As interações entre crianças de diferentes faixas etárias no espaço do parque na educação infantil.

Trabalho de Conclusão do Curso de Especialização em Educação Infantil - Segunda Edição – Polo Araranguá - SC, para a obtenção do Grau de Especialista em Educação Infantil.Investigar se os professores da educação infantil reconhecem a importância da brincadeira e da interação entre as crianças no espaço do parque e os seus papéis como mediadores nesse processo, estas são as observações norteadoras que se constituem como impulso inicial para essa pesquisa. A pesquisa se caracteriza por ser de campo, através da observação e descrição. Utilizou-se uma amostra simples e intencional e os sujeitos pesquisados foram quatro (4) professores. Os recursos metodológicos para a realização da coleta de dados foram um questionário para os professores e a observação de suas turmas. A partir desta pesquisa, percebeu-se que o professor ainda não compreende a importância da brincadeira entre as crianças e como o mesmo deve intervir para que se promova uma brincadeira que impulsione/promova o desenvolvimento infantil. Constatou-se, pelo estudo teórico, que o professor é o condutor do processo pedagógico, por isso a importância desse profissional em estar estudando e compartilhando seus conhecimentos com as crianças, respeitando as diferenças encontradas no dia-a-dia e construindo espaços agradáveis para a educação infantil

An economic study of the Brazilian cocoa prices in the international market

The objectives of this thesis were twofold. It was an attempt,first, to clarify the nature of economic relationship among various factors affecting the Brazilian cocoa price level in the world market,and secondly, to predict Brazilian cocoa prices in the international market.The period covered by the study was from 1946 to 1966, and secondary data were used in the analysis.Least square regression was applied to fit four linear structures to the data representing the variables assumed to be the most important economic factors in the determination of Brazilian cocoa prices. In the first equation the cocoa prices deflated by an appropriate price index appeared in relation with Brazilian cocoa production, the cocoa production from other areas, and the cocoa stock in consuming areas. In the second one, Brazilian cocoa production and cocoa inventories held by consuming countries appeared in relation with deflated Brazilian cocoa prices. In the remaining two structures the dependent variable was not deflated and the price index appeared as an extra variable. In this connection Brazilian cocoa price was stated as a function of Brazilian Cocoa production, the rest of the world cocoa production, the level of cocoa stock held by consuming areas, and the price index. In the last structure Brazilian cocoa production, the cocoa stock level, and the price index were used as independent variables. The rationality for using such economic factors was based on the brief analysis of the world cocoa economy carried out by this study. The following were thestructures obtained by this analysis:Y1=56.646-0.032891 X2(t-1) + 0.0082769 X3 - 0.011968 X1(t-1) (0.01663) (0.02961) (0.06271)Y1= 43.296- 0.041702 X3 (0.01622)Y\u271 = -14.553-0.04971 X2(t-1)+0.90478 X4-0.04409 X1(t-1)+0.012049 X3  (0.01374)(0.22781)(0.04739)(0.02143)Y\u271 = -2.7673-0.048754 X3-0.50215 X4-0.011009 X1(t-1)  (0.01740)(0.26007)(0.06083)where: Y1 is the annual average wholesale New York spot price ofBrazilian cocoa deflated by an appropriate price index; Y’1 is thesimple annual average wholesale New York spot price of Braziliancocoa; X1 is the level of cocoa production in Brazil; X2 is theproduction of cocoa beans in other areas; X3 is the volume ofcocoa beans in stock in consuming areas; and X4 is the wholesaleprice index calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics,On the basis of the statistical significance of the increases in the variations explained by the variables used in the equations, thestructure below was selected as the one for attaining the objectives ofthe study:Y\u271 = -14.553 - 0.04971 X2(t-1)+0.90478 X4-0.04409 X1(t-1)+0.012049 X3 (0.01374)(0.22781)(0.04739)(0.02143)  R2 = 0.6281   Se =6.6990The ability of the model in predicting the Brazilian cocoa pricesfor 1967 and 1968 was considered reasonable. Inserting data into the equation above and solving for Y’1, the Brazilian cocoa price level was estimated at 22.46 cents while the actual price was 26.35 cents per pound in 1967, an underestimate of 3.89 cents; and at 23.39 cents while actual price in 1968 was 32.85 cents per pound, an underestimate of 9.46cents per pound. In dealing with future forecasts caution must be taken since from the coefficient of determination of 0.6281 it may be inferred that more price variation could be explained by the effects of other variables not included in the analysis.Further studying about the behavior of Brazilian cocoa price on monthly basis would result in a refinement of the model achieved in the present study

Motivating circular food behaviors

O sistema alimentar precisa urgentemente se tornar mais sustentável. Uma possível solução está na transição para a economia circular no setor de alimentos, a qual precisa envolver diferentes atores. Nesta tese, focamos em comportamentos do consumidor que contribuem para a economia circular no setor de alimentos – o que chamamos de circular food behaviors. Embora muitas pessoas tenham uma atitude positiva em relação à sustentabilidade, algumas barreiras podem impedir os circular food behaviors, como a falta de motivação. A goal-framing theory explica que isso pode acontecer porque as pessoas muitas vezes têm vários objetivos ao mesmo tempo, e os objetivos de sustentabilidade (ou normativos) podem entrar em conflito com objetivos relacionados a recursos pessoais (objetivo de ganho) ou estado emocional (objetivo hedônico). Com base nessa teoria, esta tese aborda o seguinte problema: Como motivar os consumidores a adotarem circular food behaviors? Para responder a essa pergunta, nós desenvolvemos três artigos. O primeiro artigo revisa a literatura sobre circular food behaviors, proporcionando uma melhor compreensão do contexto de estudo. Neste artigo, também categorizamos os circular food behaviors em três tipos: linear, em transição e circular. Para cada tipo, identificamos o papel do consumidor, os objetivos de sustentabilidade, o engajamento do consumidor e o papel da tecnologia, oferecendo uma estrutura para entender melhor a transição para comportamentos mais sustentáveis. Em nosso conhecimento, este é o primeiro artigo a revisar e sistematizar comportamentos alimentares que contribuem para a economia circular. O segundo artigo compara a goal-framing theory com teorias estabelecidas, destacando as forças e fraquezas da teoria. A seguir, revisamos estudos empíricos aplicando a goal-framing theory para estudar comportamentos ambientais. Isso contribui para o nosso entendimento do estado-da-arte da literatura e das lacunas que precisam ser abordadas em pesquisas futuras. Por fim, propomos um modelo que representa a goal-framing theory, que é testado no artigo final. O terceiro artigo baseia-se nos anteriores: nele verificamos os pressupostos da goal-framing theory em uma intervenção que promove um circular food behavior. Por meio de um experimento online, testamos o efeito de valores e pistas situacionais na intenção dos consumidores comprarem alimentos com formatos anormais. Este artigo contribui com a aplicação empírica da goal-framing theory em nosso contexto de estudo. Os resultados suportam parcialmente nossas hipóteses relacionadas à influência dos valores e das pistas situacionais na intenção de comprar alimentos com um formato anormal. Os resultados sugerem que os consumidores que priorizam valores altruístas e biosféricos podem se envolver mais facilmente em circular food behaviors, especialmente se a situação incluir mensagens de ganho ou normativas, e que pode ser mais difícil envolver consumidores que priorizam valores hedônicos. O artigo sugere implicações práticas direcionadas a diferentes grupos de consumidores, e que podem ser utilizadas pela cadeia de alimentos para vendas ou campanhas promovendo o comportamento estudado. A partir dos resultados da dissertação, sugerimos contribuições teóricas e práticas e possibilidade de estudos futuros.There is an urgent need to increase sustainability in the food system. A possible solution lies in the transition towards a circular food system, which needs to involve multiple stakeholders. In the present dissertation, we focus on consumer behaviors that contribute towards circular food systems — what we refer to as circular food behaviors. Although many people hold a positive attitude towards sustainability, some barriers can prevent circular food behaviors, as the lack of motivation at the time of choice. The goal-framing theory explains how this can happen because people often have multiple goals simultaneously, and behaving according to sustainability (or normative) goals may conflict with goals related to people’s resources (gain goal) or emotional state (hedonic goal). Based on this theory, this dissertation addresses the following problem: How to motivate consumers to adopt circular food behaviors? To answer this question, we developed three papers. The first paper reviews the literature on circular food behaviors, providing a better understanding of the study context. It also categorizes circular food behaviors in three types as linear, transitioning, and circular. For each type, we identified consumers’ role, sustainability goals, engagement, and technology, offering a framework to better understand the changes towards more sustainable behaviors. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to review and systematize food behaviors that contribute to the circular economy. The second paper compares the goal-framing theory with established theories, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. Next, we review empirical research applying the goal-framing theory to study environmental behaviors. This contributes to understanding what has been done so far and which gaps need to be addressed by future research. Finally, we propose a model visually representing the goal-framing theory, which is tested in the final paper. The third paper builds upon the two prior papers: it tests assumptions of the goal-framing theory in an intervention promoting a circular food behavior. Through an online experiment, we test the effect of values and situational cues on consumers’ intention to purchase abnormally shaped foods. This paper contributes with empirical evidence applying the goal-framing theory in the context of the study. Results partially support our hypotheses related to the influence of consumers’ values and situational cues on the intention to purchase abnormally shaped foods. Results suggest that consumers who prioritize altruistic and biospheric values may more easily engage in circular food behaviors, especially if the behavior is supported by gain or normative cues, and that it may be harder to engage consumers who prioritize hedonic values. We provide practical implications tailored to different groups of consumers, which the food chain actors can use in sales or campaigns to promote this circular food behavior. We draw general theoretical and practical contributions from the dissertation's results and indicate avenues for future research

A stakeholders take on brand image congruency: Azores case

This dissertation aims to determine what Azores’ brand image is, as a touristic destination, through the perspective of different stakeholders. In essence, the study aimed at understanding if the brand image desired when developing SMPAT, matches the actual perception of the foreign visitors who visit the region. Furthermore, the goal was to analyse the previous marketing plan for tourism in Azores, get best practices and understand what didn’t go so well, in order to develop a guide for the development of the future strategy. In order to achieve the main goal and fully understand if there is congruency in brand image regarding tourism in the Azorean region, a deep analysis of the established marketing plan was made to understand what government officials envisioned for the region. In parallel, reviews from international visitors were analysed, in light of a few chosen variables, to afterwards compare between the government’s expectation and the actual perception, of Azores brand image as a touristic destination. The main result of this analysis is the positive answer to the research question. There is congruency between the stakeholders’ perceptions, especially regarding the beauty and exclusivity of the destination, being considered an exuberant, preserved, natural island destination, with a unique way of welcoming and genuine hospitality. This study is valuable to the region insofar as it points out the positive and negative aspects of the SMPAT, as well as compares the desired brand positioning with the consumers perceptions of the archipelago, serving as a basis for the tourism.Esta dissertação tem como objetivo determinar qual é a imagem de marca dos Açores, enquanto destino turístico, através da perspetiva de diferentes stakeholders. Em essência, o estudo teve como objetivo compreender se a imagem de marca desejada ao desenvolver o PEMTA, é congruente com a perceção atual dos visitantes estrangeiros que visitam a região. Além disso, o objetivo passou por analisar o plano de marketing redigido para o turismo nos Açores, obter as melhores práticas e melhorias, como referência para a estratégia futura. De forma a atingir o objetivo principal e perceber se existe congruência na imagem de marca relativamente ao turismo na região dos Açores, foi feita uma extensa análise do último plano de marketing, de modo a compreender o que o governo pretendia para a região. Paralelamente, foram analisadas as opiniões de visitantes internacionais, à luz das variáveis escolhidas, para posteriormente comparar entre a expectativa do governo e a perceção atual, da imagem de marca dos Açores como destino turístico. O principal resultado desta análise foi a resposta positiva à questão de pesquisa. Há congruência entre as perceções dos stakeholders, principalmente quanto à beleza e exclusividade do destino, considerado exuberante, preservado, insular natural, com um modo único de acolher e uma hospitalidade genuína. Este estudo é valioso para a região na medida em que aponta os aspetos positivos e negativos do PEMTA, bem como compara o posicionamento pretendido com as perceções dos consumidores relativas à imagem de marca do arquipélago, servindo de base para o desenvolvimento do turismo

Genetic studies on self-fertility in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) with implications for hybrid breeding in allogamous grasses

Perennial grasses have diverse uses and are relevant from the agronomic and economic point of view, with main uses as forage, turf and bioenergy. In the grass family polyploidy is prevalent and both autopolyploids and allopolyploids are present. Also, within grasses there are a range of breeding systems, but hermaphrodite flower is the most frequent floral condition. Cross-pollination in species with hermaphrodite flowers is imposed by a gametophytic genetic self-incompatibility (SI). SI is controlled by two multiallelic and independent loci, S and Z. The incompatibility phenotype of the pollen grain is determined by its haploid genome. A pollen grain is incompatible when the same S and Z alleles carried by pollen are present in the pistil. This SI mechanism keeps its functionality at higher ploidy levels. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the breakdown of SI are crucial for implementing novel breeding practices. The aim of this work is to increase the knowledge of SF in outcrossing grasses for the purpose of inbred line development and making hybrid breeding possible. Mutations at S, Z and at a third locus are known to cause self-fertility (SF). In perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), a locus conferring SF is located in linkage group 5. Using segregation and linkage analysis, the SF locus region was reduced to 1.6 cM. This locus explained 94% of the observed variability. By aligning the flanking marker sequences to the Brachypodium distachium reference genome, it was found that it corresponds to an 807 Kbp region in B. distachium. This locus was studied at the tetraploid level and it was found that SF remained functional, the SF locus genotype was the main determinant of pollen compatibility explaining 54% of the variation, and there is incomplete dominance between alleles at this locus in the diploid pollen grain. The prospects of migrating the SF locus from perennial ryegrass to other related self-incompatible were discussed. Based on the available information on hybridization between Lolium and Festuca species, different types of crosses were propose according to the particular species involved. The results and observations presented here contribute to a better understanding of the trait at both diploid and tetraploid levels and are promising as SF may readily be incorporated into breeding programs.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e InnovaciónUSDA - National Institute of Food and AgricultureIowa State University - Plant Sciences Institute, RF Baker Center for Plant Breeding and K.J. Frey Chair in AgronomyINIA- Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuari

Genetic studies on self-fertility in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) with implications for hybrid breeding in allogamous grasses

Perennial grasses have diverse uses and are relevant from the agronomic and economic point of view, with main uses as forage, turf and bioenergy. In the grass family polyploidy is prevalent and both autopolyploids and allopolyploids are present. Also, within grasses there are a range of breeding systems, but hermaphrodite flower is the most frequent floral condition. Cross-pollination in species with hermaphrodite flowers is imposed by a gametophytic genetic self-incompatibility (SI). SI is controlled by two multiallelic and independent loci, S and Z. The incompatibility phenotype of the pollen grain is determined by its haploid genome. A pollen grain is incompatible when the same S and Z alleles carried by pollen are present in the pistil. This SI mechanism keeps its functionality at higher ploidy levels. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the breakdown of SI are crucial for implementing novel breeding practices. The aim of this work is to increase the knowledge of SF in outcrossing grasses for the purpose of inbred line development and making hybrid breeding possible. Mutations at S, Z and at a third locus are known to cause self-fertility (SF). In perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), a locus conferring SF is located in linkage group 5. Using segregation and linkage analysis, the SF locus region was reduced to 1.6 cM. This locus explained 94% of the observed variability. By aligning the flanking marker sequences to the Brachypodium distachium reference genome, it was found that it corresponds to an 807 Kbp region in B. distachium. This locus was studied at the tetraploid level and it was found that SF remained functional, the SF locus genotype was the main determinant of pollen compatibility explaining 54% of the variation, and there is incomplete dominance between alleles at this locus in the diploid pollen grain. The prospects of migrating the SF locus from perennial ryegrass to other related self-incompatible were discussed. Based on the available information on hybridization between Lolium and Festuca species, different types of crosses were propose according to the particular species involved. The results and observations presented here contribute to a better understanding of the trait at both diploid and tetraploid levels and are promising as SF may readily be incorporated into breeding programs.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e InnovaciónUSDA - National Institute of Food and AgricultureIowa State University - Plant Sciences Institute, RF Baker Center for Plant Breeding and K.J. Frey Chair in AgronomyINIA- Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuari

The impact of surfing on tourism in Portugal

The Sea, (O Mar) has always been an essential part of the Portuguese National Identity. Surfing is an emerging global trend and a brand image. Over the past decades, the Economy of the Sea has gained an increasing importance and the “Return to the Sea" has actively promoted surf as one of its most significant activities. The current study provides a descriptive and analytic research on the importance of the Sea and the impact of Surf on Tourism in Portugal. In particular, it examines the surf industry, its potential and contribution to tourism as well as its effect on local economy with a particular focus on of Ericeira - the only World Surf Reserve in Europe. Results demonstrate how a change in social perspective contributes to the growth of surfing, impacting the professionalization within the sector and hosting of international surfing events. As implied, Portugal can maintain its position as Europe’s preferred surfing destination due to the country’s quality of natural resources and international promoting campaigns. Results illustrate how surfing has enhanced tourism, as seen through both the consistent increase of tourists in Ericeira and number of local businesses. Whilst this sector is not fully exploited, the need to; protect natural resources, create legal frameworks and the preserve the people’s identity, is kept in mind. There is definitely positive development in Ericeira and surf, as a mean of opening up mentalities, projecting Portugal as a touristic destination, its image as a modern country with new mentalities, where differences are accepted.O Mar sempre foi uma parte essencial na Identidade Nacional Portuguesa. O surf é uma tendência global emergente e uma imagem de marca. A Economia do Mar tem vindo a ganhar importância nas últimas décadas e o “Regresso ao Mar” promove o surf como uma das atividades significativas. Este estudo realiza uma pesquisa analítica e descritiva da importância do Mar e do impacto do Surf no Turismo em Portugal. É abordada a indústria do surf, do seu potencial, e o seu contributo para o turismo assim como o seu impacto nas economias locais; particularmente na Ericeira - a única Reserva Mundial de Surf na Europa. Os resultados mostram como a mudança de perspetiva social contribuiu para o crescimento do surf e da profissionalização do sector, no acolhimento de eventos de surf internacionais. Determina-se que Portugal poderia manter a sua posição como destino preferencial de surf na Europa, graças à qualidade dos seus recursos naturais, e às campanhas promocionais internacionais. Os resultados realçam que o surf promoveu o turismo traduzindo-se num aumento de turistas na Ericeira e dos negócios locais. Apesar de o potencial do sector ainda não ter sido totalmente explorado, a necessidade de proteger os recursos naturais, criar enquadramentos legais e preservar a identidade do povo, deverá ser tida em conta. Existe definitivamente um desenvolvimento positivo da Ericeira, do surf como meio de lançamento na projeção de Portugal, como um destino turístico e na imagem de um País moderno, de novas mentalidades e de aceitação das diferenças

A holonic manufacturing architecture for line-less mobile assembly systems operations planning and control

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Automação e Sistemas, Florianópolis, 2022.O Line-Less Mobile Assembly Systems (LMAS) é um paradigma de fabricação que visa maximizar a resposta às tendências do mercado através de configurações adaptáveis de fábrica utilizando recursos de montagem móvel. Tais sistemas podem ser caracterizados como holonic manufacturing systems (HMS), cujas chamadas holonic control architecture (HCA) são recentemente retratadas como abordagens habilitadoras da Indústria 4.0 devido a suas relações de entidades temporárias (hierárquicas e/ou heterárquicas). Embora as estruturas de referência HCA como PROSA ou ADACOR/ADACOR² tenham sido muito discutidas na literatura, nenhuma delas pode ser aplicada diretamente ao contexto LMAS. Assim, esta dissertação visa responder à pergunta \"Como uma arquitetura de produção e sistema de controle LMAS precisa ser projetada?\" apresentando os modelos de projeto de arquitetura desenvolvidos de acordo com as etapas da metodologia para desenvolvimento de sistemas holônicos multi-agentes ANEMONA. A fase de análise da ANEMONA resulta em uma especificação do caso de uso, requisitos, objetivos do sistema, simplificações e suposições. A fase de projeto resulta nos modelos de organização, interação e agentes, seguido de uma breve análise de sua cobertura comportamental. O resultado da fase de implementação é um protótipo (realizado com o Robot Operation System) que implementa os modelos ANEMONA e uma ontologia LMAS, que reutiliza elementos de ontologias de referência do domínio de manufatura. A fim de testar o protótipo, um algoritmo para geração de dados para teste baseado na complexidade dos produtos e na flexibilidade do chão de fábrica é apresentado. A validação qualitativa dos modelos HCA é baseada em como o HCA proposto atende a critérios específicos para avaliar sistemas HCA. A validação é complementada por uma análise quantitativa considerando o comportamento dos modelos implementados durante a execução normal e a execução interrompida (e.g. equipamento defeituoso) em um ambiente simulado. A validação da execução normal concentra-se no desvio de tempo entre as agendas planejadas e executadas, o que provou ser em média irrelevante dentro do caso simulado considerando a ordem de magnitude das operações típicas demandadas. Posteriormente, durante a execução do caso interrompido, o sistema é testado sob a simulação de uma falha, onde duas estratégias são aplicadas, LOCAL\_FIX e REORGANIZATION, e seu resultado é comparado para decidir qual é a opção apropriada quando o objetivo é reduzir o tempo total de execução. Finalmente, é apresentada uma análise sobre a cobertura desta dissertação culminando em diretrizes que podem ser vistas como uma resposta possível (entre muitas outras) para a questão de pesquisa apresentada. Além disso, são apresentados pontos fortes e fracos dos modelos desenvolvidos, e possíveis melhorias e idéias para futuras contribuições para a implementação de sistemas de controle holônico para LMAS.Abstract: The Line-Less Mobile Assembly Systems (LMAS) is a manufacturing paradigm aiming to maximize responsiveness to market trends (product-individualization and ever-shortening product lifecycles) by adaptive factory configurations utilizing mobile assembly resources. Such responsive systems can be characterized as holonic manufacturing systems (HMS), whose so-called holonic control architectures (HCA) are recently portrayed as Industry 4.0-enabling approaches due to their mixed-hierarchical and -heterarchical temporary entity relationships. They are particularly suitable for distributed and flexible systems as the Line-Less Mobile Assembly or Matrix-Production, as they meet reconfigurability capabilities. Though HCA reference structures as PROSA or ADACOR/ADACOR² have been heavily discussed in the literature, neither can directly be applied to the LMAS context. Methodologies such as ANEMONA provide guidelines and best practices for the development of holonic multi-agent systems. Accordingly, this dissertation aims to answer the question \"How does an LMAS production and control system architecture need to be designed?\" presenting the architecture design models developed according to the steps of the ANEMONA methodology. The ANEMONA analysis phase results in a use case specification, requirements, system goals, simplifications, and assumptions. The design phase results in an LMAS architecture design consisting of the organization, interaction, and agent models followed by a brief analysis of its behavioral coverage. The implementation phase result is an LMAS ontology, which reuses elements from the widespread manufacturing domain ontologies MAnufacturing's Semantics Ontology (MASON) and Manufacturing Resource Capability Ontology (MaRCO) enriched with essential holonic concepts. The architecture approach and ontology are implemented using the Robot Operating System (ROS) robotic framework. In order to create test data sets validation, an algorithm for test generation based on the complexity of products and the shopfloor flexibility is presented considering a maximum number of operations per work station and the maximum number of simultaneous stations. The validation phase presents a two-folded validation: qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative validation of the HCA models is based on how the proposed HCA attends specific criteria for evaluating HCA systems (e.g., modularity, integrability, diagnosability, fault tolerance, distributability, developer training requirements). The validation is complemented by a quantitative analysis considering the behavior of the implemented models during the normal execution and disrupted execution (e.g.; defective equipment) in a simulated environment (in the form of a software prototype). The normal execution validation focuses on the time drift between the planned and executed schedules, which has proved to be irrelevant within the simulated case considering the order of magnitude of the typical demanded operations. Subsequently, during the disrupted case execution, the system is tested under the simulation of a failure, where two strategies are applied, LOCAL\_FIX and REORGANIZATION, and their outcome is compared to decide which one is the appropriate option when the goal is to reduce the overall execution time. Ultimately, it is presented an analysis about the coverage of this dissertation culminating into guidelines that can be seen as one possible answer (among many others) for the presented research question. Furthermore, strong and weak points of the developed models are presented, and possible improvements and ideas for future contributions towards the implementation of holonic control systems for LMAS

Annual Ryegrass Managed for Reseeding Purposes: Relationship Between Heading Date and Seed Production

Annual ryegrass reestablished yearly by allowing natural reseeding is a common practice among Uruguayan farmers. Its success relies on the farmers’ ability to balance grazing and seed production during spring. We tested a set of ryegrass varieties covering a wide range of heading dates under defoliation management. Each variety was managed independently according to its phenological stage, resulting in different closing dates. We tested the varieties’ ability to produce seeds under such management, the effect of heading date on seed yield components, the resulting amount of straw and its effect on summer soil temperatures. A strong negative association between heading date and most of the seed yield components were found. A negative correlation was also found with the amount of straw that remains after the end of the growing season, and this was associated with higher soils surface temperature peaks during summer. We conclude that early maturing varieties could perform better where reseeding is desired