Influence of climate on mandarin fruit quality: comparative studies between Brazil and France cultural and environmental conditions : S02O02

Brazil is leader of concentrated and frozen orange juice production in the world. However, the extension of fresh orange and mandarin market could provide higher gains for the producers, as occurred in Spain and California (USA). Part of Spanish and Californian success is due to a marketing strategy centered on high quality fruits with aggregated value (bright orange color, easy-peeler fruits, balanced sugar/acidity, etc.). However, one of the difficulties in relation to mandarin quality is that it highly depends on genotype and cultivation area (climate and environment conditions): in tropical regions, the mandarin color and acidity are less intense, which could affect the consumer acceptance. To improve the understanding of fruit quality elaboration on tropical regions, our strategy first consist on phenotypic and molecular comparative studies of the same citrus varieties cultivated in Tropical (Bahia state, Brazil) and Mediterranean (Corsica, France) climates. We selected 45 citrus genotypes (36 mandarins and hybrids, 8 oranges and 1 grapefruit) presented in Embrapa (Bahia State, Brazil) and INRACIRAD (Corsica, France) germplasms, and we verified their genetic conformity by molecular analysis using 12 SSR markers. All oranges, the grapefruit and 14 mandarin varieties presented the same genetic background in both germplasms and have been selected for further biochemical, molecular and OMICs analysis. In parallel, in order to determine with precision the maturation phase for fruit harvesting (3 maturation stages), maturation curves (phenotypic analysis, total soluble solids and acidity) were obtained on the all or part of the 45 genotypes during 2012 and 2013 at Embrapa. Mature fruits were mainly obtained between November and February. The obtained data were also related with the climate records from the Experimental Station of Embrapa (temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, rain precipitations). These results are promising and important as prerequisite for subsequent deeper biochemical and molecular analysis of fruit quality determinism and genotype/environment interaction studies. Work supported by: CAPES, Agropolis, CNPq, FAPESB, Cirad, Embrapa. (Texte intégral

Inter-relation between soybean yield and soil compaction under degraded pasture in Brazilian Savannah

The Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah) plays an important economic and financial role in the nation, since the pastures of this biome feed cattle for half of the domestic bovine meat productivity, and its agricultural fields produce a third of the country's grain. The variability and spatial dependence between the soil physical attributes and soybean yield were evaluated in a crop rotation planted on a degraded brachiaria pasture, on a dystroferric Red Latosol of an experimental farm of the State University of São Paulo (UNESP), in the 2005/2006 growing season. The linear and spatial correlations between these attributes were also studied, to determine conditions that would allow increased agricultural productivity. In the above pasture area, a grid was installed with 124 plots, spaced 10.0 x 10.0 m and 5.0 x 5.0 m apart, in a total area of 7,500 m². From the linear and spatial point of view, the high grain yield can be explained by the number of grains per plant and soil macroporosity. The high variability observed for most soil properties indicated that the crop - livestock integration system results in environmental heterogeneity of the soil

Whole genome analysis of a schistosomiasis-transmitting freshwater snail

Biomphalaria snails are instrumental in transmission of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. With the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate schistosomiasis as a global health problem by 2025, there is now renewed emphasis on snail control. Here, we characterize the genome of Biomphalaria glabrata, a lophotrochozoan protostome, and provide timely and important information on snail biology. We describe aspects of phero-perception, stress responses, immune function and regulation of gene expression that support the persistence of B. glabrata in the field and may define this species as a suitable snail host for S. mansoni. We identify several potential targets for developing novel control measures aimed at reducing snail-mediated transmission of schistosomiasis