Soil Fertility of Tropical Intensively Managed Forage System for Grazing Cattle in Brazil

In Brazil the predominant beef and dairy cattle production systems are based mostly on grazing and rely on native and cultivated pastures, which are grazed by continuous stocking all year round and are the main source of animal feed

Pedology in Precision Agriculture from a Brazilian context

Precision agriculture (PA) is advancing in Brazil concerning several crops, mainly for medium to large-sized farms, occasionally evolving towards automation and digital agriculture. Soil knowledge is fundamental in this process, requiring studies on a detailed scale greater than 1:5,000, and demanding overcoming soil taxonomy concepts. This review article presents and discusses the most effective methods of PA from a soil management perspective, inducing advances for farming and producers in Brazil. Topography, electrical conductivity, proximal and remote sensing, and productivity work outlined soil mapping and their relationship to soil. The modeling of topographic variables through artificial intelligence offers new perspectives. The soil's apparent electrical conductivity can work at various depths, providing information about several pedological parameters. Finally, proximal, and remote sensing techniques could simulate different soil attributes, potentially integrating productivity data on studying plant attributes. Despite some differences, the four themes are complementary, and integrating data through geographic information systems results in a consistent option for defining management zones

Goodbye Hartmann trial: a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study on the current use of a surgical procedure developed a century ago

Background: Literature suggests colonic resection and primary anastomosis (RPA) instead of Hartmann's procedure (HP) for the treatment of left-sided colonic emergencies. We aim to evaluate the surgical options globally used to treat patients with acute left-sided colonic emergencies and the factors that leading to the choice of treatment, comparing HP and RPA. Methods: This is a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. A total 1215 patients with left-sided colonic emergencies who required surgery were included from 204 centers during the period of March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020. with a 1-year follow-up. Results: 564 patients (43.1%) were females. The mean age was 65.9 ± 15.6 years. HP was performed in 697 (57.3%) patients and RPA in 384 (31.6%) cases. Complicated acute diverticulitis was the most common cause of left-sided colonic emergencies (40.2%), followed by colorectal malignancy (36.6%). Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3b) were higher in the HP group (P < 0.001). 30-day mortality was higher in HP patients (13.7%), especially in case of bowel perforation and diffused peritonitis. 1-year follow-up showed no differences on ostomy reversal rate between HP and RPA. (P = 0.127). A backward likelihood logistic regression model showed that RPA was preferred in younger patients, having low ASA score (≤ 3), in case of large bowel obstruction, absence of colonic ischemia, longer time from admission to surgery, operating early at the day working hours, by a surgeon who performed more than 50 colorectal resections. Conclusions: After 100 years since the first Hartmann's procedure, HP remains the most common treatment for left-sided colorectal emergencies. Treatment's choice depends on patient characteristics, the time of surgery and the experience of the surgeon. RPA should be considered as the gold standard for surgery, with HP being an exception

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Potassium doses and frequency of application to alfalfa in a tropical soil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of doses and frequency of application of potassium fertilizer on the alfalfa dry matter yield and potassium content in plant and soil. The experimental was carried out in a Typic Hapludox and was designed in randomized blocks in 4 X 4 factorial with 3 replications. The treatments were 4 levels of potassium in topdressing fertilization (0, 600, 1200 and 1800 kg ha-1 year-1 of K2O) and 4 frequency of application (12 = after each cutting, 6 = after two cuttings, 4 = after three cuttings; and 2 = two applications per year). The use of 1420 kg.ha-1 per year of K2O applied after two cuttings (6 applications per year) increased alfalfa dry matter yield until 30500 kg ha-1 and provided the best use of K at the higher doses of fertilizer. Alfalfa shoot total K removal reached 704 kg ha-1 per year of K2O with the application of 1623 kg ha-1 per year of K2O. At the end of the experiment, soil exchangeable K increased with K rates, and the differences were observed util 0.6 m of depth

Potassium doses and frequency of application to alfalfa in a tropical soil

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of doses and frequency of application of potassium fertilizer on the alfalfa dry matter yield and potassium content in plant and soil. The experimental was carried out in a Typic Hapludox and was designed in randomized blocks in 4 X 4 factorial with 3 replications. The treatments were 4 levels of potassium in topdressing fertilization (0, 600, 1200 and 1800 kg ha-1 year-1 of K2O) and 4 frequency of application (12 = after each cutting, 6 = after two cuttings, 4 = after three cuttings; and 2 = two applications per year). The use of 1420 kg.ha-1 per year of K2O applied after two cuttings (6 applications per year) increased alfalfa dry matter yield until 30500 kg ha-1 and provided the best use of K at the higher doses of fertilizer. Alfalfa shoot total K removal reached 704 kg ha-1 per year of K2O with the application of 1623 kg ha-1 per year of K2O. At the end of the experiment, soil exchangeable K increased with K rates, and the differences were observed util 0.6 m of depth

Yield, nutritional status and quality of alfalfa under grazing and weed occurrence in response to liming, gypsum and potassium fertilization

Alfalfa is extremely demanding in fertility, calcium and fertilizer unbalance of soil can lead to loss of alfalfa vigor, causing the development of aggressive weeds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of soil amendment with lime and gypsum and potassium fertilizer on the alfalfa dry matter production, nutritional status and quality and weed occurrence. The results indicated that the practices associated with the lime and gypsum and fertilization with potassium can contribute substantially to the increased longevity of alfalfa. The major responses of alfalfa to potassium fertilization occurred in the highest soil base saturation (V = 80%). A trend of decreasing the occurrence of weeds with the improvement of soil fertility was also observed. The forage nutritional quality was not affected by treatments.</p