and without the application of dry powder. The products used to obtain the volumes were fungicides (carbendazim + thiram); insecticides (imidacloprid + thiodicarb); nematicide (abamectin); micronutrients (cobalt, molybdenum and zinc); polymer (peridiam); biostimulant (kinetin + gibberellic acid + 4-indol-3-ylbutyric acid) and inoculant (Bradyrhizobium japonicum). The physiological quality of the seeds was determined by the following assessments: germination, first count of germination test, seedling emergence in sand, emergence speed index, and total length of the seedling shoot and root. The results showed that increased spray volume associated with the application of dry powder in seed treatment reduced the physiological quality of soybean seeds, and spray volumes up to 1200 mL 100 kg-1 in seed treatment without the application of dry powder do not impact the emergence and establishment of soybean seedlings