Identification of causes of postharvest carrot losses in the retail market

As perdas pós-colheita de cenoura em 4 lojas de uma rede de supermercados de Brasília foram avaliadas pelo período de um ano. A amostragem foi realizada em duas etapas: antes da exposição do produto na área de vendas (amostra Qualidade Inicial) e após o descarte das perdas do produto (amostra Descarte). Foram quantificadas a proporção de raízes pequenas, médias e grandes e a incidência dos danos: bifurcação, rachadura, defeitos de formato, doença, praga, dano mecânico e outros. A cenoura comprada pelo supermercado apresentou cerca de 86,88 + 0,66% das raízes na faixa de 12-22 cm. No descarte, diminuiu a proporção de cenouras médias e grandes, enquanto aumentou a proporção de cenouras pequenas e quebradas. A proporção de raízes com ombro verde foi reduzida de 23,74 + 1,11% na amostra Qualidade Inicial para 13,29 + 1,37% na amostra Descarte, indicando que grande parte das raízes com ombro verde foi adquirida pelo consumidor, e neste caso não parece ter sido um fator indutor de perda. Cerca de 51% das cenouras recebidas no supermercado apresentavam algum tipo de dano, sendo os mais importantes defeitos de formato (31,0 + 1,16%), dano mecânico (9,46 + 0,4%) e murcha (4,66 + 0,99%). As principais causas de descarte foram dano mecânico (37,4 + 2,47%), defeitos de formato (32,0 + 2,58%) e murcha (7,6 + 1,59%). _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTCarrot post-harvest losses were evaluated for one year in four stores of a supermarket chain in Brasilia, Brazil. Sampling was performed at two stages: at reception in the store and after exclusion or removal from retail displays. The proportion of large, middle, small and broken roots was measured. Damaged roots were classified in one of the following categories and measured: splitting, forking, mishaped roots, pathological breakdown, pest damage, mechanical damage, and unidentified damage. About 86,88 + 0,66% of the roots were 12-22 cm long (middle size). Wastage presented a higher proportion of small and broken roots and a lower proportion of middle and large roots. The incidence of green top in waste decreased, when compared to the sample taken before marketing, from 23,74 + 1,11% to 13,29 + 1,37%. This is an indication that a substantial proportion of roots with green tops were sold and therefore this defect do not seem to be a factor inducing loss. About 51% of the roots delivered at the supermarket were damaged and the most important defects were mishaped roots (31,0 + 1,16%), mechanical damage (9,46 + 0,4%), and wilting (4,66 + 0,99%). The main causes of waste were mechanical damage (37,4 + 2,47%), mishaped roots (32,0 + 2,58%) and wilting (7,6 + 1,59%)

AVALIAÇÃO DA COMPACTAÇÃO DO SOLO EM ÁREA DE CERRADO sensu stricto ATRAVÉS DO MAPEAMENTO DA RESISTÊNCIA À PENETRAÇÃO

Avaliou-se a compactação do solo em uma área de cerrado sensu stricto através da resistência do solo à penetração e da densidade do solo. Foram considerados dois tratamentos. O tratamento 1 referiu-se a área de Cerrado não submetido a qualquer tipo de distúrbio antrópico e o tratamento 2, a Cerrado submetido a corte com lâmina e retirada da lenha. O experimento foi realizado em delineamento em blocos casualizados constituído por dois tratamentos e três blocos, sendo demarcadas em campo, seis parcelas de 20 x 50 m. Foram coletadas amostras de solo na área de estudo para a caracterização física e classificação. Os dados de densidade foram obtidos pelo método do anel volumétrico e os dados de resistência do solo á penetração porum penetrômetro de impacto. O solo da área de estudo apresentou comportamento argiloso laterítico,altamente plástico. As camadas de solo de 20 até 40 cm de profundidade apresentaram os maiores valores deresistência á penetração do solo para os dois tratamentos, com valor máximo próximo de 4,5 MPa (camadade 30 cm, tratamento sem perturbação), Não houve discrepância acentuada entre os valores de densidade do solo (0,71 até 0,77 g/cm³). O teste F mostrou haver diferenças estatísticas entre os tratamentos, tanto para a resistência à penetração quanto para a densidade do solo, a depender da profundidade do solo analisada e do tratamento. O tratamento 1, sem perturbação, proporcionou maior nível de compactação em todas as profundidades

Functional and evolutionary analyses of the miR156 and miR529 families in land plants

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulatory elements of gene expression. Similarly to coding genes, miRNA genes follow a birth and death pattern of evolution likely reflecting functional relevance and divergence. For instance, miRNA529 is evolutionarily related to miRNA156 (a highly conserved miRNA in land plants), but it is lost in Arabidopsis thaliana. Interestingly, both miRNAs target sequences overlap in some members of the SQUAMOSA promoter-binding protein like (SPL) family, raising important questions regarding the diversification of the miR156/miR529-associated regulatory network in land plants.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud In this study, through phylogenic reconstruction of miR156/529 target sequences from several taxonomic groups, we have found that specific eudicot SPLs, despite miRNA529 loss, retained the corresponding target site. Detailed molecular evolutionary analyses of miR156/miR529-target sequence showed that loss of miR529 in core eudicots, such as Arabidopsis, is correlated with a more relaxed selection of the miRNA529 specific target element, while miRNA156-specific target sequence is under stronger selection, indicating that these two target sites might be under distinct evolutionary constraints. Importantly, over-expression in Arabidopsis of MIR529 precursor from a monocot, but not from a basal eudicot, demonstrates specific miR529 regulation of AtSPL9 and AtSPL15 genes, which contain conserved responsive elements for both miR156 and miR529.\ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud Our results suggest loss of functionality of MIR529 genes in the evolutionary history of eudicots and show that the miR529-responsive element present in some eudicot SPLs is still functional. Our data support the notion that particular miRNA156 family members might have compensated for the loss of miR529 regulation in eudicot species, which concomitantly may have favored diversification of eudicot SPLs.We thank Dr. Scott Poethig for 35S::AtMIR156a seeds; Dr. Peter Huijser for\ud spl9;spl15 seeds; Dr. Renato Vicentini for initial bioinformatic analyses and\ud helpful discussions; and Dr. Luiz Del Bem for initial phylogenetic analyses.\ud This work was supported by the State of Sao Paulo Research Foundation,\ud FAPESP, Brazil (grants no. 07/58289-5 and 12/51146-2). EGOM was a recipient\ud of a fellowship from Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education\ud Personnel (CAPES, Brazil). GFFS (from Centro de Energia Nuclear na\ud Agricultura –CENA/USP) and EMS were recipients of a fellowship from the\ud State of Sao Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP, Brazil

FLORÍSTICA DO BANCO DE SEMENTES DO SOLO EM ÁREAS CONTÍGUAS DE PASTAGEM DEGRADADA, PLANTIO DE EUCALIPTO E FLORESTA EM PAULA CÂNDIDO, MG

O banco de sementes do solo foi estudado em gradientes de cobertura vegetal tendo floresta no topo e pastagem degradada e plantio de eucalipto na encosta, em Paula Cândido (MG). As amostras foram colocadas para germinar em casa de vegetação sob 11,5 e 60% de sombreamento. As sementes germinadas de espécies herbáceas-cipó, arbustivas e arbóreas foram registradas e identificadas, sendo distribuídas em 68 espécies, 47 gêneros e 25 famílias, e as sementes germinadas de graminóides foram apenas quantificadas. Foram registradas, ao todo, 1491, 1902 e 578 sementes germinadas/m² na pastagem degradada, no plantio de eucalipto e na floresta, respectivamente, sendo que a maior densidade de graminóides e de arbustivas ocorreu no plantio de eucalipto, a de herbáceas-cipó ocorreu na pastagem e a de arbóreas na floresta. As famílias de herbáceas-cipó, arbustivas e arbóreas predominantes foram Rubiaceae e Lamiaceae na pastagem, Lamiaceae e Melastomataceae no plantio de eucalipto e Rubiaceae e Melastomataceae na floresta. A maioria (59,78%) das sementes germinou sob 60% de sombreamento, sendo que 10 espécies germinaram apenas sob 11,5 % e 19 espécies apenas sob 60 % de sombreamento. As espécies pioneiras corresponderam a 89% das sementes germinadas. Verificou-se maior densidade de sementes germinadas na posição inferior de amostragem no terreno.Soil samples were collected under two vegetation cover gradients with forest at the upper slope and pasture or eucalypt plantation at the intermediate and lower slope to evaluate the soil seed bank composition. Samples were placed in germination trays in greenhouses under 11.5% and 60% shading. The graminoids were only quantified and herbs-vine, shrub and trees germinated seeds were registered and identified, being distributed into 68 species, 47 genus and 25 families. It was registered 1491, 1902 and 578 germinated seeds/m² in the degraded pasture, eucalypt plantation and forest, respectively. Trees germinated seeds were most abundant in the forest, while shrub and graminoids were most abundant in the eucalypt plantation and, herbs and vines predominated in the pasture. The predominant families were Rubiaceae and Lamiaceae in the pasture, Lamiaceae and Melastomataceae in the eucalypt stand and Rubiaceae and Melastomataceae in the native forest. Most (59.78%) seeds germinated under 60% shading. A total of 10 species germinated only under 11.5% shading and 19 species only under 60% shading. Pioneer species corresponded to 89% of the total shrub and trees germinated seeds. A greater number of germinated seeds were observed in the lower terrain position

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others