<p>Plant microbiomes are increasingly recognized for their potential to help plants with critical functions such as nutrient acquisition. Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient in agriculture and growers apply substantial amounts to meet crop needs. Only 50% of N fertilizers are generally taken up by plants and the rest is subject to loss which negatively affects environmental quality. Organic fertilizers such as cover crops and animal manure can help reduce this loss, though these materials must mineralize via microbial mediated processes before they are available for plant uptake, which makes managing fertility using these sources difficult. Some plants can scavenge nutrients from organic materials by stimulating positive priming processes in soil. Carrot (<i>Daucus carota.</i> L) is known as an N scavenging crop, making it an ideal model crop to study these interactions. In a greenhouse trial, soils were amended with an isotopically labeled corn residue to track N movement, and planted with one of five carrot genotypes expected to differ in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Changes in soil b-glucosidase activity, ammonium (NH₄⁺-N) and nitrate (NO₃^--N) concentrations, soil bacterial community composition, weight and carbon and N concentrations, and total δ¹⁵N of above and below ground carrot biomass were determined. Results indicate that there are genetic differences in the ability of carrots to promote priming under N limited conditions, which could be exploited to enhance NUE in carrots. Soil microbial communities differed between genotypes, indicating that some of these microbes could play a role in the differential N scavenging responses observed, and/or contribute to other important functions such as resistance to pests. Endophytic microbes residing inside carrot taproots also have potential to contribute to NUE and other benefits, but are notoriously difficult to isolate and culture. New next generation sequencing technologies have revolutionized the study of microbiomes, though using these tools to study bacterial endophytes in plants is still difficult due to co-amplification of plant organelles. Consequently, a second study was conducted to determine if subjecting carrot tissues to hollow fiber microfiltration followed by enzymatic digestion could enhance recovery and amplification of bacterial endophytes. Carrot taproot digests were subject to amplification using a standard V3-V4 16S primer set, as well as two alternative (blocking and mismatch) primer sets that have prevented amplification of plastids/mitochondria in other plant species. Results indicate that the microfiltration/digestion procedure can increase the number of bacterial endophyte OTUs assigned and could be further optimized for use in carrots. The blocking and mismatch primer sets were not as effective in blocking co-amplification of plant products as they are in other studies, possibly due to the presence of a high number of chromoplasts in carrot tissues. Taxonomic assignment of bacterial endophytes differed significantly between the primer sets, indicating that multiple primer sets may be needed to fully characterize these communities in carrots. The enzymatic digestion procedure could artificially inflate certain taxa, which could be helpful if targeting specific taxa. These studies demonstrate that carrots are intimately connected with microbes residing in the soil and within their taproots, and further exploration of these plant-soil-microbial relationships could enhance the yield and sustainability of carrot production systems.</p>

The aim of this dissertation is to summarize the current ecological situation in the Czechia. A very important aspect of this alternative agriculture is its regional differentiation. Czechia has a lot of organic farms, the mian aim of this thesis is to map their location and determine the location is correct or not. NUTS 4 units will be used in mapping the distribution of ecological farms as they are the suitable units for making comparisons. The source of data on which this research is based is the Ministry of Agriculture and Control organization KEZ, o.p.s. The results of this research are displayed in the form of tables and pictures. Cartograms and cart-diagrams are used to display the geographical distribution of the organic subjects. The commentaries on the cartograms and cart-diagrams are the key part of this research. This dissertation also briefly looks comparison Czechia with other member states of the EU member states in organic farming and own research which aims to offer organic products in stores. C lick to buy N O W ! PDF-XCHANGE w w w .docu-track.c o m C lick to buy N O W ! PDF-XCHANGE w w w .docu-track.c o m

One of the more challenging aspects of organic farming is the development of an appropriate fertility plan, which may include crop rotation, cover crops, and/or soil amendments. When fertility is maintained by applying manure and/or compost, a pressing question is how much should be used. A framework was developed to address this question based on the idea of a decay series, which is a sequence of numbers quantifying the effects of compost on crop yield over a multi-year period. Prior research has focused on decay series expressed in nitrogen fertilizer equivalents. Given this information, I show how to calculate what manure/compost rates are needed to meet the nitrogen targets in a multi-crop rotation. Analogous results are presented for when the objective is profit rather than yield maximization. The planning framework is then generalized to include decay series where the carryover effects of manure/compost are measured, not against nitrogen fertilizer, but against new applications of the amendment. This change of basis, from nitrogen fertilizer equivalents to manure/compost equivalents, allows for field research on organically certified land and quantifies non-nutritive effects in a more meaningful way. Two case studies are presented to illustrate how this new type of decay series may be estimated and used to optimize crop production. By using data from a continuous corn (Zea mays L.) system amended with cattle manure slurry, the case study in estimation explores the methodological challenges that arise when the yield response to nitrogen fertilizer is not available as a benchmark. The case study in optimization looks at profit-maximizing compost rates for dryland, organic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in northern Utah.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第19877号 / 地環博第151号 / 新制||地環||30(附属図書館) / 32913 / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)准教授 深町 加津枝, 教授 柴田 昌三, 教授 星野 敏 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

The goal of this thesis is to give an insight in the legislation of the organic farming in the Czech Republic. The thesis is divided into four main parts. The first part presents an introduction to the topic, defines basic concepts such as sustainable agriculture, organic farming, organic farm or organic product. It outlines the historical development of organic farming, its basic principles and objectives, it also deals with genetic engineering and the reasons why they are not used in organic farming, and finally the relationship between organic farming and the protection of individual components of the environment. The second part describes the international regulation of organic agriculture, emphasis is placed on the Convention on Biological Diversity, the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements and Codex Alimentarius. The aim is to outline activities of the most important organizations, which were at the beginning of the development of organic agriculture in the world and in the Czech Republic, and which significantly contributed to designing the guidelines and the first laws governing organic farming and they are, in my opinion, up to the present day in a position where they not only can continue to intervene in the rulemaking but also given the gained experince they are supposed and...

A preocupação com a conservação do meio ambiente é crescente em tempos atuais. Concomitantemente, tem-se a necessidade de produzir alimentos em larga escala; o que favoreceu o aparecimento de sintomas indesejáveis no meio ambiente. Alternativas ao sistema convencional de produção agropecuária, como a adoção de sistemas agrícolas baseados na Agroecologia, tornaram-se práticas inadiáveis. Neste trabalho procurou-se caracterizar o efeito da mudança do sistema agrícola atual pelo agroecológico em um grupo de pequenos produtores de açúcar mascavo do norte do Paraná, denominado Grupo Curupira. Para aprofundar a avaliação da nova tecnologia adotada pelo Grupo Curupira, um experimento de campo elaborado na Estação Experimental de Agronomia de Piracicaba do Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) fez, também, parte do objeto de estudo deste trabalho. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que, em função da mudança do sistema agrícola de produção, o Grupo Curupira obteve melhorias em atributos de desenvolvimento social e econômico. No tocante a aspectos tecnológicos, ainda se tornam necessárias adequações para melhoria dos índices de rentabilidade e produtividade. / Recently, there has been an increasing concern about the environment preservation. On the other hand, there’ve the need to produce huge quantities of food, which has a great impact in environment. A lot of effort has been done to develop alternative agricultural systems, such as the Agroecology. This research analyzed the effect of the exchange from an usual agricultural system to the Agroecology in group of small brown sugar growers from the Parana State called Grupo Curupira. To evaluate the technology used by the growers, an field experiment was done in Agronomy Research Center of the "Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC)", located in Piracicaba. The final results showed that the exchange in the agricultural system provided a good social and economical development for growers group. However, the technical evaluation reveled those adjustments to improve the yield and profit indexes are needed.

The focus of diploma thesis is the analysis of present state of a farm and following evaluation its suitability for business in the system of organic production considering site conditions, structure of the company, its specialization, human factors and economical aspects. The theoretical part deals with problematics of organic agriculture and its sustainability, support of organic farmers and factors which influence farming in protected landscape areas. The practical part of the thesis is focused on evaluation of present state of the farm. Plant production and livestock production are evaluated together with possibilities of accommodation services as non-productive activities of the farm. For the evaluation of the company in terms of its suitability for business in organic agriculture SWOT analysis has been used. In conclusion, suitability of the farm for business in organic agriculture practices is evaluated. Furthermore, recommendations and proposals for initiation of the activities are added.

Resumo: Espécies nativas têm sido cada vez mais estudadas em função do seu potencial em reflorestar áreas degradadas. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar o desenvolvimento inicial de duas espécies arbóreas nativas pioneiras, Cytharexyllum myrianthum Cham. (Pau-Viola) e Schinus terebinthifolius (Aroeira-Pimenteira), nos sistemas orgânico, convencional (NPK) e biodinâmico. Foram cultivadas por 6 meses, em cada um dos três substratos usados, 43 plantas de cada espécie. Foram medidas as características altura, diâmetro de colo, peso úmido e seco, e realizadas análises químicas das partes aérea e radicular das mudas. Os resultados mostraram que, em termos de crescimento, as espécies C. myrianthum e S. terebinthifolius apresentam respostas diferentes em relação aos substratos. De modo geral, C. myrianthum se desenvolve melhor em solo biodinâmico do que no orgânico, e melhor em solo orgânico do que com NPK. Já para S. terebinthifolius, embora a diferença entre os tratamentos não tenha sido evidente para várias características, há um melhor desempenho no solo com NPK do que no solo orgânico, e isso pode estar relacionado à ação química que atua diretamente na planta, mas que pode trazer grandes desvantagens em termos de conservação de solo. O estudo atende satisfatoriamente à proposta de buscar sistemas sustentáveis para o desenvolvimento de mudas e recuperação de áreas degradadas. / Abstract: Native species have been largely studied due to their potential for reforesting degradaded areas. In this way, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the initial development of two pioneer native tree species, Cytharexyllum myrianthum Cham. (Pau-Viola) and Schinus terebinthifolius (Aroeira-Pimenteira), in organic, conventional (NPK) and biodynamic soil. For 6 months 43 seedlings of each species were cultivated in each one of the tested soils. It were measured the plant height, colon diameter, wet and dry weight, and chemical analysis of aerial and root parts of the plants were carried as well. The results showed that the growth response of C. myrianthum was different from that of S. terebinthifolius. In general, C. myrianthum growths better in biodynamic than in organic soil, and better in organic than in conventional soil (NPK). For S. terebinthifolius, although the soil treatments almost did not affect of the tested characteristics, growth was still better in conventional than in organic soil, but it may be an effect of the chemical action of this treatment that has a direct effect on the plant and may bring serious soil conservation problems. The study satisfies the proposal of searching for sustained systems for the development of seedlings and recovery of degraded areas. / Orientador: Maristela Simões do Carmo / Coorientador: Francisco Araújo Câmara / Banca: Sheila Zambello de Pinho / Banca: Eduardo Mendoza Rodriguez / Mestre

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-04-19T12:53:43Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - André Chagas de Sousa - 2018.pdf: 3179627 bytes, checksum: 058abedce01b725efe91d2e76434d104 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-04-19T12:54:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - André Chagas de Sousa - 2018.pdf: 3179627 bytes, checksum: 058abedce01b725efe91d2e76434d104 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-19T12:54:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - André Chagas de Sousa - 2018.pdf: 3179627 bytes, checksum: 058abedce01b725efe91d2e76434d104 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-09 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás - FAPEG / This research sought to understand sustainability in the process of certified organic production, by the means of the study of a property with such certification, instituted by Law 10.831 and audited by IBD. Using a multi-method analysis, which integrated SWOT strategic planning methodology and Marco de Evaluación de Sistemas de Manejo Incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidad – MESMIS (Indicator-based Framework for Evaluation of Natural Resource Management. Systems), indicators were elaborated for the main organizational sectors of a well-established company in organic production: Marketing; Operations; Management Information System; Property Administration; Finance; and Human Resources. 31 indicators were worked out: 13 for the environmental dimension, 9 for the economic dimension, and 9 for the social dimension. They were measured by a semi-structured interview and questionnaires dealing with the following attributes: productivity, stability, resilience, and equity. The evaluation of the results served to identify the critical points and discuss them with the participants of the productive processes in the company. The MESMIS was essential to identify the indicators and allowed, besides measuring them, the possibility to describe them in a qualitative way. The method provides a participatory and interdisciplinary bias, as well as a systemic approach, integrating the attributes of sustainability and the environmental, economic and social dimensions, and, additionally, when applied in conjunction with the SWOT, it provides corrective measures to critical points. The results of the indicators of environmental dimension - 8.5, economic dimension - 7.7, and social dimension - 8.3 indicate that, with an aggregate value of 8.2, the property analyzed can be classified as "good" in relation to sustainability. On the other hand, results reached between the dimensions also display low average values. Indicators assessed as poor are: commercial product presentation - note 1,7 (economic); dependence on external resources - note 4,7 (economic); organic matter with origin in the property (%) - note 4,2 (ecological); diversity of alternative techniques - note 3,3 (ecological); satisfaction with public technical assistance - note 3,3 (social); persons occupied by ha (total of the productive unity) - note 5,0 (social); persons employed/ typical demanded days - note 6,0 (social). The research, in addition to its limitations, also demonstrated that the strategic analysis, starting from the SWOT Matrix, focusing on the organizational areas, and conducted by the MESMIS method, is an essential tool for the administrator to execute actions that improve the sustainability of the agroecosystem in which his/her venture is inserted. / Esta pesquisa buscou compreender a sustentabilidade no processo de produção orgânica, a partir do estudo de uma propriedade com tal normatização, instituída pela Lei nº 10.831 e auditada pelo IBD. Utilizando a análise multi-método, por meio da integração da metodologia de planejamento estratégico SWOT ao Marco para a Avaliação de Sistemas de Manejo de Recursos Naturais Incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidade (Mesmis), foram elaborados indicadores para os principais setores organizacionais: Mercadológico; Operações; Sistema de Informação Gerencial; Administração da Propriedade; Financeiro e Recursos Humanos, de uma empresa consolidada na produção orgânica. Foram trabalhados 31 indicadores, sendo 13 para a dimensão ambiental, 9 para a econômica e 9 para a social, tendo sido eles mensurados por uma entrevista semiestruturada e questionários que tratavam dos atributos: produtividade, estabilidade, resiliência e equidade. A avaliação dos resultados serviu para identificar os pontos críticos e discuti-los junto aos participantes dos processos produtivos na empresa. O Mesmis foi essencial para identificar os indicadores e permitiu que, além de poder mensurá-los, fosse possível descrevê-los de maneira qualitativa. O método propicia um viés participativo e interdisciplinar, bem como uma abordagem sistêmica, integrando os atributos da sustentabilidade e as dimensões ambiental, econômica e social e, ao ser aplicado em conjunto com o SWOT, oportuniza medidas de correção dos pontos críticos. Os resultados dos indicadores da dimensão ambiental de 8,5, da dimensão econômica de 7,7 e da dimensão social de 8,3 indicam que, com um valor agregado de 8,2, a propriedade analisada pode ser classificada como “boa” em relação à sua sustentabilidade. Apresenta as decorrências alcançadas entre as dimensões, pelos baixos valores médios encontrados para: apresentação do produto comercial – nota 1,7 (econômica); dependência de recursos externos – nota 4,7 (econômica); Matéria Orgânica. com origem na propriedade (%) – nota 4,2 (ecológica); diversidade de técnicas alternativas – nota 3,3 (ecológica); satisfação com a assistência técnica pública – nota 3,3 (social); pessoas ocupadas por ha (total da Unidade Produtiva) – nota 5,0 (social); pessoas ocupadas/jornadas típicas demandadas – nota 6,0 (social). A pesquisa, além de suas limitações, evidenciou também que a análise estratégica, partindo da Matriz SWOT, focando as áreas organizacionais, e conduzida pelo método MESMIS é uma ferramenta essencial para que o administrador possa executar ações que aprimorem a sustentabilidade do agroecossistema no qual seu empreendimento se insere.

O Vale do Ribeira paulista é a principal região produtora de banana do Brasil, é uma área importante de conservação da biodiversidade, mas também uma das zonas mais pobres do estado. Assim sendo, é necessário que novas formas de cultivos dessa fruta, mais sustentáveis, como a agricultura orgânica, sejam consideradas como uma forma de promover o desenvolvimento local, minimizando os impactos negativos no ambiente. Para tanto, é imprescindível que os principais problemas do sistema agrário em questão sejam claramente conhecidos, a fim de permitir propostas de melhorias no sistema que sejam bem aderidas à realidade. Essas questões foram aqui discutidas na escala do sistema agrário da região, através de análises dos dados do último censo agropecuário do Brasil, realizado pelo IBGE, para a construção prévia de um panorama da agricultura orgânica e da fruticultura orgânica no país. Posteriormente foram conduzidos 11 estudos de caso, os quais exemplificam experiências singulares de cultivo da bananeira na região. Esses estudos foram combinados com parâmetros agronômicos mensurados no primeiro semestre de 2014, além de diversas entrevistas realizadas com agentes chave do sistema agrário da bananicultura do Vale do Ribeira. Foi encontrado que no país todo há uma tendência de quanto maior a área das propriedades, maior é a proporção de estabelecimentos praticantes de agricultura orgânica certificada, dentro do universo de propriedades de tamanho similar. Esse dado mostra que, proporcionalmente, o interesse na certificação orgânica é maior entre as grandes propriedades do que entre as menores. Contudo, no Vale do Ribeira essa tendência não é observada, de maneira que a bananicultura orgânica nessa região é uma atividade predominantemente exercida por pequenos agricultores marginalizados e sem um histórico de aproximação e conhecimento do movimento orgânico. Soma-se a essa questão o fato de que os principais obstáculos à sustentabilidade do sistema agrário da banana no Vale do Ribeira são a falta de meios ecológicos de restauração da fertilidade, visto a descapitalização dos produtores, e a imposição por parte do mercado, sobretudo da cidade de São Paulo, ao cultivo de variedades altamente suscetíveis à sigatoka. Esse problema poderia ser contornado através de medidas que facilitassem o acesso, por parte dos agricultores pobres, a fertilizantes orgânicos e ecológicos, e através de uma maior união dos produtores, que valendo-se da maior aceitação, por parte do mercado de orgânicos, de produtos não usuais, haveria uma maior facilidade de venda dos frutos de cultivares mais resistentes às sigatokas. Situações de pouca informação e integração desses produtores orgânicos dificulta essas ações. / Vale do Ribeira São Paulo is the main banana producing region of Brazil, it is an important area for biodiversity conservation, but also one of the poorest areas of the state. For that reason, new forms of banana cropping, more sustainable, such as organic agriculture for example, are necessary that be considered as a way to promote local development while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Therefore, it is essential that the main problems of the agrarian system in question are clearly known, in order to allow system improvements proposals that are well connected to reality. We discussed these issues, at the scale of region agricultural system, through analysis of data from the last agricultural census of Brazil, conducted by IBGE, for the prior construction of organic agriculture and organic fruit production panorama at the country. Subsequently we conducted 11 case studies which exemplify unique experiences of banana cropping in the region, these studies were combined with agronomic data collected in the first half of 2014, moreover we have done several interviews with key players of Vale do Ribeira banana agricultural system. We found that there is a trend towards the larger the area of properties, the higher proportion of certified organic practice. This data shows that, proportionally, the interest in organic certification is higher among large farms than among minors. Nonetheless, at Vale do Ribeira this trend is not observed, as the region organic banana farming is mainly a small and marginal farmers activity carried on, generally without a historical approach and knowledge of the organic movement. Besides there is the fact that the main sustainability constraints of Vale do Ribeira banana agricultural system are the lack of ecological means of fertility restoration, due to the undercapitalization faced by producers, and the imposition by the market, especially the city of São Paulo, to the cultivation of varieties highly susceptible to sigatoka. This problem could be overcome through means that facilitate the access of poor farmers to organic and ecological manure, and through greater union of producers, taking advantage of the organic market greater acceptance for unusual products, such as the resistant varieties of bananas, where the sales would be easier. Although, the situations of little information and integration of organic producers make these actions difficult.