El proyecto tuvo como objetivo estudiar las estructuras de las envolturas de frutos y semillas de la región semiárida brasileña, con el objetivo de comprender el proceso de organización interna de los elementos naturales, para el desarrollo de envases bioinspirados para productos industriales, teniendo en cuenta la relación entre forma y función.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen topdressing rates applied to an intercrop of maize (M) with paiaguás grass (G) and pigeonpea (P) on silage production and on the pasture development in the offseason. Treatments consisted of two simultaneous intercropping systems (M + G; and M + G + P) and four N topdressing rates (0, 80, 160, and 240 kg ha?1). The introduction of pigeonpea into the system and the increasing N rates provided gains in yield and silage quality. Pigeonpea responded to nitrogen fertilization by having good regrowth and good dry matter yields in the intercrop. For silage making, the N rates of 240 kg ha?1 N for M+G and 120 kg ha?1 for M+G+P can be recommended. Nitrogen rates promote an increase in the dry matter yield of the grass and of pigeonpea, resulting in improvements in the pasture during the offseason.
The quality of meat is influenced by several aspects, among which post-vaccination abscesses and bruises stand out as primary factors for the condemnation of carcasses. However, economic losses resulting from improper handling practices can severely compromise the profitability of both the packing plant and the producer. The objective of this study was to estimate the frequency of occurrence of abscesses and bruises in carcasses of animals slaughtered in a packing plant and analyze the economic losses generated by them. The number of animals examined was determined according to the slaughter flow in the packing plant (10-20% of animals/day). Data pertaining to region and number of bruises, abscess location, weight of excised portions and distance from the municipalities of origin of the animals were collected and evaluated by descriptive statistical analysis. The occurrence of lesions was 78% trauma- and 45% abscess-derived. The presence of these lesions resulted in economic losses, representing a depreciation of BRL 2.99/animal in the profit obtained by the cattle farmer. A comparison between the "sex classes" and "bruising" factors revealed that the females had higher occurrence and distribution of bruises and abscesses than uncastrated and castrated males. Bruises were more frequent in the hindquarter region, regardless of the distance, while abscesses were restricted to the forequarter. The weight of discarded tissues was higher on farms less than 200 km away from the packing plant; however, these results were influenced by the number of animals evaluated in the group.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield and agronomic efficiency of mombaça grass achieved with the management of nitrogen fertilization, based on the nitrogen sufficiency index (NSI) calculated using measurements obtained with a chlorophyll meter. The experiment was conducted in the field, in São Luís de Montes Belos - GO, Brazil, from November 2016 to May 2018, as a randomized-block design with six treatments and five replicates. Treatments consisted of six N fertilization management strategies (M), namely, M1 - reference, with 150 kg ha-1 N per application; M2 - recommended, with 50 kg ha-1 N per application; M3 - 50 kg ha-1 N when NSI < 98%; M4 - 50 kg ha-1 N when NSI < 94%; M5 - 50 kg ha-1 N when NSI < 90%; and M6 - control treatment, without N application. The NSI was monitored based on the relative chlorophyll content obtained with the chlorophyll meter. Forage canopy height, tiller density, and yield were evaluated. At the end of the 2nd cycle, the recommended, reference, NSI98%, NSI94%, and NSI90% treatments had received 1,050, 350, 300, 250, and 0 kg N ha-1. Control treatment obtained the lowest dry biomass yield, whereas the recommended, NSI98%, and NSI94% treatments showed the highest. Thus, N doses between 1,950 and 300 kg ha-1, in the second cycle, provided statistically equivalent yields in mombaça grass. Considering the DM of both evaluation cycles, the highest yield was achieved with the NSI98% and NSI94% treatments. The application of N doses of 250 to 1050 kg ha-1 provided similar yields. Therefore, the adoption of a nitrogen sufficiency index below 98% and 94% as a parameter allows a reduction and rational use of nitrogen fertilizer.
