Ensiling of Forage Crops in Semiarid Regions

Edaphoclimatic condition of the semiarid region is unfavorable for the forage production of livestock. Silage is considered a better alternative to conserve forage crops. Ensiling is a technique for preserving forage, in which the ensiled mass is acidified under anaerobic conditions. The lactic acid bacteria present in the environment produce lactic acid, thereby making the environment acidic, and convert soluble substrates into organic acids. Many microorganisms are involved in the fermentation process of silage and their development depends on the characteristics of ensiled materials, such as dry matter, water-soluble carbohydrate content, buffering capacity and presence of indigenous microbial. Ensiling is a favorable technque used in the semiarid region because it preserves the nutritional values of the crops and the water. Some plant species are produced in semiarid regions because they are resistant to water deficit and high solar radiation. The main crops of semiarid regions are sorghum, pearl millet, grasses, cactus pear, and leguminous. Due to agronomic conditions available for their production during periods of rain, for ensiling these plants are important for the fermentation profile of each species because the ratio of the dry matter to water-soluble carbohydrate content and buffering capacity directly influence the end product of silage

Gas exchanges and water-use efficiency of Nopalea cochenillifera intercropped under edaphic practices

The Nopalea forage cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera) is the main xerophilic species cultivated in Brazil, highlighted as a compatible biological element with the semiarid environment. However, studies on its physiological aspects are still scarce. In this context, an experiment was performed in the Pendência Experimental Station, belonging to the State Company of Agricultural Research of Paraíba (EMEPA-PB), municipality of Soledade, state of Paraíba, Brazil, aiming to evaluate the gas exchanges and the water-use efficiency of intercropped Nopalea Cochenillifera plants in the soil under different edaphic managements. The treatments were distributed in randomized blocks, with three replications in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme, corresponding to the soil without and with mulch and five types of cultivation of Nopalea forage cactus, in monoculture and intercropped with forage watermelon, millet, sorghum, and buffelgrass. The analyzed variables were: stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, net photosynthesis rate, and internal CO2 concentration, besides the instantaneous water-use efficiency, intrinsic water-use efficiency, and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency. The use of soil mulch satisfactorily increased the photosynthetic rate of the forage cactus; this type of practice can aid in the productive development of the crop in semiarid zones, whereas the intercropping with buffelgrass and forage watermelon stimulated photosynthesis and the water-use efficiency.The Nopalea forage cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera) is the main xerophilic species cultivated in Brazil, highlighted as a compatible biological element with the semiarid environment. However, studies on its physiological aspects are still scarce. In this context, an experiment was performed in the Pendência Experimental Station, belonging to the State Company of Agricultural Research of Paraíba (EMEPA-PB), municipality of Soledade, state of Paraíba, Brazil, aiming to evaluate the gas exchanges and the water-use efficiency of intercropped Nopalea Cochenillifera plants in the soil under different edaphic managements. The treatments were distributed in randomized blocks, with three replications in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme, corresponding to the soil without and with mulch and five types of cultivation of Nopalea forage cactus, in monoculture and intercropped with forage watermelon, millet, sorghum, and buffelgrass. The analyzed variables were: stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, net photosynthesis rate, and internal CO2 concentration, besides the instantaneous water-use efficiency, intrinsic water-use efficiency, and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency. The use of soil mulch satisfactorily increased the photosynthetic rate of the forage cactus; this type of practice can aid in the productive development of the crop in semiarid zones, whereas the intercropping with buffelgrass and forage watermelon stimulated photosynthesis and the water-use efficiency

AGRONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS AND RADICULAR DIAGNOSIS OF TROPICAL POACEAE CULTIVARS BY IMAGE PROCESSING

This study aimed to analyze and compare the agronomic characteristics and development of the root system by means of image processing of different cultivars of tropical grasses of the genera Brachiaria and Panicum. The experiment carried out at the experimental station of the Research, Rural extension and land regularization company of Paraiba – EMPAER in Alagoinha - PB, in a rainfed agriculture system. In June 2019 to 45 days after sowing, the grasses were cut for aerial part evaluation: biomass composition, forage yield, root system: volume and surface area of the cultivars Mombaça, Tamani, Zuri, Massai, Piatã and Ipyporã. There was a difference between cultivars for all variables analyzed, except for the leaf: stem ratio. The cv. Mombaça was the one that presented the best agronomic and root results, being the one that best adapted the edaphoclimatic conditions of the region, in contrast to Ipyporã was the least expressive for forage yield and water efficiency. These aerial characteristics and their relationship with root diagnosis are of great importance for choosing the cultivar that best suits certain environmental conditions at the time of cultivation.Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar e comparar as características agronômicas e o desenvolvimento do sistema radicular por meio do processamento de imagens de diferentes cultivares de gramíneas tropicais dos gêneros Brachiaria e Panicum. O experimento foi realizado na estação experimental da empresa de Pesquisa, Extensão Rural e Regularização Fundiária da Paraíba - EM PAER em Alagoinha - PB, em um sistema de sequeiro. Em junho de 2019 a 45 dias após a semeadura, as gramíneas foram cortadas para avaliação das partes aéreas: composição da biomassa, produção de forragem, sistema radicular: volume e área superficial das cultivares Mombaça, Tamani, Zuri, Massai, Piatã e Ipyporã. Houve diferença entre as cultivares para todas as variáveis ​​analisadas, exceto para a relação folha: caule. O cv. Mombaça foi a que apresentou os melhores resultados agronômicos e radiculares, sendo a que melhor adaptou as condições edafoclimáticas da região, ao contrário de Ipyporã, foi a menos expressiva para rendimento de forragem e eficiência da água. Essas características aéreas e sua relação com o diagnóstico radicular são de grande importância para a escolha da cultivar que melhor se adapte a determinadas condições ambientais no momento do cultivo

CARACTERÍSTICAS AGRONÔMICAS DE VARIEDADES DE Opuntia cochenillifera E Nopalea cochenillifera SOB DIFERENTES DENSIDADES DE PLANTIO

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of planting density of two varieties of forage palm of the genus Nopalea and Opuntia on the morphological and productive characteristics. The experiment was established in a randomized block design with three replications in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. composed of two planting densities: 40.000 and 20.000 ha-1 plants and two forage cactu varieties: Palmepa-PB01 and Palmepa-PB04 (Nopalea cochinilifera and Opuntia ficus indica, respectively), the Palmepa-PB01 variety presented mean values ​​of 62.33 and 71.33 cm for height and plant width, respectively, presenting values ​​33 and 32% higher than the Palmepa-PB04, The area index of the cladodes was higher for the density of 40.000 ha-1 plants, with 2.01 m² m-², presenting a value of 54.22% in relation to the density of 20,000 ha-1 plants, which presented 0.92 m² m -², The planting density of 20.000 ha-1 plants was 19% higher relative to the density of 40.000 ha-1 plants, The Palmepa-PB01 variety was 18.18% higher than the Palmepa-PB04 variety with a yield of 40.70 tons ha-1, The Palmepa-PB01 variety is more productive than Palmepa-PB04 recommending its planting at the lowest planting density.Um bom manejo da palma forrageira é de suma importância para o desenvolvimento satisfatório e obter altas produções da palma forrageira. Vale ressaltar que práticas ideais de manejo possibilitam a planta expressar seu melhor potencial produtivo, principalmente em regiões com elevada sazonalidade de produção e irregularidade de chuvas como o semiárido brasileiro. Objetivou-se nesse estudo avaliar a influência da densidade de plantio de duas variedades de palma forrageira dos gêneros Nopalea e Opuntia sobre as características morfológicas e produtivas. O experimento foi estabelecido em um delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com três repetições, em um arranjo fatorial 2 x 2, compostos por duas densidades de plantio: 40.000 e 20.000 plantas ha-¹ e duas variedades de palma forrageira: Palmepa-PB01 e Palmepa-PB04 (Nopalea cochinilifera e opuntia ficus indica, respectivamente), a variedade Palmepa-PB01 apresentou médias de 62.33 e 71.33 cm para altura e largura de planta, respectivamente, apresentando valores 33 e 32% superiores em relação a Palmepa-PB04. O índice de área dos cladódios foi maior para a densidade de 40.000 plantas ha-¹, com 2.01 m² m-², apresentando valor 54.22% em relação a densidade de 20.000 plantas ha-¹ que apresentou 0.92 m² m-². A densidade de plantio de 20.000 plantas ha-¹ foi 19 % superior em relação a densidade de 40,000 plantas ha-¹. A variedade Palmepa-PB01 foi 18.18 % superior em relação a variedade Palmepa-PB04 com um rendimento de 40.70 toneladas ha-¹. A variedade Palmepa-PB01 é mais produtiva que a Palmepa-PB04 recomendando seu plantio na menor densidade de plantio nas condições edafoclimáticas encontradas nesse estudo

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Statement of Second Brazilian Congress of Mechanical Ventilarion : part I

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Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost