Effect of essential oil from citronella and alfazema on fennel aphids Hyadaphis foeniculi Passerini (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its predator Cycloneda sanguinea L. (Coleoptera: Coccinelidae)

The essential oil of plants is used as an alternative to pesticides for the control of aphids. We study the effect of the essential oils of citronella and alfazema on aphid populations in the laboratory and in the field. We also investigate the effect of these oils on the behavior of the aphid's principal predator the ladybug. The results show that alfazema is highly effective, more so than citronella. A 1% concentration of alfazema oil is more effective in killing aphids than the same concentration of citronella. Alfazema oil has the further advantage that it is attractive to ladybugs and is less lethal to fennel flowers.Peer reviewedPsychologyZoolog

Morphological characterization of coriander genotypes

Poucas cultivares de coentro (Coriandrum sativum L.) estão disponíveis aos produtores e, em algumas regiões, cultivam-se genótipos de origem desconhecida, mantidos pelos próprios hortelãos. Para conservar as cultivares tradicionais é necessário não só coletá-las e conservá-las, mas também caracterizá-las. Dessa forma, este trabalho teve por objetivo determinar caracteres morfológicos para diferenciar genótipos de coentro no processo de registro de cultivares. Foram realizados dois experimentos, ambos em blocos casualizados, com cinco repetições. As cultivares Americano, Asteca, Palmeira, Português, Santo, Supéria, Tabocas, Tapacurá e Verdão, além da linhagem HTV-9299 foram analisadas para caracteres de fruto, plântula, folhas, folíolos e flores. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de variância univariada. A cultivar Palmeira apresentou frutos de maior tamanho e massa. Já para antocianina a cultivar Americano apresentou menor intensidade, ou praticamente ausência do pigmento tanto nas plântulas quanto nas plantas, ao contrário da cultivar Tabocas que apresentou maior intensidade. As cultivares Americano, Tabocas, Palmeira, Asteca, Verdão e Tabocas e a linhagem HTV-9299 possuem maior número de folhas basais, no entanto, as cultivares que produziram maior quantidade de massa por planta foram Tabocas, Palmeira, Verdão, HTV-9299 e Tapacurá. A cultivar Americano possui folíolo verde claro pouco amarelado, a linhagem HTV-9299 folíolo verde e a cultivar Tabocas folíolo verde escuro. Os descritores morfológicos com maior poder discriminatório para o grupo de dez cultivares avaliadas foram tamanho e massa de fruto; antocianina na plântula e planta; número de folhas basais; comprimento da quinta folha; tamanho e coloração de folíolo; número de dias para pendoamento e abertura da primeira flor e massa da planta fresca.Few coriander cultivars (Coriandrum sativum L.) are available to producers and, in some regions, are grown genotypes of unknown origin, kept by the growers themselves. To conserve such traditional crops it is necessary to collect, save, and characterize them. Thus, this study was to determine morphological characters to differentiate coriander genotypes aiming the registration of cultivars. Two trials were carried out, and the experimental design used in both was in completely randomized blocks with five replications. Americano, Asteca, Palmeira, Português, Santo, Superia, Tabocas, Tapacurá, and Verdão cultivars, and the line HTV-9299 were characterized for seedling, leaflets, leaves, fruits, and flowers. The data were subjected to a univariate ANOVA. The fruits of cv. Palmeira exhibited greater size and mass. As regards the presence of anthocyanins in seedlings and plants, cv. Americano showed the lowest intensity or slight pigmentation while cv. Tabocas had the highest pigmentation. The cultivars Americano, Palmeira, Asteca, Verdão, and Tabocas and the line HTV-9299 displayed higher number of basal leaves, however, the genotypes that produced larger amount of mass per plant were Tabocas, Palmeira, Verdão, HTV-9299, and Tapacurá. The green tone of leaflets showed differences among cultivars. So, cv. Americanos leaflets exhibited a light green, slightly yellowish color, HTV-9299 green, and Tabocas dark green. The morphological traits with higher discriminatory power for the group of the ten evaluated cultivars were: size and weight of fruits; presence or absence of anthocyanin in seedlings and plants; number of basal leaves; length of the fifth leaf; size and color of leaflets; number of days to bolting initiation, and opening of the first flower, and plant fresh mass

Cladosporium tenuissimum URM 7803: a promising new β-galactosidase producer

The Cladosporium genus, defined by Link in 1816, is one of the largest and most heterogeneous Hyphomycetes genus. It comprises more than 189 species still rarely explored biotechnologically. One of the most studied microbial enzymes, -galactosidase is a glycoside hydrolase enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of -galactosides into monosaccharides through the breaking of a glycosidic bond. Recently, new studies comprising new microbial sources of -galactosidase, presenting biotechnologically interesting characteristics, have been encouraged. In this context, the present study evaluated the production of -galactosidase by a new isolate of Cladosporium tenuissimum. A C. tenuissimum inoculum was prepared adding 107 spore/mL in sterile saline solution 0.85% (w/v) NaCl containing 0.01% (w/v) Tween 80 and added to fermentation medium for enzyme production. The fermentation medium, composed of (% w/v): lactose (2), peptone (0.4), yeast extract (0.4) and salts (KH2PO4 (0.2), Na2HPO4.12H2O (0.8) and MgSO4.7H2O (0.025), pH 6.5, was maintained at 28° C and 180 rpm for 13 days. One sample (50 mL erlenmeyer) was removed every 24 hours and -galactosidase activity was evaluated using ONPG (ortho-Nitrophenyl--galactoside) method. The results showed maximum -galactosidase production by C. tenuissimum URM 7803 on thirteenth day, displayed enzymatic activity of 462.13 U/mL. The C. tenuissimum URM 7803 isolate proved to be a powerful new -galactosidase producer with potential application for food processing.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of an organic pesticide on mortality and learning in Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in Brasil

Seven experiments were conducted. First, the influence of the consumption of different concentrations of the organic pesticide Bioganic® on mortality was assessed at 11 different time intervals in Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) as was direct application of the pesticide to the abdomen. Results indicated that the pesticide was not lethal to bees regardless of concentration at any intervals tested whether consumed directly or applied to the abdomen. Second, the effects of different concentrations of the pesticide on Pavlovian conditioning and complex learning were examined in harnessed foragers. Results suggest that the pesticide affected learning; however, this conclusion may be erroneous because the bees would not feed on the pesticide, thus making it impossible to properly assess Pavlovian conditioning and complex learning. Consequently, the effect of the agrochemical on complex learning was examined in free flying bees trained to land on targets. The results of free flying experiments indicated that bees did not avoid a target associated with the smell of the pesticide but did avoid the target if they had to drink the pesticide.Peer reviewedPsychologyZoolog

Sobre caso de doença de Chagas aguda em região de vetores controlados no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

No vector transmitted cases of Chagas disease had been notified in the state of São Paulo since the 1970s. However, in March, 2006, the death of a six-year-old boy from the municipality of Itaporanga was notified to the Center for Epidemiological Survey of the São Paulo State Health Secretariat: an autochthonous case of acute Chagas disease. The postmortem histopathological examination performed in the Hospital das Clínicas of the Botucatu School of Medicine confirmed the diagnosis. Reference to hospital records, consultation with the health professionals involved in the case and interviews with members of the patient's family supplied the basis for this study. We investigated parasite route of transmission, probable local reservoirs and vectors. No further human cases of acute Chagas disease were diagnosed. No locally captured vectors or reservoirs were found infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Alternative transmission hypotheses - such as the possible ingestion of foods contaminated with vector excreta - are discussed, as well as the need to keep previously endemic regions and infested houses under close surveillance. Clinicians should give due attention to such signs as uni- or bilateral palpebral edema, cardiac failure, myocarditis, pericarditis, anasarca and atypical signs of nephrotic syndrome or nephritis and consider the diagnostic hypothesis of Chagas disease.Desde a década de 1970 não se notificavam casos autóctones de doença de Chagas aguda em São Paulo. Em março de 2006 a Vigilância Epidemiológica registrou óbito por doença de Chagas aguda, em Itaporanga, de paciente de seis anos de idade. Exame histopatológico post mortem realizado no Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu confirmou o diagnóstico. Consultamos prontuários de hospitais e entrevistamos profissionais de saúde envolvidos além de familiares do paciente. Descrevemos medidas adotadas in loco para identificar a via de transmissão, reservatórios e vetores. Discutimos as possíveis fontes de infecção. Na região não foram identificados outros casos humanos, vetores ou reservatórios vertebrados infectados por Trypanosoma cruzi. Salientamos a importância de manter a vigilância, mesmo em áreas onde a transmissão de doença de Chagas está interrompida e naquelas ainda infestadas por triatomíneos. Deve-se admitir a hipótese diagnóstica de doença de Chagas quando observados: edema palpebral (uni ou bilateral), insuficiência cardíaca, miocardite, pericardite, anasarca, quadros similares aos de síndrome nefrótica ou glomerulonefrite sem causas outras aparentes, em pacientes com dados epidemiológicos positivos. Encontro, mesmo em raras ocasiões, de triatomíneos na região ou ainda contato com alimento contaminável com formas infectantes de T. cruzi

Persistent toxic substances in the Brazilian Amazon: contamination of man and the environment

The organochlorine insecticide DDT was extensively used in Brazil since 1945, both for agricultural purposes and for vector control measures. In 1986 its uses were forbidden in agriculture and in 1997 it was also phased-out in vector controls programs. However, the presence of DDT in urban and forested soils, breast milk and aquatic biota is still common, especially at the Amazon region. The results gathered since the middle of the 90s indicate that environmental contamination with this pesticide is still relatively high. Due to the high fish consumption by traditional riverside populations, human breast milk may represent an important source of DDT exposure to newborns. New results on DDT and PCBs in red dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), an endemic aquatic mammal of the Amazon region, is also reported