External marking and behavior of early instar \u3ci\u3eHelicoverpa armigera\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on soybean

Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a pest of major agricultural crops, such as soybean and cotton. A better understanding of larval movement is important for its integrated management and resistance management. Studies with neonates through second instar larvae are still limited by the difficulties involving the handling and observation of these instars. Many studies require marking larvae, and most research involving marking is focused on moths. However, our study investigated aspects of larval behavior of the second instar of H. armigera on soybean plants. The dyes luminous powder red and Sudan Red 7B were tested as external larval markers. Both dyes successfully marked the larvae for most of 1 stadium (48 h) without deleterious effects, and are useful for short-period behavioral studies. Luminous powder red was selected for the H. armigera larval behavior study on soybean because of ease of detection during both day and night. Second instar on-plant movement was consistent, independent of the d period (morning, afternoon, evening). In general, larvae established their feeding site within a few hours of release, and remained feeding on soybean leaves. Second instar behavior suggests that management by nocturnal insecticide application, based on H. armigera larval movement, would not have an advantage over daytime application. Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) está entre as principais pragas de importancia para culturas agrícolas, como soja e algodão. Compreender o comportamento larval desta espécie, principalmente durante os estádios iniciais é de suma importância para seu manejo integrado e para o manejo de populações resistentes. No entanto, pesquisas com neonatas ou lagartas de segundo ínstar são limitadas devido às dificuldades envolvendo o manuseio e observação de insetos tão diminutos. Muitos desses estudos requerem a marcação de indivíduos, e até o momento, a maioria das pesquisas com marcação de insetos é focada em adultos. Assim, nosso estudo investigou aspectos do comportamento de lagartas de segundo instar de H. armigera em plantas de soja. Estudos prévios também foram realizados com o intuito de se avaliar métodos alternativos e eficazes para marcação de estádios iniciais das larvas desse noctuídeo e suas aplicações em estudos de comportamento. Para tanto, os corantes luminous powder (azul e vermelho) e Sudan (azul e vermelho 7B) foram testados por meio da incorporação em dieta artifical e polvilhamento sobre as lagartas. Baseado em nossos ensaios prévios de laboratório, os corantes incorporados na dieta artifical apresentaram efeitos variáveis sobre os parâmetros biológicos de H. armigera e baixa persistência após o segundo ínstar. Os corantes aplicados por polvilhamento marcaram com sucesso as lagartas e luminous powder vermelho foi selecionado para o estudo de comportamento de lagartas de segundo ínstar em plantas de soja. Lagartas de segundo ínstar apresentaram comportamento de movimento nas plantas semelhantes, independentemente do período de avaliação (manhã, tarde e noite). Em geral, a maioria das lagartas estabeleceram seu sítio de alimentação após algumas horas e permaneceram se alimentando sobre as folhas de soja. Os resultados de comportamento de larvas de H. armigera em segundo instar, documentado no presente trabalho, indicam que aplicacões noturnas de insecticidas não representa vantagem para aumento da eficiência de controle, quando comparado com aplicacões de inseticidas durante o dia

Assessment of rubber tree panels under crowns resistant to South American leaf blight

The objective of this work was to assess the performance of panel clones under crowns resistant to South American leaf blight (Microcyclus ulei). The experiment was carried out with 18 panel clones crown-budded with Hevea pauciflora x H. guianensis, in a Xanthic Ferralsol (Oxisol) in Manaus, AM, Brazil. The following parameters were evaluated: dry rubber yield, plant nutritional status, and anatomical and physiological characteristics of the latex vessels. In the first three years of evaluation, the panel clones IAN 2878, IAN 2903, CNS AM 7905, CNS AM 7905 P1, and PB 28/59 showed the highest dry rubber yield potential, while the clones IAN 6158, IAN 6590, and IAN 6515 should not be recommended for crown budding. Higher potassium and copper foliar content in panel clones were associated to an increase in dry rubber yield. The simultaneous evaluation of anatomical and physiological characteristics of latex is fundamental for the selection of panel clones in the Amazon region. Crown budding is an efficient technology for South American leaf blight management in endemic regions

Effects of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and lime applications on production of peas (Pisum sativam L.) In Rosário do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo o estudo da influência da adubação mineral (N, P e K) e da calagem (calcário dolomítico) sobre a produção de grãos verdes de ervilha (Pisum sativum L.). Nos anos de 1964, 1965 e 1966 foram realizados trabalhos experimentais no Município de Rosário do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, a 30° 15' 27" de latitude Sul e a 54°  57' 57" de longitude W. Gr., e uma altitude de 130 m. Estes experimentos foram acompanhados por análises de solo de cada parcela, realizados antes da aplicação do calcário e dos adubos e no período de floração da ervilha. Foram estudadas as produções de grãos verdes em relação aos seguintes níveis de nitrogênio, fósforo, potássio e calcário: a) Nitrogênio:  0 - 30 - 60 kg/ha de N; b) Fósforo: 0 - 30 - 60 - 90 kg/ha de P2O5; c) Potássio: 0 - 30 - 60 kg/ha de K2O; d) Calcário dolomítico: 0 - 5.000 kg/ha. Os adubos empregados foram os seguintes: a) Sulfato de amônio (21% de N); b) Superfosfato triplo (42% de P2O5); e) Cloreto de potássio (60% de K2O). A análise granulométrica do calcário revelou a seguinte composição: passagem na peneira n.° 10 (2 mm): 99,8%; passagem na peneira n.° 50 (0,297 mm): 64,2%; passagem na peneira n.° 70 (0,210 mm): 48,7%. Nos anos de 1964 e 1966 foi empregado o fatorial 33, com duas repetições (uma com corretivo e outra sem corretivo), em três blocos de nove tratamentos cada um, com parte da interação tríplice confundida (grupamento W de Yates), e com o acréscimo de uma testemunha em cada bloco (ausência de adubação). Em 1965 o fatorial 33 (27 tratamentos) foi delineado em blocos casualizados, com duas repetições (uma com corretivo e outra sem corretivo). Não foi realizada a análise estatística conjunta dos resultados obtidos nos três anos de investigação (1964 a 1966), tendo em vista o pequeno período de experimentação. Os resultados alcançados permitem concluir: Aplicações crescentes de nitrogênio (30 e 60 kg/ha de N) proporcionaram, na ausência do calcário, progressivos aumentos de rendimento. Na presença do corretivo (5.000 kg/ha de calcário dolomítico) não houve reação à adubação nitrogenada. A adubação fosfatada propiciou significativos aumentos de rendimento. Não houve diferenças significativas de rendimento entre os três níveis de fósforo empregados (30, 60 e 90 kg/ha de P2O5). A adubação fosfatada com a aplicação de calcário dolomítico (5.000 kg/ha) aumentou significativamente o rendimento. O efeito da adubação potássica sobre o rendimento foi ora nulo, ora negativo. A influência da calagem (5.000 kg/ha de calcário dolomítico) foi positiva, aumentando o rendimento. Quanto a efeitos residuais, os dados disponíveis não oferecem elementos que possibilitem conclusões definitivas.A study was made on the effects of mineral fertilization with N, P, and K and of dolomitic limestone on the production of green peas. Experimental work was carried out in the vears of 1964. 1965 and 1966 in the Municipio de Rosario do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, located at 30° 15' 27" south latitude and 54° 57' 57" west longitude at an altitude of 130 meters above sea level. Soil analyses were made on samples taken from each experimental site. The following results were obtained: In the absence of liming, applications of 30 and 60 kg/ha of N produced progressive increases in yield of green peas. No effect of nitrogen fertilization was found on treatments receiving 5 ton/ha of dolomitic limestone. Although phosphate fertilizer produced significant increases in yield, there were no significant differences between levels of phosphate applications ranging from 30 to 90 kg/ha of P2O5. Response to phosphate fertilization was more pronounced in treatments that received 5 ton/ha of dolomitic limestone than in treatments receiving no lime. Effects of potassium application in these experiments were in some cases negative and in others without effect. Applications of 5 ton/ha of dolomitic limestone increased yield of green peas. The data presently available do not permit conclusions with respect to residual effects of the treatments

Seed grafting of hevea. I: Potential viability - Preliminary Results

Ensaios exploratórios conduzidos no Centro Nacional de Pesquisa da Seringueira- CNPSe (1976-77), usando extremidades apicais dos clones IAN 717, IAN 873 e Fx 3899, medindo 3-4 cm de comprimento, seccionadas em bisel duplo e enxertadas em sementes em fase de germinação (dois a cinco dias de germinadas), em secção vertical no eixo entre os dois pecíolos cotiledonários, mostraram ser possível a enxertia de plântulas de seringueira desde os primeiros estágios de germinação das sementes. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos quando foi permitido às duas gemas cotiledonárias brotarem e se desenvolverem, pois houve melhor pegamento dos enxertos e mais rápida formação do calo, sete dias após a enxertia. Aos 21 dias após a enxertia, deu-se a expansão foliar com início do primeiro fluxo de lançamento. O segundo lançamento foliar apresentou tamanho superior ao primeiro, em todos os casos, mostrando ter havido perfeita união dos tecidos entre enxerto e porta-enxerto e consequente continuidade de crescimento do clone enxertado.Cleft grafting of rubber trees have been tried with some promising results when apical parts 3-4 cm long were used as scions grafted on to seeds with two-five days after emergence of epicotyl. Better results were obtained when the two lateral cotyledonary buds were left to sprout and grow untill a good callus union was formed between scion and rootstock. In this case, callus was evident after seven days of the graft operation. Scion started flushing withing 21 days. As a result of the exhaustion of seed reserves, due to growth of lateral shoots, these first flushes showed a stunted growth. The second flushes were longer and more vigorous than the first ones, and this is interpreted as the result of the improvement of the graft union and better root growth

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets

New proposal of silver diamine fluoride use in arresting approximal caries: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud Approximal surfaces are a challenge to caries lesions control. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a simple,low-cost and promisor intervention for arresting caries lesions, but it has never been tested on approximal surfaces. Our aim is to evaluate the efficacy and cost-efficacy of SDF in arresting initial lesions compared to resin infiltration and exclusively flossing (control group). Our second aim is to assess discomfort and satisfaction regarding interventions.\ud \ud \ud Methods/design\ud This is a randomized clinical trial, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Children/adolescents presenting at least one approximal initial caries lesion in primary molars/permanent premolars and molars will be included. Surfaces with advanced dentine lesions identified by radiography and participants who refuse to participate or present negative behaviors will be excluded. A minimum sample size of 504 surfaces will be required for each subgroup. Individuals will be randomly allocated in three groups of interventions: SDF, resin infiltration, and control group. Depending on the allocation, the patients will receive the active treatment and respective placebo therapies. All patients will be oriented to daily flossing the included surfaces. Our primary outcome will be caries progression by clinical and radiographic examinations. Appointments will be timed and costs of materials will be considered to calculate cost-efficacy. Patient discomfort will be assessed after interventions. Parent and patient satisfaction with the treatment will be collected after treatment and in the last follow-up visit. Individuals will be assessed at 1 and 3 months after treatment to evaluate dental biofilm and at 6, 12, and 24 months to assess caries progression by visual examination and/or radiography. Multilevel analyses will be used to verify if the type of treatment influenced on the tested outcomes. Costs will be compared and analyses of cost-efficacy will be performed. Poisson analysis will test the association between intervention and reported discomfort and satisfaction.\ud \ud \ud Discussion\ud Our hypothesis is that SDF is the most cost-efficacious option from all tested interventions. If our hypothesis is confirmed, the use of SDF in private and public contexts could represent an easier and effective option in the treatment of enamel approximal caries in children/adolescents.\ud \ud \ud Trial registration\ud ClinicalTrials.gov (\ud NCT01477385\ud \ud ), Initial release: 11/16/2011: last update: 06/02/2014.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP (Protocols 2012/50716-0 and 2014/00271-7)CNPQCape