Fluorescence of chlorophyll a and photosynthetic pigments in Atriplex nummularia under abiotic stresses

ABSTRACT Chlorophyll a fluorescence is a very useful tool in ecophysiological studies to analyze the photosynthetic performance of plants under biotic and abiotic stresses. This research aimed to evaluate the parameters of the fluorescence of chlorophyll a, contents of chlorophyll a, b and total, and carotenoids in Atriplex nummularia cultivated under water stress (37 and 70% of field capacity) and salt stress (irrigation water with electrical conductivity of 0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 dS m-1), besides two sources of salts: NaCl and a mixture of salts of Ca2+, Mg+2, K+, Na+ and Cl-, in a 6 x 2 x 2 factorial, with 4 replicates, totaling 96 experimental plots. At 91 days after transplanting, the initial fluorescence (F0), maximum fluorescence (Fm), potential quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), Fv/F0 ratio and the contents of chlorophyll a, b, and total and carotenoids were determined. All assessed parameters decreased as a standard response to salt stress, except F0, which had, as a characteristic, the increase in its values under stress conditions. The emission parameters for Atriplex nummularia varied with the type of salt present in the irrigation water

Determination of moisture content and water activity in algae and fish by thermoanalytical techniques

The water content in seafoods is very important since it affects their sensorial quality, microbiological stability, physical characteristics and shelf life. In this study, thermoanalytical techniques were employed to develop a simple and accurate method to determine water content (moisture) by thermogravimetry (TG) and water activity from moisture content values and freezing point depression using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The precision of the results suggests that TG is a suitable technique to determine moisture content in biological samples. The average water content values for fish samples of Lutjanus synagris and Ocyurus chrysurus species were 76.4 ± 5.7% and 63.3 ± 3.9%, respectively, while that of Ulva lactuca marine algae species was 76.0 ± 4.4%. The method presented here was also successfully applied to determine water activity in two species of fish and six species of marine algae collected in the Atlantic coastal waters of Bahia, in Brazil. Water activity determined in fish samples ranged from 0.946 - 0.960 and was consistent with values reported in the literature, i.e., 0.9 - 1.0. The water activity values determined in marine algae samples lay within the interval of 0.974 - 0.979

Comparação de dispersantes químicos na análise granulométrica de solos do Estado de Pernambuco

Laboratórios de diferentes regiões do Brasil não utilizam procedimentos uniformes para a execução da análise granulométrica. Soluções de hidróxido de sódio (NaOH) ou de hexametafosfato de sódio e carbonato de sódio [(NaPO3)n + Na2CO3] são as mais utilizadas na dispersão química das partículas do solo. O elevado pH da solução de NaOH favorece a dispersão em solos com minerais de carga variável na fração argila, como os óxidos de ferro e alumínio presentes em solos de regiões tropicais. Com base nesta afirmativa, objetivou-se testar a eficiência de soluções NaOH (D1), [(NaPO3)n + NaOH] (D2) e [(NaPO3)n + Na2CO3] (D3) como dispersantes químicos na análise granulométrica de amostras de dois horizontes de 26 solos de referência do Estado de Pernambuco. A comparação entre os dispersantes foi realizada utilizando-se o teste estatístico L&O. Na comparação de D2 = f(D1) e D3 = f(D1) observou-se que não houve semelhança entre os dispersantes. O intercepto na equação de regressão linear para a fração argila, significativo a 0,01 e negativo, indica a obtenção de teores mais elevados de argila com D1. O NaOH foi o dispersante mais adequado na determinação da textura das amostras analisadas, representativas de 82% da área total do Estado