Estimation of Blast Severity on Rye and Triticale Spikes by Digital Image Analysis

In Brazil, more efficient methods are a necessity for evaluating blast severity on spikes in the breeding programs of rye, triticale, wheat, and barley. The objective of this work was to determine the feasibility of assessing blast severity based on the analysis of digital images of symptomatic rye and triticale spikes. Triticale and rye genotypes were grown to anthesis in pots and were then inoculated with a mixture of Magnaporthe oryzae isolates. Blast severity on the spikes was evaluated visually and after that the spikes were detached and photographed. Blast severity was determined using the program ImageJ to analyze the obtained images. Two methods of image analysis were used: selection of symptomatic areas using a mouse cursor (SCU) and selection of symptomatic areas using image segmentation (SIS). The SCU method was considered the standard reference method for determining the true value of blast severity on spikes. An analysis of variance did not determine any difference among the evaluation methods. The coefficient of determination (R2) obtained from a linear regression analysis between the variables SIS and SCU was 0.615. The obtained data indicate that the evaluation of blast severity on spikes based on image segmentation is feasible and reliable

Genetic diversity of Brazilian triticales evaluated with genomic wheat microsatellites

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a variabilidade disponível para o melhoramento de triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) no Brasil. Quarenta e dois microssatélites de trigo foram empregados para estimar a diversidade molecular de 54 genótipos, que constituem a base de um dos principais programas de melhoramento da espécie no país. A heterozigosidade média foi 0,06, e os números médio e efetivo de alelos por lócus foram de 2,13 e 1,61, respectivamente, com freqüência alélica média de 0,34. O conjunto de microssatélites de trigo possibilitou reunir os genótipos em sete grupos, mesmo que o germoplasma utilizado seja originado de apenas duas instituições de pesquisa, o que refletiu em baixo índice de polimorfismo médio (0,36). A taxa de transferência dos marcadores testados (71,42%) indica a possibilidade de uso desses microssatélites de trigo, até mesmo os mapeados no genoma D da espécie, na análise de triticales hexaplóides em futuros trabalhos de genética e melhoramento de triticale.The objective of this work was to determine the genetic variability available for triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) crop improvement in Brazil. Forty-two wheat genomic microsatellites were used to estimate the molecular diversity of 54 genotypes, which constitute the base of one of the major triticale breeding programs in the country. Average heterozygosity was 0.06 and average and effective number of alleles per locus were 2.13 and 1.61, respectively, with average allelic frequency of 0.34. The set of genomic wheat microsatellites used clustered the genotypes into seven groups, even when the germplasm was originated primarily from only two triticale breeding programs, a fact reflected on the average polymorphic information content value estimated for the germplasm (0.36). The 71.42% transferability achieved for the tested microsatellites indicates the possibility of exploiting these transferable markers in further triticale genetic and breeding studies, even those mapped on the D genome of wheat, when analyzing hexaploid triticales

Tolerância ao alumínio em genótipos de cereais de inverno sob cultivo hidropônico e campo

The objective of this work was to determine the root growth capacity of 75 genotypes of small graine cereals in hydroponic culture under different aluminum concentrations, and to assess the relationship betwen the level of tolerance/sensitivity in hydroponic solution and the resistance/susceptibility index in the field. Barley, triticale, rye, wheat and Aegilops tauschii were evaluated in hydroponics, with Al3+ concentrations that varied between 0.5 (barley), 2 and 6 (triticale), 6 and 10 (rye) and 2 mg L-1 (wheat and Ae. tauschii). The experiments' designs were completely randomized. In the field trial, the same genotypes were assessed, except for Ae. tauschii, in soil with pH 4.4 and 4.85 adjusted to 1/2 and 1/4 of the SMP index. A score scale ranging from 0.5 (highly resistant) to 5 (highly susceptible) was used. A strong relationship between aluminum tolerance in hydroponics and resistance to blight in the field was observed. Cereals selection in hydroponic medium can be considered an efficient tool to support breeding programs for this characteristic.O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a capacidade de crescimento radicular de 75 genótipos de cereais de inverno em cultivo hidropônico, em diferentes concentrações de alumínio, avaliar a relação entre o grau de tolerância/sensibilidade, em solução hidropônica, e a resistência/suscetibilidade ao crestamento em campo. Os cereais cevada, triticale, centeio, trigo e Aegilops tauschii foram avaliados em hidroponia, com concentrações de Al3+ que variaram entre 0,5 (cevada), 2 e 6 (triticale), 6 e 10 (centeio) e 2 mg L-1 (trigo e Ae. tauschii). Os delineamentos experimentais foram inteiramente casualizados. Em campo, foram avaliados os mesmos genótipos, exceto Ae. tauschii, em solo com pH 4,4 e 4,85, corrigido a 1/2 e 1/4 do índice SMP. Utilizou-se uma escala de notas com variação de escores de 0,5 (altamente resistente) a 5 (altamente suscetível). Foi observada elevada relação entre a tolerância ao alumínio em hidroponia e a resistência ao crestamento em campo. A seleção de cereais em meio hidropônico pode ser considerada eficiente como ferramenta de apoio aos programas de melhoramento genético para essa característica

BRS Guamirim: bread wheat cultivar, early cycle and short stature

A cultivar de trigo BRS Guamirim foi desenvolvida pela Embrapa e resultou de um cruzamento entre os genitores Embrapa 27/Buck Nandu e PF 93159. Possui ciclo precoce, baixa estatura de planta e intenso afilhamento. Apresenta equilibrada reação às principais moléstias do trigo, pertence à classe pão e demonstra adaptabilidade às diferentes regiões tritícolas do país, com estabilidade de produção. Seu potencial de rendimento é superior a 5 t ha-1.Wheat cultivar BRS Guamirim was developed by Embrapa and resulted from a cross among Embrapa 27/Buck Nandu and PF 93159. BRS Guamirim has early cycle, short plant stature and high tillering. It shows equilibrate behaviour to mainly wheat deseases, belongs to bread class and is adapted to different wheat regions, showing production stability. Its grain yield potential is higher than 5 t ha-1

ESTUDO DE VIABILIDADE DO REUSO AUTOMATIZADO DE ÁGUA DE APARELHOS DE REFRIGERAÇÃO

An automated hydraulic system can contribute to water and financial economics, bringing ecological benefits to the environment. This article presents a proposal for a system for capturing and reusing water from refrigeration appliances. An integration between hydraulics and sensors linked to an Arduino board or microcontroller is demonstrated here. The proposed system monitors the water consumption and manages in which moments the reused water or the sanitation company will be used. Measurements of the volume of water coming from refrigeration appliances, small scale prototypes and three-dimensional models were used as proof of concept, demonstrating the viability of the solution.Um sistema hidráulico automatizado pode contribuir para a economia hídrica e financeira, trazendo benefícios ao ambiente. Este artigo apresenta uma proposta de sistema de captação e reutilização da água oriunda de aparelhos de refrigeração. Utiliza-se aqui a integração entre sistema hidráulico e sensores vinculados a uma placa Arduino ou microcontrolador. O sistema proposto monitora o consumo de água e define em quais momentos será utilizada a água reaproveitada ou da companhia de saneamento. Medições do volume de água advindo dos aparelhos de refrigeração, protótipos em escala reduzida e modelos tridimensionais serviram como prova de conceito, demonstrando a viabilidade da soluçã

BRS 277: Wheat cultivar

The wheat cultivar ‘BRS 277’ was developed by Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária),resulting from a cross between OR1 and Coker 97-33. The plant height of ‘BRS 277’ is short, frost resistance in the vegetativestage is good and resistance to leaf rust moderate

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates

Aim: To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser-availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource-availability hypothesis). Time period: Tree-inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location: Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods: We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree-inventory plots across terra-firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance-weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results: Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra-firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions: The disperser-availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types