Alternative methods to synthetic chemical control of Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. A systematic review

ABSTRACT: Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. is one of the worst agricultural weeds and invasive species in the world, being widely established in many countries. Despite its impact on agriculture and the growing awareness of authorities and consumers about the consequences of synthetic herbicides, alternative control methods for this weed have been poorly reviewed. A systematic review of the literature published over the last 50 years was used to assess the most studied control methods of C. dactylon (excluding synthetic herbicides) and to summarize the trends and knowledge gaps. The major fndings are as follows: (1) the number of publications that studied alternative methods to synthetic chemical control in C. dactylon management has been increasing exponentially since 1972; (2) most of the studies were made under controlled conditions (57%) and lack observations under real production conditions; (3) most of the feld experiments were carried out in Asia (42%), under temperate subtropical and arid climates; (4) the publication of articles studying allelopathy stands out signifcantly (50% of the papers found), with two species from the Poaceae family, rice (Oryza sativa L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), showing very high allelopathic inhibitory efects (often above 80%), especially under open feld conditions; and (5) preventive soil tillage is the most studied treatment among indirect weed control treatments, and although there is a high risk of propagation, the results indicate that tillage can signifcantly contribute to control C. dactylon, when compared to no-tillage treatments. Further research is needed to optimize treatments and methods so that they can be applied by farmers under real production conditions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Utilization of Estremoz marbles sawing sludge in ceramic industry – Preliminary Approach

Portugal is in forefront of world marble production, the marble quarries and processing industries in Estremoz region has an important role in economic life. The amount of waste produced by this activity is massive and cause several problems. The aim of this study is to investigate the suitability and the effect of Estremoz marble sawing sludge in mixtures with clay to ceramic industry. Another main concern is the manufacture of environmental friend ceramics. Plasticity behavior of clay mixtures with 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20wt% of marble powder were evaluated. The incorporation of waste reduces the liquid limit and plastic index of pastes. Clay bodies were molded by uniaxial pressure and fired at maximum temperature of 950ºC. The results reveal that the addiction of marble powder increases the water absorption, apparent porosity while the bulk density decreases. Due to their influence in the melted phase an improvement in mechanical strength characteristics was registered, namely in rupture modulus. This preliminary study shows that the use such mixtures are promising in term of ceramics technological properties. Keywords: Estremoz marbles, clay, reuse, ceramics

Dilated fetal bowel as indication for prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis

Dilated fetal bowel is a sonographic fi nding that is associated to meconium ileus, a feature of cystic fi brosis (CF). Prenatal diagnosis of CF is possible through analysis of the cystic fi brosis transmembrane regulator gene mutations. A male infant is described, who was referred to our Prenatal Diagnosis Center a 17th week of gestation with a dilated bowel loop on a prenatal scan. Amniocentesis was performed at 23rd week gestation and a homozygous F508del mutation was found. He was born at 38 weeks gestation, after an otherwise unremarkable pregnancy, and admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He showed progressive abdominal distension without stools and was transferred to another Hospital to surgery. A total occlusion of terminal ileum with meconium and a microcolon were found, and resection of 8 cm of ileum and an ileostomy were performed. The characteristic sonographic fi nding of a dilated bowel is an indication to search for CF mutations

Síndrome de Hanhart – caso clínico

Introdução: Em 1950 Hanhart descreveu três casos de aglossia e deformidades dos membros. A associação de malformações oromandibulares e dos membros é rara, veriÞcando -se grande variabilidade fenotípica entre os casos descritos. Caso Clínico: Gravidez com diagnóstico pré -natal ecográ-Þ co (24 semanas) de agenesia do pé direito, ausência do primeiro dedo do pé esquerdo e presença apenas da primeira falange do primeiro e quinto dedos da mão esquerda. Às 38 semanas de gestação nasce um recém -nascido, sexo masculino, com hipotonia generalizada e diÞ culdade respiratória com necessidade de manobras de reanimação. Ao exame físico destacava -se a presença de microretrognatia, microstomia e várias malformações ósseas a nível das mãos e pés. Desde as primeiras horas de vida que apresentou quadro de apneias com dessaturações recorrentes vindo a falecer na decorrência de um desses episódios. Discussão: A associação de microstomia, microretrognatia, hipoglossia, malformações dos membros e atingimento dos pares cranianos, permite -nos estabelecer o diagnóstico clínico de Síndrome de Hanhart. O seu diagnóstico nem sempre é fácil,dada a grande variabilidade fenotípica

Aproveitamento de Lamas Carbonatadas da Indústria das Rochas Ornamentais na Cerâmica

A indústria das rochas ornamentais leva à produção de elevadas quantidades de resíduos, que promovem a ocorrência de impactos ambientais e paisagísticos negativos bem como o facto de constituírem um grande constrangimento com elevados custos para as empresas. Estes resíduos, resultantes da extração de rochas ornamentais e industriais, são essencialmente poeiras, lamas e massa mineral rejeitada. As lamas provêm fundamentalmente das operações de desmonte com recurso a fio diamantado e das operações de beneficiação dos blocos devido à utilização de serras, impregnando água. Estas lamas, provenientes dos vários processos de transformação, como corte, serragem e polimento, são enviadas para um decantador no qual é realizada a remoção das partículas sólidas por sedimentação com recurso a floculantes. Após decantação, a água é reintroduzida no sistema e as lamas formadas são enviadas para um filtro prensa onde são concentradas e onde o seu volume é reduzido, sendo posteriormente enviadas para escombreiras ou para o aterro. Esta investigação tem como objetivo estudar a viabilidade da incorporação de resíduos produzidos no sector das rochas ornamentais, particularmente, de lamas carbonatadas, resultantes dos processos de extração e transformação de calcários utilizados como rochas ornamentais, na cerâmica. Deste modo, é possível reduzir os impactos ambientais na indústria de rochas ornamentais assim como a quantidade de resíduos produzidos, que têm como destino final a deposição em aterro. Para este efeito, elaboraram-se provetes de argila cinzenta com misturas de resíduo nas percentagens de 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% e 20%. Estes provetes foram submetidos a três temperaturas distintas, nomeadamente a 900°C, 1000°C e 1100°C. Após a sua cozedura às diferentes temperaturas, cada um dos provetes foi sujeito a ensaios tecnológicos de modo a averiguar a influência da incorporação de diferentes quantidades de lamas carbonatadas na cerâmica, permitindo assim tirar conclusões relativamente à viabilidade da sua incorporação. Os resultados indicaram que a incorporação de lamas carbonatadas melhora propriedades como a trabalhabilidade, retração linear térmica, perda de massa após cozedura, bem como o grau de brancura dos cerâmicos. Relativamente às propriedades físicas da argila, verificou-se um aumento da absorção de água e porosidade aberta e diminuição da massa volúmica aparente, o que poderá vir a ser benéfico na produção de produtos cerâmicos com bom isolamento térmico e acústico. Em relação às propriedades mecânicas, o ensaio de resistência à flexão indicou uma diminuição desta propriedade com a adição de resíduo, quando comparado aos valores de referência (0%), sendo que a percentagem com resultados mais satisfatórios foi a de 15% à temperatura de 1100°C. Verificou-se ainda que não houve uma perda de massa significativa dos provetes cerâmicos após serem submetidos ao ensaio de nevoeiro salino, para além de não se ter evidenciado alterações morfológicas dos mesmos, pelo que se considera possível a aplicação de cerâmicos com incorporação deste resíduo, em zonas litorais.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Foliar Spraying of Solanum tuberosum L. with CaCl2 and Ca(NO3)2: Interactions with Nutrients Accumulation in Tubers

Calcium is essential for plants, yet as its mobility is limited, the understanding of the rate of Ca2+ accumulation and deposition in tissues of tubers, as well as the interactions with other critical nutrients prompted this study. To assess the interactions and differential accumulation of micro and macronutrients in the tissues of tubers, Solanum tuberosum L. varieties Agria and Rossi were cultivated and, after the beginning of tuberization, four foliar sprayings (at 8–10 day intervals) with CaCl2 (3 and 6 kg ha1) or Ca(NO3)2 (2 and 4 kg ha1) solutions were performed. It was found that both fertilizers increased Ca accumulation in tubers (mostly in the parenchyma tissues located in the center of the equatorial region). The functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus was not affected until the 3rd application but was somewhat affected when approaching the end of the crop cycle (after the 4th application), although the lower dose of CaCl2 seemed to improve the photochemical use of energy, particularly when compared with the greater dose of Ca(NO3)2. Still, none of these impacts modified tuber height and diameter. Following the increased accumulation of Ca, in the tubers of both varieties, the mean contents of P, K, Na, Fe, and Zn revealed different accumulation patterns. Moreover, accumulation of K, Fe, Mn, and Zn prevailed in the epidermis, displaying a contrasting pattern relative to Ca. Therefore, Ca accumulation revealed a heterogeneous trend in the different regions analyzed, and Ca enrichment of tubers altered the accumulation of other nutrientsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Foliar Spraying with ZnSO4 or ZnO of Vitis vinifera cv. Syrah Increases the Synthesis of Photoassimilates and Favors Winemaking

Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.Zinc enrichment of edible food products, through the soil and/or foliar application of fertilizers, is a strategy that can increase the contents of some nutrients, namely Zn. In this context, a workflow for agronomic enrichment with zinc was carried out on irrigated Vitis vinifera cv. Syrah, aiming to evaluate the mobilization of photoassimilates to the winegrapes and the consequences of this for winemaking. During three productive cycles, foliar applications were performed with ZnSO4 or ZnO, at concentrations ranging between 150 and 1350 g.ha−1. The normal vegetation index as well as some photosynthetic parameters indicated that the threshold of Zn toxicity was not reached; it is even worth noting that with ZnSO4, a significant increase in several cases was observed in net photosynthesis (Pn). At harvest, Zn biofortification reached a 1.2 to 2.3-fold increase with ZnSO4 and ZnO, respectively (being significant relative to the control, in two consecutive years, with ZnO at a concentration of 1350 g.ha−1). Total soluble sugars revealed higher values with grapes submitted to ZnSO4 and ZnO foliar applications, which can be advantageous for winemaking. It was concluded that foliar spraying was efficient with ZnO and ZnSO4, showing potential benefits for wine quality without evidencing negative impacts.publishersversionpublishe

Mineral Interaction in Biofortified Tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) with Magnesium

proofpublishe

Tribomechanical Properties of PVA/Nomex® Composite Hydrogels for Articular Cartilage Repair

Due to the increasing prevalence of articular cartilage diseases and limitations faced by current therapeutic methodologies, there is an unmet need for new materials to replace damaged cartilage. In this work, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were reinforced with different amounts of Nomex® (known for its high mechanical toughness, flexibility, and resilience) and sterilized by gamma irradiation. Samples were studied concerning morphology, chemical structure, thermal behavior, water content, wettability, mechanical properties, and rheological and tribological behavior. Overall, it was found that the incorporation of aramid nanostructures improved the hydrogel’s mechanical performance, likely due to the reinforcement’s intrinsic strength and hydrogen bonding to PVA chains. Additionally, the sterilization of the materials also led to superior mechanical properties, possibly related to the increased crosslinking density through the hydrogen bonding caused by the irradiation. The water content, wettability, and tribological performance of PVA hydrogels were not compromised by either the reinforcement or the sterilization process. The best-performing composite, containing 1.5% wt. of Nomex®, did not induce cytotoxicity in human chondrocytes. Plugs of this hydrogel were inserted in porcine femoral heads and tested in an anatomical hip simulator. No significant changes were observed in the hydrogel or cartilage, demonstrating the material’s potential to be used in cartilage replacement

Enrichment of Grapes with Zinc-Efficiency of Foliar Fertilization with ZnSO4 and ZnO and Implications on Winemaking

PDR2020-101-030727Grapes and wine are widely consumed in the world, yet their mineral content can be influenced by many factors such as the mineral composition of soils, viticulture practices and environmental conditions. In this context, considering the importance of Zn in the human physiology, the enrichment of Moscatel and Castelão grapes (white and red variety, respectively) with this nutrient prompted this study; further assessment of tissue deposition and some implications for wine production. Using two foliar fertilizers (ZnO or ZnSO4, at 150, 450 and 900 g ha−1), decreases in net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance occurred in both varieties, suggesting that the physiological threshold of Zn toxicity was reached without visible symptoms. Following foliar spraying with both fertilizers, the content of Zn in leaves of the Castelão and Moscatel varieties showed higher values in all treatments relative to the control. Moreover, in grapes this tendency occurred only in Castelão. Concerning Cu, Fe, Ca, K, S and P, some significant differences also happened in leaves and grapes among treatments. At harvest, the indexes of Zn enrichment in grapes increased between 2.14-and 8.38-fold and between 1.02-and 1.44-fold in Castelão and Moscatel varieties, respectively. Zinc in the dried skin of Castelão only increased with ZnO and ZnSO4 sprayed at 900 g ha−1 (ca. 2.71-and 1.5-fold relative to the control, respectively), but in Moscatel a clear accumulation trend could not be found. The dry weight of grapes ranged (in %) between 16 and 23 (but did not vary significantly among treatments of each variety or in each treatment between varieties), and total soluble solids (e.g., mainly soluble sugars and proteins) and color parameters showed some significant variations. Through winemaking, the contents of Zn increased in both varieties (1.34-and 3.57-fold, in Castelão and Moscatel, respectively) and in all treatments, although non-significantly in Castelão. It is concluded that, to increase the contents of Zn in grapes without reaching the threshold of toxicity, ZnO or ZnSO4 can be used for foliar spraying of Castelão and Moscatel varieties until 900 g ha −1 And that winemaking augments the level of this nutrient.publishersversionpublishe