Crescimento e produtividade de duas cultivares de feijão em função de doses de ácido 2,3,5-triiodobenzoico

RESUMO: O crescimento excessivo da parte aérea do feijoeiro pode aumentar o acamamento das plantas e promover fechamento muito rápido da cultura, limitando a produtividade de grãos. O uso de reguladores de crescimento, como o ácido 2,3,5-triiodobenzoico (TIBA), pode reduzir o crescimento das plantas, porém, não existem informações sobre o uso dessa tecnologia na cultura do feijão. Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o efeito de doses de TIBA (0, 8, 16, 32, 64 e 128g do i.a. ha-1) sobre o crescimento e a produtividade de grãos de duas cultivares de feijão ('IAC Alvorada' e 'IAC Jabola'). O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso, em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, com quatro repetições. A aplicação de TIBA reduziu o comprimento da maior haste de ambas as cultivares, até a dose média estimada de 100g ha-1 de TIBA. A altura de inserção da primeira vagem foi reduzida apenas na cultivar IAC Alvorada até a dose de 88g ha-1 de TIBA. A aplicação de TIBA reduziu em 10% o número de grãos por vagem. A utilização de TIBA não afetou a produtividade de grãos, sendo uma alternativa para diminuir o porte das plantas de feijão

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

12,500+ and counting: biodiversity of the Brazilian Pampa

Knowledge on biodiversity is fundamental for conservation strategies. The Brazilian Pampa region, located in subtropical southern Brazil, is neglected in terms of conservation, and knowledge of its biodiversity is fragmented. We aim to answer the question: how many, and which, species occur in the Brazilian Pampa? In a collaborative effort, we built species lists for plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi that occur in the Brazilian Pampa. We included information on distribution patterns, main habitat types, and conservation status. Our study resulted in referenced lists totaling 12,503 species (12,854 taxa, when considering infraspecific taxonomic categories [or units]). Vascular plants amount to 3,642 species (including 165 Pteridophytes), while algae have 2,046 species (2,378 taxa) and bryophytes 316 species (318 taxa). Fungi (incl. lichenized fungi) contains 1,141 species (1,144 taxa). Animals total 5,358 species (5,372 taxa). Among the latter, vertebrates comprise 1,136 species, while invertebrates are represented by 4,222 species. Our data indicate that, according to current knowledge, the Pampa holds approximately 9% of the Brazilian biodiversity in an area of little more than 2% of Brazil’s total land. The proportion of species restricted to the Brazilian Pampa is low (with few groups as exceptions), as it is part of a larger grassland ecoregion and in a transitional climatic setting. Our study yielded considerably higher species numbers than previously known for many species groups; for some, it provides the first published compilation. Further efforts are needed to increase knowledge in the Pampa and other regions of Brazil. Considering the strategic importance of biodiversity and its conservation, appropriate government policies are needed to fund studies on biodiversity, create accessible and constantly updated biodiversity databases, and consider biodiversity in school curricula and other outreach activities