Production of Table Potatoes in Europe - A Multinational Gross Margin Analysis

This paper examines different cropping practices, cost structures and gross margins for conventional table potato cropping in 6 different regions within the European Union: Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia. Findings from this study show that potato cropping practices varies significantly between the various countries with major differences in yield and costs. Italy and Denmark are the two regions with highest gross margins due to high yields and revenues. Poland is by far the largest potato producing country among the 6 countries. However, the production is primarily based on small scale farming with low yields and economic revenues.Table potatoes, gross margins, cropping practices, cost structure, Crop Production/Industries,

Bleaching techniques impact on some quality parameters in two different cold-pressed oils obtained at farm scale

The consumption of cold-pressed oil, such as linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) and hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) oil has increased recently. In these oils obtained on the farm, a large number of components able to affect oil quality (mainly chlorophylls) are present. Given this, an experiment was conducted with the following aims: (1) to compare different bleaching methods by applying ultrasound waves and earths in cold-pressed hempseed and linseed oils and (2) to evaluate the effect of different types (acid-activated and natural) and amount (2% and 4%) of earths with different processing temperatures (60 and 80°C) in hempseed oil, utilizing a bleaching method with earths alone. Regarding the linseed oil, any bleaching methodologies adopted must not include ultrasound treatment, as the high temperatures reached determine high levels of oxidation to the detriment of the oil. Concerning the hemp oil, the natural earths, especially at farm level, should be preferred, because in addition to removing chlorophyll satisfactorily, when used at 4% even at the lowest temperature (60°C), an improvement of the stability and nutritional value (Vit. E) of the oil was observed

Caracterização da argila vermiculita expandida: avaliação dos padrões físico-químicos e mineralógicos para aplicação como adsorvente

A vermiculita expandida, além de largamente aplicada na construção civil como isolante acústico e retardante de chamas e na agricultura como veículo para fertilizantes, tem sido explorada como possível adsorvente de contaminantes na área ambiental. Dessa forma, objetivou-se caracterizá-la por padrões físico-químicos e mineralógicos. Para tanto foram determinadas as propriedades: ponto de carga zero (pHpcz: 8,5), os sítios ácidos e básicos (carga superficial negativa com presença de grupos ácidos - carboxílicos: 0,9680 mEq g-1 e fenólicos: 0,0007 mEq g-1 e grupos básicos: 1,5490 mEq g-1), capacidade de troca catiônica (CTC: 122 mEq de azul de metileno por100 g de vermiculita expandida), difração de raios X (DRX: alta cristalinidade e pureza), espectrometria de infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR: característica de filossilicato - deformação axial e angular simétrica de grupamentos O-H, estiramento assimétrico Si-O-Si e Si-O-Al e estiramento AlO), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV: estrutura lamelar típica e vermiforme) e adsorção física de N2 (BET/BJH: sólido mesoporoso - tipo placa, volume de área superficial de 9 m2 g-1 g, volume e diâmetro médio do poro de 0,02 cm3 g-1 e 19 Å, respectivamente). Os resultados apontam que a argila vermiculita expandida apresenta-se fortemente como um material adsorvente, possuindo maior afinidade com cátions e moléculas catiônicas e com capacidade de adsorção para moléculas de tamanhos variados.Palavras-chave: Adsorção. Argilomineral. Filossilicato. Lamelares. Mesoporoso.

Knockdown of MLO genes reduces susceptibility to powdery mildew in grapevine

10openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorErysiphe necator is the causal agent of powdery mildew (PM), one of the most destructive diseases of grapevine. PM is controlled by sulfur-based and synthetic fungicides, which every year are dispersed into the environment. This is why PM-resistant varieties should become a priority for sustainable grapevine and wine production. PM resistance can be achieved in other crops by knocking out susceptibility S-genes, such as those residing at genetic loci known as MLO (Mildew Locus O). All MLO S-genes of dicots belong to the phylogenetic clade V, including grapevine genes VvMLO7, 11 and 13, which are upregulated during PM infection, and VvMLO6, which is not upregulated. Before adopting a gene-editing approach to knockout candidate S-genes, the evidence that loss of function of MLO genes can reduce PM susceptibility is necessary. This paper reports the knockdown through RNA interference of VvMLO6, 7, 11 and 13. The knockdown of VvMLO6, 11 and 13 did not decrease PM severity, whereas the knockdown of VvMLO7 in combination with VvMLO6 and VvMLO11 reduced PM severity up to 77%. The knockdown of VvMLO7 and VvMLO6 seemed to be important for PM resistance, whereas a role for VvMLO11 does not seem likely. Cell wall appositions (papillae) were present in both resistant and susceptible lines in response to PM attack. Thirteen genes involved in defense were less upregulated in infected mlo plants, highlighting the early mlo-dependent disruption of PM invasionopenPessina, S.; Lenzi, L.; Perazzolli, M.; Campa, M.; Dalla Costa, L.; Urso, S.; Vale, G.; Salamini, F.; Velasco, R.; Malnoy, M.Pessina, S.; Lenzi, L.; Perazzolli, M.; Campa, M.; Dalla Costa, L.; Urso, S.; Vale, G.; Salamini, F.; Velasco, R.; Malnoy, M.A

Tuberculosis across the seas: CPLP-TB - a joint effort in cataloguing mycobacterium tuberculosis genetic diversity in the lusophone space

The Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP) comprises nine countries across four continents, accounting for 7.2% of the world’s land area, and where tuberculosis (TB) is still a cause of public health concern. A marked variation in TB incidence (23 to 551 cases per 100 000 habitants) can be observed across the different member-states and, despite of this, a considerable gap in the knowledge on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis population structure and country-level geospatial distribution still exists. To address this we have gathered a comprehensive set of molecular and phenotypic drug susceptibility data on approximately 1150 different clinical isolates, from different partners, across 5 distinct portuguesespeaking countries. This initial dataset comprises molecular genotypic data obtained by either 12, 15 or 24-loci Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit – Variable Number of Tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) and/or Spoligotyping. The complete dataset therefore includes M. tuberculosis clinical isolates from Portugal (n≈370), Angola (n≈80), Guinea-Bissau (n≈13), Mozambique (n≈14) and Brazil (n≈680). To make this data available to the scientific community and public health authorities we have developed CPLP-TB, an online database coupled with webbased tools that enable exploratory data analysis. This new tool specifically directed at CPLP countries include advanced data analysis capability together with graphical visualization tools (e.g. dendrogram and choropleth mapping). As a public health tool, it is expected to contribute for a deeper knowledge on the combined population structure and strain circulation between countries, thus enabling the assessment of strain specific trends in a broader macroepidemiological context. Furthermore, this new tool provides a new framework for interlaboratory cooperation on TB molecular epidemiology.N/

Anais do V Encontro Brasileiro de Educomunicação: Educação midiática e políticas públicas

A presente coletânea, que chega ao público através de um suporte digital, tem como objetivo disponibilizar os papers, bem como os relatos de experiências educomunicativas apresentados durante o V ENCONTRO BRASILEIRO DE EDUCOMUNICAÇÃO, que teve como tema central: “Educação Midiática e Políticas Públicas”. O evento foi realizado em São Paulo, entre 19 e 21 de setembro de 2013, a partir de uma parceria entre o NCE/USP - Núcleo de Comunicação e Educação da USP, a Licenciatura em Educomunicação da ECA/USP, a ABPEducom – Associação Brasileira de Pesquisadores e Profissionais da Educomunicação e a FAPCOM – Faculdade Paulus de Tecnologia e Comunicação, que ofereceu seu campus, na Vila Mariana, para os atos do evento. Os presentes anais disponibilizam o texto de abertura, de autoria do coordenador geral do evento, denominado “Educação midiática e políticas públicas: vertentes históricas da emergência da Educomunicação na América Latina”. Na sequência, apresentam 61 papers sobre aspectos específicos da temática geral, resultantes de pesquisas na área, seguidos de 27 relatos de práticas educomunicativas, em nível nacional