New hosts and distribution records of Braga patagonica, a parasite cymothoidae of fishes from the Amazon.

Specimens of Braga patagonica Schiödte & Meinert, 1884 (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) from freshwater fishes deposited in Ichthyological Collection of Amazon National Research Institute (INPA), in central Amazon and from fishes from eastern Amazon (Brazil) were investigated. Prevalence, infection intensity and body measures of B. patagonica for different populations of this cymothoid in wild fishes species from Amazon were carried out. Four species of Serrasalmidae, one Characidae, one Cichlidae, one Cynodontidae, one Curimatidae, one Acestrorhynchidae and one Sciaenidae were recorded as new hosts for B. patagonica in the Amazon. This study indicates a low intensity and low parasitic specificity of B. patagonica, and also recorded the first parasitism by this ectoparasite in farmed Colossoma macropomum, describing its highly pathogenic effect

Escolas rurais produzem hortaliças e frutas utilizando água de chuva armazenada em cisterna: estudo de caso.

O sucesso do programa de cisterna armazenando água de chuva para atender ao consumo das famílias no semiárido brasileiro permitiu que essa tecnologia fosse também utilizada para produzir alimentos, visando à melhoria da dieta das famílias rurais, denominado por P1+2 ou ?cisterna de produção?. Essa experiência foi implementada em 43 escolas rurais de treze municípios do Estado da Bahia. Assim, esta pesquisa teve por objetivo identificar as práticas agrícolas executadas nas áreas das hortas e ou pomar, como subsídios à instalação de novas cisternas em escolas de outros municípios. Também, verificar como a produção está sendo inserida na alimentação oferecida aos alunos. O diagnóstico feito a partir de visitas às escolas aponta para a necessidade de ajustes no sistema cisterna-horta, visando sua maior eficiência e permitindo a melhoria da disponibilidade e qualidade dos alimentos servidos.nas escola

Physicochemical and Sensory Evaluation Data to Drive the Development of a Green Chili Pepper Hot Sauce from Unexploited Raw Materials

The present study shows the set of analyses conducted during the development of a hot chili pepper sauce to valorize green peppers usually discarded in the Espelette region (France). A traditional production process was used as the inspiration for product development, and two different fermentation processes were assessed and characterized by measuring pH, sugar content, instrumental color, volatile composition, and conducting sensory (discriminant test) and microbiological analyses (total plate count). Significant differences were observed among pepper mash samples with respect to their physicochemical characteristics, but the products were considered similar from a sensory standpoint. Both sensory and physicochemical tests suggested that the ingredients added to make the sauces were determinant and had a higher impact on the organoleptic profile of the final product than the fermentation process. Finally, a Napping® test was conducted to determine the attributes that could differentiate the product from the hot sauces found in the current market. The results of the present research allowed the optimization of the elaboration process of the new product, saving time and ingredient costs. The procedures shown in the study could be used as an example of a new product development process in which physicochemical and sensory data are collected and used for decision making.The present study shows the set of analyses conducted during the development of a hot chili pepper sauce to valorize green peppers usually discarded in the Espelette region (France). A traditional production process was used as the inspiration for product development, and two different fermentation processes were assessed and characterized by measuring pH, sugar content, instrumental color, volatile composition, and conducting sensory (discriminant test) and microbiological analyses (total plate count). Significant differences were observed among pepper mash samples with respect to their physicochemical characteristics, but the products were considered similar from a sensory standpoint. Both sensory and physicochemical tests suggested that the ingredients added to make the sauces were determinant and had a higher impact on the organoleptic profile of the final product than the fermentation process. Finally, a Napping® test was conducted to determine the attributes that could differentiate the product from the hot sauces found in the current market. The results of the present research allowed the optimization of the elaboration process of the new product, saving time and ingredient costs. The procedures shown in the study could be used as an example of a new product development process in which physicochemical and sensory data are collected and used for decision making

Life-history traits of Spodoptera frugiperda populations exposed to low-dose Bt maize.

Exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins in low- and moderate-dose transgenic crops may induce sublethal effects and increase the rate of Bt resistance evolution, potentially compromising control efficacy against target pests. We tested this hypothesis using the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda, a major polyphagous lepidopteran pest relatively tolerant to Bt notorious for evolving field-relevant resistance to single-gene Bt maize. Late-instar larvae were collected from Bt Cry1Ab and non-Bt maize fields in five locations in Brazil, and their offspring was compared for survival, development, and population growth in rearing environment without and with Cry1Ab throughout larval development. Larval survival on Cry1Ab maize leaves varied from 20 to 80% among the populations. Larvae reared on Cry1Ab maize had seven-day delay in development time in relation to control larvae, and such delay was shorter in offspring of armyworms from Cry1Ab maize. Population growth rates were 50?70% lower for insects continuously exposed to Cry1Ab maize relative to controls, showing the population-level effect of Cry1Ab, which varied among the populations and prior exposure to Cry1Ab maize in the field. In three out of five populations, armyworms derived from Bt maize reared on Cry1Ab maize showed higher larval weight, faster larval development and better reproductive performance than the armyworms derived from non-Bt maize, and one of these populations showed better performance on both Cry1Ab and control diets, indicating no fitness cost of the resistance trait. Altogether, these results indicate that offspring of armyworms that developed on field-grown, single-gene Bt Cry1Ab maize had reduced performance on Cry1Ab maize foliage in two populations studied, but in other three populations, these offspring had better overall performance on the Bt maize foliage than that of the armyworms from non-Bt maize fields, possibly because of Cry1Ab resistance alleles in these populations. Implications of these findings for resistance management of S. frugiperda in Bt crops are discussed