Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Studies that evaluate the crop responses to the soil modifications intermediated by gypsumapplication are relatively abundant, but most of them are performed in highlands. Such studies are still scarce in lowlands. The objective of our study was to evaluate soil acidity and phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) availability, as well as crop (irrigated rice and soybean) yields, as a function of different rates of gypsum application in lowland. The experiments were conducted in a Planosol (Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). The treatments consisted of six gypsum rates (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, 2.00 and 4.00 t ha-1) and the experimental design was in randomized blocks with four replications. The soil was sampled after crop harvests, in the 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm layers. The soil pH (in water), the potential acidity (H+Al) and the available P (Mehlich 1) were not affected by gypsum application. After the irrigated rice cropping and in the soil layer of 0–5 cm, the available K (Mehlich 1) contents was impacted by the gypsum application, with increase in content for rates up to 1.00 t ha-1 and decrease in content for higher rates (2.00 and 4.00 t ha-1). After the soybean cropping, the available K content was not affected by gypsum application. The gypsum application did not impact irrigated rice and soybean yields in the evaluated season, which did not present water deficit.

The aim of this study was to analyze the consumer behavior and to identify the attributes of meat quality that are most relevant for sheep meat consumers. Through a survey research with non-probabilistic convenience samples, interviews were performed through semi-structured and an online interview questionnaires form with lamb meat consumers. This research was aimed at characterizing lamb meat consumer from Porto Alegre, Brazil. In total, 207 people were interviewed, 100 consumers from a lamb meat boutique and 107 questionnaires answered online. Data analysis was performed using the model Tobit and the dependent variable was the consumption rate of lamb meat. Generally, we showed that preferences in the purchase of lamb meat by 413 consumers. The main quality of the lamb meat was softness when the meat consumption is frequently high and the flavor when the frequency of consumption is low. The meat cuts diversity was the most important aspect for the consumers with high frequency of consumption. As family income increases the lamb meat consumption decreases, demonstrating that lamb meat is a competitor of the most consumed meat in the region. Marketing strategies can be directed to the audience that consumes frequently meat in general, focused on the quality attribute in the issue softness and the search attribute in the issue cuts diversity and that consumers have low frequency of consumption in the experience attribute in the issue flavor.

A utilização de sementes de elevada qualidade representa prática de manejo essencial para o estabelecimento e desempenho das culturas, sendo insumo fundamental para o desenvolvimento da agricultura. O uso de técnicas adequadas nos diversos sistemas de produção das culturas é fator fundamental para se obter maiores produtividades. Nesse sentido, cita-se que é crescente a utilização de novos produtos para incorporação de aditivos às sementes, objetivando melhorar seu potencial produtivo. No entanto, pouco se sabe sobre o real efeito desses produtos no desenvolvimento e produtividade agrícola e qualidade das sementes produzidas. Objetivou-se com o presente trabalho abordar os principais efeitos verificados no tratamento de sementes com produtos à base de fertilizantes e reguladores de crescimento. Destaca-se que os resultados verificados na literatura quanto à utilização de fertilizantes e reguladores de crescimento fornecidos via sementes já é uma realidade na agricultura e com resultados bem promissores. É importante destacar que as repostas à aplicação desses produtos dependem de uma série de fatores como espécie em estudo, composição das substâncias presentes nos produtos, das condições do ambiente e formas de aplicação, fatos estes que justificam mais estudos no setor.

The overcoming bud dormancy in apple trees occurs after an increase of chilling hours in autumn/winter. If the environment does not supply the need for cold plants, budburst inductors are used to overcome dormancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the overcoming of bud dormancy of apple trees by combining the effect of cold and the use of a budburst inductor. The standard budburst inductor for apple tree cultivation (Dormex® 1% + Mineral Oil 4% - D/OM) was used in the Royal Gala (RG) cultivar after the variety received different cold times. RG cuttings were collected in April/2016 and submitted to D/OM treatment after 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 CH. A control treatment was included, applying only chilling at 7.2 ºC. In the control treatment, the RG cultivar overcome the dormancy with 549 CH after regression analysis (to 70% budburst range). When tested D/OM combined with cold, the products were not efficient to overcome dormancy after 0, 100 and 200 CH, reaching approximately 50% of budburst. However, when D/OM was applied after 300, 400, 500 and 600 CH, the plants responded with a high budburst rate (above 90% of budburst). In this case, overcoming dormancy (70% of budburst) with D/OM was achieved after 255 CH. It is concluded that the D/OM will have an effect only if the environment supplies 46.4% or more of the genotype chilling requirement in the field.

Bees are responsible for the majority of cross-pollination dependent on animals, and their breeding has economic and environmental relevance. Therefore, beekeepers and stingless bee breeders, in addition to producing honey and other products, can be important in the process of preserving these insects. However, bees suffer from various pests and diseases, such as varroa mites, nosemosis and sac brood disease, for example. Lately, other factors, such as global warming, deforestation and use of pesticides, resulting from anthropic activity, have caused high bee mortality. But, one of the current problems has been the theft of hives. Thus, this study aimed to assess the occurrence of theft in beekeeping and meliponiculture, through a semi-structured questionnaire, available online, with anonymous and voluntary responses. Of the 259 who responded, 29.1% said they had already been stolen. The item most targeted by thieves was beehives, as 83% declared that they had already lost in wooden boxes or baits. Despite the high rate of thefts, 75.5% did not report the occurrence to the police and 56.4% do not believe that the record has any practical effect. Thus, it is concluded that the man, although promoter of the creations, can be considered a pest of beekeeping and stingless bee creations, and needs specific policies for the activity.

Sheep farming is an important livestock activity in southern Brazil, providing income and contributing to the social reproduction of small producers in rural areas. Among the existing phases within a sheep meat production system, the finishing has been widely discussed in recent years, due to its importance in ensuring a quality product that meets consumer demand. Thus, this literature review aims to address the particularities of some sheep finishing systems in southern Brazil, such as the use of Panicum maximum cv. Aruana pasture, the silvopastoral system and confinement. Pasture systems are predominant in southern Brazil, due to large territorial extensions and because they are less costly alternatives in the short term. The forestry system has a higher initial cost when compared to the previous one, but in the long run it can be more profitable by associating two activities, livestock and forestry. However, both systems may not meet the nutritional need of finishing animals throughout the year, requiring the use of supplementation. On the other hand, confinement has a high initial cost, but it can be an important tool to ensure the regularity of meat supply throughout the year. In addition to animals finished in this type of system, they present good productive results.

In order to characterize the phenology, thermal requirements and mineral composition of leaves of olive varieties, observations were made and samples were collected from 2015 to 2018, in an olive grove. The observations were made in 10 varieties: Cipressino, Coratina, Manzanilla, Arbosana, Koroneiki, Picual, Arbequina, Alfafara, Lecino and Frantoio, in the period of 2015 to 2018. For the phenological determinations, the pruning dates (P), the beginning of the cluster (IC), the appearance of inflorescence (AI) and the beginning of fruiting (IF) were observed. To assess the mineral composition, leaves of the ten varieties were sampled and analyzed during winter, spring, summer and autumn. There were differences in phenology between varieties and between harvests. In the 2015/2016 harvest, the cycle was shorter than in 2016/2017. In the 2015/2016 the Arbosana and Alfafara were later, while in 2016/2017 there was no difference between varieties. The olive varieties showed differences regarding the leaf content of all analyzed nutrients. The most evident difference was in the phosphorus content, with the Arbequina and Arbosana varieties having higher content. The nutrients showed differences in the levels in the leaves at different sampling times, with the exception of calcium and boron.

Trifolium polymorphum and T. argentinense (Leguminosae) are two amphicarpic forage species native to the natural pastures of the southern half of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Information about seed production in both species is scarce. In the present work we evaluated the number of inflorescences and the production of aerial seeds in T. polymorphum and T. argentinense in a protected environment and without access of pollinators. T. polymorphum plants produced significantly more inflorescences and seeds (63.15 and 8.94) than those of T. argentinense (24.84 and 1.05), respectively. The low seed production in a protected environment and without access to pollinators suggests the need for mechanical stimulation to ensure pollination, usually performed by insects to form seeds. This information can be used to plan future experiments where T. polymorphum and T. argentinense have free access to pollinators to obtain a higher seed production.    

As the long-term phenotype and genetic stability of bacteria used as inoculant are important parameters in their ecology and for agricultural purposes, this study aimed genotypically characterize several-rescued bradyrhizobia of an experimental field thirty years after the first inoculation. A high genetic diversity of 30 bradyrhizobia isolates was observed, either by AFLP (H = 4.87) or rep-PCR (H = 4.18). The results indicate that the Bradyrhizobium population that persists in the Eldorado soil is genetically very diverse and different from the parental strains. All isolates were infective and trapped in IAS-5 soybean variety maintaining their nodulation and nitrogen fixation properties. Given that many rhizobia in a soil can lost the infective capacity and that the host genotype can affect the spectrum of rhizobial genotype selected from a soil, the genetic diversity of the complete bradyrhizobia population in Eldorado soil could be even higher than the identified in this work.

Artisanal cheeses can be considered heritage of the communities that produce them, as they express the evolution of a knowledge shared by the community over time. The consumption of these cheeses involves the appreciation of tangible attributes, such as flavor, and intangible characteristics such as typicality, environmental, social and economic sustainability. Communities of descendants of immigrants, especially Italians and Germans, have produced colonial cheese from Rio Grande do Sul since the mid-19th century. The volume of annual production is around 12.5 thousand tons, most of which is processed by hand. The objective of this work is to analyze the perceptions of consumers in Rio Grande do Sul regarding this product, discussing activated consumption values ​​and the attributes associated with it. The data collection was done through a structured questionnaire; the methodology followed the survey model, in which 456 consumers participated. Our results demonstrate that Colonial Cheese has a positive reputation with consumers, presenting characteristics such as taste, cost-benefit ratio and following hygiene standards that meet the emotional and functional needs of consumption. But it is also perceived as a product that has a cultural identity, being an expression of historical know-how, produced in a way that respects the environment and has relevance to the economy of the places where it is produced, which shows that consumers perceive the heritage content of the Colonial Cheese of Rio Grande do Sul.