Processos participativos para construção do conhecimento em agrofloresta: a experiência da Embrapa Meio Ambiente no diálogo de saberes

Aiming to deepen the construction of knowledge in Agroforestry and develop systems for the rural settlements reality, a Participatory Observation Unit (POU) was implemented  in January 2018 at Embrapa Meio Ambiente, Jaguariúna, SP. It was inspired mainly by the work developed since 2005 with farmers from the Sepé Tiaraju settlement. The 0.12 ha POU consists of 6 lines and 5 interlines and was designed to promote technical monitoring and sharing farmers, researchers, technicians and students insights of the development of the system and the improvement of solutions, considering the socio-technical conditions of the settled family farmers. This article aims to present and discuss the pedagogical strategies for implementing this POU and its maintenance, especially the events called “Field Day''. The Field Day for the implementation of coffee seedlings in December 2019 stands out, in which farmers were the leading experimenters. The pandemic brought a great challenge to the continuity of these knowledge construction processes, which are based on face-to-face meetings and field observations. However, it is allowing the exploration of new modes of virtual interaction with lessons that go beyond techniques.Com os objetivos de aprofundar a construção de conhecimento em Agroflorestas e desenvolver sistemas para a realidade dos assentamentos de reforma agrária, foi implantado em janeiro de 2018 uma Unidade de Observação Participativa (UOP)  na Embrapa Meio Ambiente, Jaguariúna, SP, inspirada principalmente nos trabalhos desenvolvidos desde 2005 com agricultoras/es do assentamento Sepé Tiaraju. A UOP, de 0,12 ha composta por 6 linhas e 5 entrelinhas, foi pensada para promover, além do acompanhamento técnico, a partilha das percepções de agriculturas/es, pesquisadoras/es, técnicas/os e estudantes quanto ao desenvolvimento do sistema e ao aprimoramento de soluções, tendo em vista as condições sociotécnicas dos agricultores familiares assentados. O presente artigo visa apresentar e discutir as estratégias pedagógicas da implantação dessa UOP e de sua manutenção, em especial os eventos denominados “Dia de Campo”. Dentre esses, destaca-se a implantação do café em dezembro de 2019, no qual os agricultores foram os experimentadores protagonistas. A pandemia trouxe um grande desafio para a continuidade desses processos de construção do conhecimento, que tem como base encontros presenciais e observações no campo. Contudo, está permitindo explorar novas modalidades de interação virtual, cujos aprendizados vão além das técnicas de manej

Pollinators in strawberry crop(Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne - Rosaceae)

Os objetivos deste estudo foram: avaliar a fauna de polinizadores potenciais do morangueiro em campos de produçaõ comercial; verificar a contribuição de diversos agentes de polinização na produtividade do morangueiro, conhecendo a biologia floral e reprodutiva dos cultivares mais utilizados para o plantio; testar, em cultivo fechado (estufa), diversas espécies de Meliponini (abelhas sem ferrão)como polinizador do morangueiro, avaliando a sua adaptação ao cultivo e sua efetividade nesta cultura. Os resultados obtidos revelaram que as flores do dos cultivares "Sweet Charlie" e "Oso Grande" necessitam de um polinizador para a produção de frutos sem deformação pois a morfologia de suas flores e o amadurecimento de suas estruturas reprodutivas não favorecem a ocorrência da autopolinização, nem a distribuição homogênea do pólen pelos estigmas da flor, resultando em frutos deformados que não alcançam o seu potencial máximo de desenvolvimento. A abelha jataí (Tetragonisca angustula) adaptou-se bem ás condições do cultivo fechado (estufa) e mostrou-se efetiva na polinização do morangueiro, resultando em frutos mais pesados e em uma porcentagem mais elevada de frutos bem formados.The aims of this study were: to investigate potencial pollinators of strawberry crops in commercial fields; to verify the contribution of several pollination agents on strawberry productivity, studying the floral and reproductive biology of some commercial cultivars; to evaluate the possibility of the rational use of stingless bees in strawberry pollination inside greenhouses. The results showed that the floral morphology of "Sweet Charlie" and Oso Grande" cultivars and the maturation pattern of their stamens and pistils nor favour the occurrence of self pollination neither the regular pollen distribuction among stigmata, yielding deformed fruits that don´t complete their development. Therefore these cultivars need pollinators to commercial production. Tetragonisca angustula (Apinae, Meliponini)was remarkable for its relatively quick adaptation inside greenhouses and for its effectivity as strawberry pollinator, resulting in heavier berries and high percentage of marketable fruits

Pollinators in strawberry crop(Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne - Rosaceae)

Os objetivos deste estudo foram: avaliar a fauna de polinizadores potenciais do morangueiro em campos de produçaõ comercial; verificar a contribuição de diversos agentes de polinização na produtividade do morangueiro, conhecendo a biologia floral e reprodutiva dos cultivares mais utilizados para o plantio; testar, em cultivo fechado (estufa), diversas espécies de Meliponini (abelhas sem ferrão)como polinizador do morangueiro, avaliando a sua adaptação ao cultivo e sua efetividade nesta cultura. Os resultados obtidos revelaram que as flores do dos cultivares "Sweet Charlie" e "Oso Grande" necessitam de um polinizador para a produção de frutos sem deformação pois a morfologia de suas flores e o amadurecimento de suas estruturas reprodutivas não favorecem a ocorrência da autopolinização, nem a distribuição homogênea do pólen pelos estigmas da flor, resultando em frutos deformados que não alcançam o seu potencial máximo de desenvolvimento. A abelha jataí (Tetragonisca angustula) adaptou-se bem ás condições do cultivo fechado (estufa) e mostrou-se efetiva na polinização do morangueiro, resultando em frutos mais pesados e em uma porcentagem mais elevada de frutos bem formados.The aims of this study were: to investigate potencial pollinators of strawberry crops in commercial fields; to verify the contribution of several pollination agents on strawberry productivity, studying the floral and reproductive biology of some commercial cultivars; to evaluate the possibility of the rational use of stingless bees in strawberry pollination inside greenhouses. The results showed that the floral morphology of "Sweet Charlie" and Oso Grande" cultivars and the maturation pattern of their stamens and pistils nor favour the occurrence of self pollination neither the regular pollen distribuction among stigmata, yielding deformed fruits that don´t complete their development. Therefore these cultivars need pollinators to commercial production. Tetragonisca angustula (Apinae, Meliponini)was remarkable for its relatively quick adaptation inside greenhouses and for its effectivity as strawberry pollinator, resulting in heavier berries and high percentage of marketable fruits

Stingless bees in applied pollination: practice and perspectives

At present, numbers of both wild and managed bee colonies are declining rapidly, causing global concern for pollination services. Stingless bees play an important ecological role as pollinators of many wild plant species and seem good candidates for future alternatives in commercial pollination. This paper reviews the effectiveness of stingless bees as crop pollinators. Over the past six years the number of crops reported to be effectively pollinated by stingless bees has doubled, putting the total figure on 18 crops. Eleven stingless bee species across six genera have been found to forage effectively under enclosed conditions, indicating the potential of stingless bees as pollinators of greenhouse crops. The biological features that make stingless bees strong candidates for commercial pollination services are discussed, together with their present limitations. The effects of natural vegetation and wild bees on crop yield are reviewed, and make a strong case for habitat conservation

High Outcrossing Levels among Global Macadamia Cultivars: Implications for Nut Quality, Orchard Designs and Pollinator Management

Global fruit and nut yields are affected by shortfalls in pollinator populations, and pollen limitation is most prevalent among tropical, bee-pollinated and self-incompatible plants. Macadamia is a subtropical, bee-pollinated crop in which some cultivars have been found to be highly outcrossing. We aimed to determine the extent of outcrossing and its effects on nut quality across a wide range of international macadamia cultivars in three countries. We sampled fruit from 19 macadamia cultivars across 23 sites in Australia, Brazil and South Africa. We used genotype-by-sequencing and MassARRAY methods to assign paternity to individual fruit and we assessed pollen-parent effects on nut quality. Macadamia was highly outcrossing, producing 80–100% of fruit by cross-pollination, at 17 of the 23 sites. Mixed mating (41–72% outcrossing) was identified at five sites, and low outcrossing (10%) was identified in one cultivar at one site where it was isolated from other flowering macadamia trees. Outcrossed fruit often had significantly better quality than selfed fruit, with 1.61–3.39 g higher nut-in-shell mass, 0.53–1.55 g higher kernel mass, 3.3–6.4% higher kernel recovery, and 3.0–3.5% higher oil concentration. The differences in kernel recovery equated to differences in value of USD 433–841 per ton of nut-in-shell at prices of USD 3000 per ton. In summary, macadamia cultivars were mostly highly outcrossing, and outcrossed nuts often had higher quality than selfed nuts. Growers should consider interplanting different cultivars more closely and distributing bee hives more widely to maximise cross-pollination, produce high yields, and optimise nut quality.</p