Agriculture is a fundamental activity for human development. However, its sustainable practice is required to ensure the perpetuity of future resources. In this way, bacteria can benefit crops by ...making available nutrients and metabolites, mainly contributing to reducing the demand for chemical fertilizers. This study aimed to evaluate the biofertilizing capacity of Azospirillum brasilense, Bacillus megaterium, and Brevibacillus fluminis and their effects on improving the physiological and morphoanatomical properties of strawberry seedlings. In vitro tests were performed to evince their potential to supply nutrients (P and K) and produce siderophores and indole-acetic acid. In an inoculation experiment, these strains were inoculated in isolation and mixed in pairs and triples. This experiment was carried out in a greenhouse in a completely randomized design (CRD). The inoculated treatments were fertilized with 30% N and P demands; the uninoculated control received 30% and 100% of these demands. Leaf gas exchange, total chlorophylls, and crown diameter were evaluated during cultivation. After 138 days, leaf number, nutrient content, root length, root and shoot fresh and dry weight, and total seedlings were evaluated. The bacteria tested positive in all in vitro evaluations except for siderophore production. The strawberry responded positively to inoculation. The inoculation, either in isolation or in a mixture, improved stomatal conductance, leaf transpiration, internal CO2 concentration, leaf N and Mg contents, crown diameter, leaf area, and root elongation. We can conclude that the intermediation of microorganisms improves nutrient use efficiency and reduces the strawberry’s fertilizer demand by up to 70%, leading to plant development and yields comparable to complete fertilization.
The association of different species of endophytic bacteria with the rhizosphere of the host plants can stimulate growth, development and acclimatization, offering a greater quantity of seedlings, in ...addition to reducing the cycle, providing economic return to the producer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of introduction four bacterial isolates through inoculation into the root system in three banana cultivars (Prata Anã, Grande Naine and BRS Princesa) in the acclimatization phase. The evaluated treatments were: control (nutrient broth without bacteria); Bacillus cereus strain 1 (BC1); Bacillus cereus strain 2 (BC2); Bacillus thuringiensis (BT); Buttiauxella agrestis (BA). The morphological characteristics related to the development of the plants (total height and pseudostem diameter) were evaluated throughout the acclimatization period. After 90 days of transplanting and acclimatization, root length, leaf number, dry root weight, pseudostem and leaf, leaf area, internal carbon concentration, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, leaf temperature and chlorophyll were evaluated.
The bacteria showed different results in relation to the studied cultivars. Considering the morphological and physiological characteristics observed in this study, B. thuringiensis for the cultivars Prata Anã and Grande Naine and the B. agrestis for the cultivar BRS Princesa are recommended for the process of acclimatization of banana seedlings, as they stimulated growth of the plant, increasing the dry mass, besides promoting the growth of roots. In this way, they improved the physiological aspects of the plants and reduced the period of acclimatization of the banana.
Strawberry is a pseudofruit of great economic importance, and most of its production is carried out in a conventional system. However, abiotic stresses can affect the culture. Salt stress is one of ...the problems that can cause damage, and consequently impair the growth and productivity of the crop. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of growth-promoting bacteria in mitigating the morphological effect of salt stress caused by NaCl in strawberry. The experiment consisted of six treatments, two controls (0 and saline) and four containing the bacteria (
Pseudomonas fluorescens
,
Streptomyces
sp.,
Rhizobium
sp.,
Enterobacter
sp.) plus 50 mM NaCl. Strawberry plants of cultivars Pircinque and PRA Estiva were inoculated with the bacteria and transferred to 2L pots containing commercial substrate plus 50 mM NaCl, where they remained for 90 days. Subsequently, aerial part and root length, number of leaves, fresh and dry mass, chlorophyll
a
,
b
, total and carotenoids were evaluated. The bacterium Streptomyces sp. stood out positively in all phytotechnical parameters analyzed. For the cultivar Pircinque, in terms of pigment content, the microorganism
Enterobacter
sp. stood out among all the others for all the analyzed pigments, while for the cultivar PRA Estiva there was a greater emphasis on the microorganism Rhizobium sp. in all analyzed pigments. The growth-promoting bacteria mitigated the effects of salinity on strawberry plants, making their growth and photosynthetic production not compromised by NaCl toxicity.
Screening tests have been used for cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD).
This study compared the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the ...clock drawing test for this purpose.
A total of 50 patients with PD were selected, 41 (82%) were diagnosed with dementia by the criteria of the Movement Disorder Society. The test Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Cognition (SCOPA-Cog) was used as the gold standard in comparison with the screening tests.
The MoCA test (AUC=0.906) had a sensitivity of 87.80% and specificity of 88.89%. When the MMSE was associated with the clock drawing test (AUC=0.936), it had a specificity of 66.67% and sensitivity of up to 97.56%.
The study suggests that the MoCA test can be a good screening test in PD. However, MMSE associated with the clock drawing test may be more effective than the MoCA test.
Summary
Biodiesel can be obtained by transesterification of the triglycerides present in the vegetable oil and animal fat. After the reaction it is necessary to purify the alkyl esters. One way to ...obtain this is making the dry wash. Thus, this study proposes the preparation of polyurethane foams with maltodextrin as sorbents for use in the biodiesel purification. The foams were prepared and characterized by ATR‐FTIR, TGA, DSC and water absorption test (ASTM D570). The FTIR spectra showed typical bands of polyurethane, TGA curves showed weight loss in two stages, the DSC analysis of the foams based on maltodextrin revealed a Tg value higher than that observed for the control foam, moreover, the absorption test in water showed that the foams based on maltodextrin showed a more hydrophilic character. The efficiency of the foams as possible sorbents for biodiesel purification was monitored by two indicators: soap concentration (AOCS Cc 17‐19) and acidity index (AOCS Ca 5a‐40). The results indicated that the foams were promising candidates in the removal of contaminants.
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