Levantamento de emissões e mitigação de gases de efeito estufa da pecuária bovina no Espírito Santo.

A busca pela sustentabilidade dos sistemas produtivos agropecuários está cada vez mais em evidência devido ao impacto ambiental das atividades agropecuárias e sua direta relação com as mudanças climáticas. Nesse contexto, é importante levantar informações a respeito da emissão e propor alternativas de mitigação dos gases de efeito estufa na pecuária bovina no Estado do Espírito Santo, de modo a garantir no médio e longo prazo a produção sustentável de produtos de origem animal para o atendimento da demanda atual e futura da sociedade. A produção de gases de efeito estufa contabilizados como dióxido de carbono equivalente alteram o balanço energético do planeta e interferem no clima. No setor agropecuário, a bovinocultura de corte e leite tem importante participação nesse cenário de forma que várias alternativas, como o manejo de pastagens, uso de sistemas integrados, melhora da qualidade da dieta oferecida aos animais, uso de aditivos, seleção de animais mais eficientes, dentre outros, podem mitigar esses gases. Para isso, é preciso haver incentivo à divulgação e ao fortalecimento de ações dos diversos segmentos da cadeia produtiva em união com políticas públicas governamentais para que o cenário atual seja modificado

Gene expression, biochemical and physiological activities in evaluating melon seed vigor through ethanol release.

The aim of the present study was to establish parameters to evaluate melon seeds vigor by ethanol release test using a modified ethylometer and correlate with physiological seed quality, gene expression and enzyme activities alterations. To perform this trial, six seeds lots of yellow melon were submitted to determinations such as moisture content, germination assay and vigor tests. 25 and 50 seeds soaked with 0.5 mL of distilled water and tested after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 24 h at 40 °C. After 0, 6 and 24 h of imbibition, the high and low vigor lots were evaluated for the following enzyme activity: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and alcoholic dehydrogenase (ADH). Accumulation of ADH protein was verified using Western Blotting hybridization technique with the primary Anti-ADH antibody. The release of ethanol in 25 seeds, soaked in 0.5 mL of distilled water for 6 h, proved efficient for vigor evaluation and can be related to other traditionally used tests. Enzyme activity varied according to the vigor of the seed lot. For the protein profile, there was variation in the accumulation of proteins of specific molecular weights throughout the soaking periods. There was also variation in expression according to accumulation of ADH protein. The biochemical and molecular tests corroborate with the establishment of the ethanol test as an additional tool to evaluate seed vigor

The ER luminal binding protein (BiP) mediates an increase in drought tolerance in soybean and delays drought-induced leaf senescence in soybean and tobacco

The ER-resident molecular chaperone BiP (binding protein) was overexpressed in soybean. When plants growing in soil were exposed to drought (by reducing or completely withholding watering) the wild-type lines showed a large decrease in leaf water potential and leaf wilting, but the leaves in the transgenic lines did not wilt and exhibited only a small decrease in water potential. During exposure to drought the stomata of the transgenic lines did not close as much as in the wild type, and the rates of photosynthesis and transpiration became less inhibited than in the wild type. These parameters of drought resistance in the BiP overexpressing lines were not associated with a higher level of the osmolytes proline, sucrose, and glucose. It was also not associated with the typical drought-induced increase in root dry weight. Rather, at the end of the drought period, the BiP overexpressing lines had a lower level of the osmolytes and root weight than the wild type. The mRNA abundance of several typical drought-induced genes [NAC2, a seed maturation protein (SMP), a glutathione-S-transferase (GST), antiquitin, and protein disulphide isomerase 3 (PDI-3)] increased in the drought-stressed wild-type plants. Compared with the wild type, the increase in mRNA abundance of these genes was less (in some genes much less) in the BiP overexpressing lines that were exposed to drought. The effect of drought on leaf senescence was investigated in soybean and tobacco. It had previously been reported that tobacco BiP overexpression or repression reduced or accentuated the effects of drought. BiP overexpressing tobacco and soybean showed delayed leaf senescence during drought. BiP antisense tobacco plants, conversely, showed advanced leaf senescence. It is concluded that BiP overexpression confers resistance to drought, through an as yet unknown mechanism that is related to ER functioning. The delay in leaf senescence by BiP overexpression might relate to the absence of the response to drought

Azamora penicillana occurrence in sour passion fruit in the state of Minas Gerais.

Azamora penicillana (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is popularly known as exotic passionflower caterpillar, passionflower web, cloak or pouch. It is considered an emergent pest of passion fruit crop due to damages caused to the plant and management difficulties related to insect habit. This species is recorded for the first time infesting passion fruit in the state of Minas Gerais attacking leaves, fruits and branches. Pest attacks have been widely reported throughout the orchard

Comparative study of the protein profiles of Sunki mandarin and Rangpur lime plants in response to water déficit.

Rootstocks play a major role in the tolerance of citrus plants to water deficit by controlling and adjusting the water supply to meet the transpiration demand of the shoots. Alterations in protein abundance in citrus roots are crucial for plant adaptation to water deficit. We performed two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) separation followed by LC/MS/MS to assess the proteome responses of the roots of two citrus rootstocks, Rangpur lime (Citrus limonia Osbeck) and ?Sunki Maravilha? (Citrus sunki) mandarin, which show contrasting tolerances to water deficits at the physiological and molecular levels