Aquesta tesi doctoral s'engloba dins d'un projecte general d'estudi de gens implicats en l'embriogènesi del blat de moro. L'embriogènesi del blat de moro, i en general la de totes les plantes superiors, es dóna en tres etapes: una primera etapa on es diferencien tots els diversos teixits que formaran l'embrió, una segona etapa on l'embrió acumula productes de reserva i un tercer període, la dormància, que finalitza quan les condicions ambientals són les idònies per a la germinació. En el laboratori estàvem interessats, concretament, en l'estudi de gens implicats en la primera etapa morfogenètica, on els diferents teixits i estructures embrionàries queden definides. Per tal d'estudiar gens que s'expressaven en aquest període, una de les estratègies que es va realitzar fou un crivellat diferencial entre teixit embrionari i teixit de planta adulta. D'entre els diferents clons obtinguts, un corresponia a un clon parcial que presentava similitud amb receptors quinasa i que fou objecte d'estudi. A partir d'aquest clon es va obtenir el clon complet i es va anomenar MARK (per Maize Atypical Receptor Kinase). MARK presenta una estructura típica d'un receptor quinasa amb un domini extracel.lular, que conté 6 còpies imperfectes de LRR (Leucine- Rich Repeats), un únic domini transmembrana i un domini quinasa intracel.lular. El domini quinasa de MARK presenta, però, algunes variacions en els residus aminoacídics que es consideren claus per a la funció catalítica dels dominis quinasa. En concret cinc dels aminoàcids considerats essencials per a la fosforilació es troben substituits en el domini quinasa de MARK (DK-MARK). Els experiments de fosforilació in vitro que es van realitzar al laboratori, van mostrar com MARK era incapaç de fosforilar in vitro. Aquesta característica no és, però, exclusiva de MARK. Una búsqueda en les bases de dades ens van permetre identificar altres seqüències que també presentaven els mateixos o altres canvis en aquestes posicions aminoacídiques. En les bases de dades de plantes es van identificar un conjunt de seqüències genòmiques o ESTs amb aquestes característiques i només una d'elles, la proteïna TMKL1 d'Arabidopsis, ha sigut descrita com un receptor quinasa incapaç de fosforilar in vitro. Respecte a la búsqueda de receptors similars a MARK en les bases de dades d'animals, es van identificar també un conjunt de proteïnes que, en alguns casos, s'ha descrit que no tenen activitat quinasa in vivo. Per exemple, un dels casos més ben estudiats és el del receptor erbB3 que forma part de la família de receptors del EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor). Aquesta família de receptors està formada per 4 receptors: erbB1, erbB2, erbB3 i erbB4, dels quals només l'erbB3 no presenta activitat catalítica. S'ha descrit que erbB3 és capaç, tot i no fosforilar in vivo, de participar activament en la transducció del senyal formant heterodímers amb els altres membres de la família. Així, erbB3 és fosforilat pel seu partner i pot iniciar la cascada de transducció del senyal. La participació d'erbB3 en la transducció del senyal és essencial ja que embrions de ratolí knock-out pel gen erbB3 són inviables. Així doncs, el fet que receptors quinasa catalíticament inactius participin en les cascades de transducció del senyal, suggereix l'existència de nous mecanismes d'acció per a la transducció del senyal. Per tant, l'objectiu d'aquest treball fou l'estudi del mecanisme d'acció de MARK mitjançant la caracterització les proteïnes capaces d'interaccionar amb el seu domini quinasa. Per tal d'assolir aquest objectiu, es va realitzar un crivellat de doble-híbrid amb una llibreria de cDNA d'embrions de blat de moro de 7 DAP. D'aquest crivellat es va obtenir un conjunt de possibles clons positius que foren seqüenciats i entre els quals es van escollir per un estudi més detallat aquells que s'havien obtingut més vegades com a clons independents. Aquests clons codificaven per: una SAMDC (S-Adenosil Descarboxilasa), una eIF5 (Eukaryotic translation initiation), una hypothetical protein, una unknown protein, una gamma-adaptina i una MAP4K. Amb aquests 6 clons es van fer estudis in vitro i in vivo per tal de confirmar al seva interacció amb DK-MARK. Els estudis in vivo es van realitzar amb la soca de llevat AH109, una soca més astringent que la utilitzada en el crivellat, ja que presenta tres gens marcadors: Histidina, Adenina i Lacz. Els resultats obtinguts van mostrar que els clons codificants per SAMDC i eIF5 no van créixer en un medi selectiu per His i Ade i, per tant o es tracta de falsos positius del sistema o la seva interacció amb DK-MARK és dèbil. D'altra banda, la resta dels clons analitzats (proteïna hipotètica, una proteïna de funció desconeguda, la gamma-adaptina i una MAP4K) van créixer en medis en absència de Histidina i Adenina. Els assatjos de b-galactosidasa van ser tots positius a excepció de la proteïna hipotètica suggerint que potser aquesta interacció sigui més feble. D'altra banda també es van realitzar estudis in vitro amb la tècnica del pull-down. Els resultats obtinguts amb aquesta tècnica van recolzar els obtinguts en cèl.lules de llevat, ja que tots els clons analitzats a excepció dels codificants per SAMDC i eIF5 van donar un resultat d'interacció amb KD-MARK in vitro positiu. Davant aquests resultats ens vam centrar en l'estudi de la proteïna similar a MAP4K, doncs algunes proteïnes de la seva família s'han relacionat amb receptors de membrana. Els clons que es va obtenir del crivellat codificaven per una proteïna similar amb el domini C-terminal a les proteïnes BnMAP4Ka1 i a2 de Brassica napus. Aquestes proteïnes presenten una forta similitud de seqüència amb proteïnes de la família GCK/SPS1 que formen part d'un grup particular de MAPK relacionades amb la proteïna Ste20 (sterile 20 protein) de llevat. Ste20p activa la MAP3K de llevat Ste11 directament per fosforilació, transduint d'aquesta manera el senyal del receptor de feromones de creuament de les cèl.lules de llevat i es pot, doncs, considerar com una proteïna del tipus MAP4K (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase). En els darrers anys, s'han identificat un gran nombre de proteïnes similars a Ste20: fins a una trentena en mamífers, en Drosophila, en Caenorhabditis elegans i en altres organismes. Segons la seva estructura aminoacídica, la família Ste20 s'ha classificat en dues subfamílies: les proteïnes STE20/PAK (p21-activated kinases) i la subfamília GCK/SPS1 (germinal center kinases). Les dues subfamílies estan formades per proteïnes que contenen un domini quinasa i un domini regulador, però, mentre que les proteïnes PAK presenten el domini quinasa en la part C-terminal, les GCKs el presenten en la regió N terminal. Les proteïnes GCK presenten una elevada diversitat estructural en el domini regulador permetent la seva classificació en 6 subfamílies. Mitjançant la tècnica del RACE es va obtenir el clon de cDNA complet que es va anomenar MIK (MARK Interacting Kinase). Amb la tècnica del Southern blot es va poder determinar que el gen MIK és un gen de còpia única en el genoma de blat de moro. Per tal d'analitzar la possible interacció entre DK-MARK i MIK, es va estudiar tant el patró d'expressió d'ambdós gens com el seu patró d'acumulació d'ambdues proteïnes durant l'embriogènesi del blat de moro. El patró d'expressió, analitzat per Northen blot va mostrar uns patrons coincidents al llarg de l'embriogènesi des del seu inici fins als 20 DAP amb una acumulació màxima de mRNA en embrions de 15 DAP. D'altra banda per tal d'estudiar el patró d'acumulació de la proteïna MIK així com per comparar-lo amb el de MARK, es van realitzar estudis de Westerns blot. Els resultats també van mostrar una coincidència en el temps de l'acumulació de les proteïnes MARK i MIK durant l'embriogènesi de blat de moro amb una major acumulació en embrions de 15 i 20 DAP. Es van dur a terme també estudis d'immunolocalitzacions sobre embrions de blat de moro de 15 DAP per tal d'estudiar en quins teixits s'acumulaven ambdues proteïnes. Les immunolocalitzacions van mostrar una major acumulació tant de MARK com de MIK en les zones meristemàtiques i en el teixit vascular sobretot del coleòptil on s'aprecia una forta co-localització de MARK i MIK. Totes aquestes dades són compatibles, doncs, amb una possible interacció de les proteïnes MARK i MIK, tot i que no la demostren. Per tal de demostrar la interacció es van realitzar experiments d'immunoprecipitació in vivo a partir d'extractes d'embrions. Malauradament, els resultats no són clars i en aquests moments en el laboratori s'estan posant a punt aquests experiments. També es van realitzar estudis comparatius de seqüència amb diferents proteïnes de la família GCK, mostrant una major similitud amb les proteïnes de la subfamília GCK-III. La subfamília GCK-III ha estat molt poc estudiada i en formen part un conjunt de proteïnes amb funcions molt diverses des de l'apoptosi, la citoquinesi o l'anòxia cel.lular. Per tant, la similitud de seqüència possiblement fa referència a una conservació en el mecanisme d'acció més que no pas a una conservació funcional. La possible interacció de MARK amb el domini C-terminal de MIK (el domini regulador) podria activar aquesta última iniciant una cascada de transducció del senyal en un model en el que una proteïna del tipus GCK-III faria de lligam directa entre un receptor de membrana i una cascada de senyalització intracel.lular. Aquest tipus de lligam entre un recepctor de membrana i mòduls intracel.lulars de senyalització s'ha descrit per a altres proteïnes GCK, si bé no directament sinó a través de proteïnes adaptadores. D'altra banda, la interacció directa de MARK, un receptor quinasa atípic que no té activitat catalítica, amb MIK suggereix un mecanisme on receptors atípics podrien interaccionar en la transducció del senyal activant la via de les MAPK.

Thesis (MSc (Genetics. Institute of Plant Biotechnology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is an important crop which is cultivated worldwide for the high sucrose content in its stem. Conventional plant breeding has proven to be very successful over the years with regard to the enhancement of yield characteristics but due to the exhaustion of genetic potential in the commercial sugarcane germplasm recent progress has been slow. Genetic engineering seems to be a more attractive approach to enhance sucrose content and pest resistance in the stems but requires appropriate transgenes and suitable promoter. A promoter is essential to drive the transcription of a gene and is therefore critical to the success of transgenic approaches in sugarcane crop improvement. A negligible number of strong stem-specific promoters is available for use in sugarcane and this is one of the major limitations to genetic engineering. The goal of this project was to isolate a stemspecific promoter from maize and sorghum to drive stem-specific transgene expression in sugarcane. The approach used was to source promoters from non-sugarcane grass species with less complex genomes to simplify isolation and possibly counteract silencing. A cDNA sequence (SS) (EST clone, Accession number AW746904) from sugarcane was shown by Northern and Southern analysis to be stem-specific and to have an appropriately low copy number. The SS gene sequence was not expressed in the leaves of maize, sorghum or the sugarcane cultivars and prominent expression was observed only in the stems of the sugarcane hybrids N19 and 88H0019. The SS gene sequence was used to isolate its upstream regions from a Lambda genomic library of maize (Zea mays) and a sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Bacterial Artificial Chromosome library (BAC). Of the four sorghum and six maize clones obtained in this study, a 4500 bp maize genomic DNA fragment (λ5) was sub-cloned in three fragments into separate pBluescript vectors using the ‘forced’ cloning approach for sequence and database (BLASTN) analysis. This revealed the complete SS gene sequence (975 bp), the promoter and a 300 bp intron region. A stretch of DNA sequence from nucleotides 664-3194 from the maize clone 5 sequence was designated the maize5-pro. Following sequence alignment of the maize and sugarcane promoter regions, significant sequence identity (68%) was observed between nucleotide 1675 and 3194 in maize and nucleotide 1506 and 2947 in sugarcane. The distance between the putative TATA-box and the TSS for this promoter (30 bp) was found to fall within the expected range of 32± 7 bp. The promoter region was analysed for possible cis-acting regulatory elements and revealed several promoter elements that are common in other plant promoters. The comparisons made between the putative transcription factors in maizepro-5 and the sugarcane promoter show that both promoter sequences are very similar as they share ten of the same transcription factors. However, the transcriptional factors WBOX, SRE and SP8BFIBSP8BIB are unique to the maize5-pro and the TAAG motif to the sugarcane promoter. Primers were designed with appropriate restriction sites and the promoter and intron (2850 bp) region was amplified by PCR (Polymerase chain reaction). The amplified fragment was fused inframe to the GUS reporter gene encoding β-glucuronidase to produce a transformation test vector. This will be used in future work to assess the functionality of the promoter through the production of stable transformants in which GUS activity can be measured in a range of tissues.

The goal of my thesis is to evaluate the importance of maize in biogas plants. The questionnaire was made to determine the parameters of hybrid corn, its harvest, subsequent silage, inclusion in the daily batch of biogas plants, and various technical and economic parameters. Twenty five biogas plants were addressed to participate in the survey. Despite the promise of anonymity, the data were obtained from only six biogas plants. Biogas plants are located in different regions of the Czech Republic, at different altitudes. The sixth and the last biogas plant is located in Austria.

Aspergillus flavusis a filamentous fungusthat causes an ear and kernel rot in maize (Zea mays L.). It produces a toxic secondary metabolite, aflatoxin, on the colonized maize kernels. Aflatoxin is a carcinogen to humans and animals. The toxin is also an immunosuppressant and causes aspergillosis in immune compromised individuals. Therefore, the presence of aflatoxin in food is strictly regulated by governmental agencies. Contaminated food leads to severe loss in profit and in marketable yield. There has been extensive research to investigate resistance of maize toA. flavus. Certain lines of maize exhibit increased resistance to A. flavus and aflatoxin accumulation compared to others and correlated with that are proteins and metabolites that differ in abundance in those lines. Among them are members of the cupin superfamily of proteins and products of special nitrogen metabolism (derived from glutamate). The goal here was to identify networks underlying disease resistance indifferent maize genotypes through the identification of protein-protein interactions and the analysis of transcript abundance profiles realting to cupins and glutamate. The outcome will be an understanding of host resistance to A. flavussufficient to develop methods to prevent pre-harvest contamination by aflatoxin. A protein abundant in resistant maize was identified as a cupin and named ZmCUP1. The cDNA isolation, expression in E. coliand characterization of the protein encoded by the mRNA, Zmcup1, lead to the discovery that the ZmCUP1 protein had anti fungal properties and oxalate decarboxylase activity (EC 4.1.1.2). Another part of the project aimed at understanding the involvement of a transgene that encoded bacterial NADPH-glutamate dehydrogenase (GDHA; EC 4.2.3.1) that reduced aflatoxin accumulation by half. A maize partial predicted protein to protein interactome was built and used to identify potential interactions between proteins expressed differentially in lines of maize resistant to A. flavus. These interactions were characterized in-silico and one specific interaction, between Zmcup1 and a maize zinc finger protein was characterized in vitro.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / S.V. Krishna Jagadish / Low temperature is one of the most limiting stresses to crops that are adapted to tropical and subtropical regions, such as maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], when introduced into temperate regions. However, no studies have compared the chilling tolerance of maize and sorghum grown together. Therefore, the objective of this research was to screen maize hybrids and sorghum genotypes for chilling tolerance at the germination and seedling stages. With the hypothesis that grain composition of maize and sorghum could lead to varying chilling tolerance, the seeds were analyzed for concentrations of protein, starch, and amylose. Five commercial hybrids of maize and 18 genotypes of sorghum were maintained in growth chambers for 31 days at two temperatures: a control temperature (25/20 °C, day/night) and at chilling temperatures (11/8 °C for 14 days; 12.5/9.5 °C for 14 days, and 14/11 °C for 3 days). Emergence and seedling height were measured during the experiment. At the end of the experiment, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and leaf area were determined. Emergence of sorghum under the chilling temperature regime was low (18%). Average height of the emerged sorghum seedlings in the cold temperatures at the end of the experiment was 1.4 cm compared to 55.5 cm in the control treatment. All maize hybrids emerged, but emergence and growth were slowed by the cold temperatures, and average height at the end of the experiment was 4.6 cm compared to 96.1 cm in the control treatment. Shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and leaf area of the sorghum under the chilling temperatures were too small to measure, and, for maize, they were greatly reduced. The results showed that, for sorghum, temperatures should be above 14 °C for emergence, while maize could emerge at lower temperatures. The analyses of the sorghum seeds showed that Redbine 60 and RTx430 had the highest protein concentrations (15.71% and 15.35%, respectively), and Segaolane had the lowest protein concentration (9.83%). Segaolane had the highest starch concentration (72.71%), and RTx430 had the lowest starch concentration (65.31%). There was an inverse relationship between protein and starch concentrations in the sorghum seeds (R2 = 0.69). Amylose concentrations did not vary significantly among the sorghum seeds. The analyses of the maize seeds showed that Dekalb 51-20 and Pioneer 1151 had the highest protein concentrations (10.98% and 10.95%, respectively), and Pioneer 1105 had the lowest protein concentration (9.26%). Starch and amylose concentrations did not vary significantly among the maize seeds.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2004-05-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:20:57Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_arb_dr_botfca.pdf: 905972 bytes, checksum: 1c30073979107fc7e4560bcba15ab717 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito de diferentes sistemas de manejo do solo e espaçamentos entre linhas sobre cultivares de milho, no município de Botucatu, região central do Estado de São Paulo. O experimento foi conduzido, a campo, na safra de verão dos anos agrícolas de 2000/2001 e 2001/2002, na Fazenda Experimental Lageado da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas - UNESP - Campus de Botucatu-SP, em solo classificado como Nitossolo Vermelho distroférrico, com clima subtropical chuvoso tipo Cfa e caracterizada por apresentar inverno com baixa precipitação pluviométrica. Utilizou-se, respectivamente, para o primeiro e segundo ano de condução do ensaio, as culturas de milheto (Pennisetum americanum) e triticale (Triticum turgidocereale) como plantas de cobertura. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados com parcelas subdivididas com quatro repetições, nos quais foram distribuídos os três sistemas de manejo do solo (PR - preparo reduzido, PD - plantio direto e PC - preparo convencional) que compuseram as parcelas. As subparcelas, em número de oito, foram compostas pelos fatores: cultivar de milho (variedades AL-30 e AL-25 e os híbridos Aventis A-2288 e Cargil C-333B) e espaçamento entre linhas (0,90 m e 0,45 m). A população de plantas foi de aproximadamente 55.000 plantas.ha-1 para os dois espaçamentos estudados. Após as operações de preparo do solo, os melhores resultados de porcentagem de cobertura do solo foram observados no sistema de plantio direto, seguido e nessa ordem pelos sistemas de manejo reduzido e convencional. O sistema de manejo reduzido apresentou maiores valores de diâmetro médio geométrico dos agregados, área de solo mobilizado, capacidade de campo efetiva e consumo horário de combustível e, menores valores de tempo demandado, uso específico de energia e consumo de combustível por área... / The present research had the objective to evaluate different soil tillage and row spacing on corn cultivars, in the municipal district of Botucatu, central area of São Paulo State, characterized by presenting winter with rainfall scarcity. The experiment was led on the field, in 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 summer, in the Experimental Lageado Farm of Agronomic Science College, UNESP-Botucatu-SP, in a soil classified as Red Nitosoil distroferrico, with a rainy subtropical climate called Cfa, using, respectively, for the first and second period, pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum) and triticale (Triticum turgidocereale) as soil covering crops. The experimental design used was randomized blocks in split-plot design with four repetitions where the three soil tillage were distributed (PC - conventional tillage, PR - Reduced Tillage, PD - no tillage) which formed the parcels. The subdivision of the parcels, in number of eight, were composed by the factorial corn cultivar (varieties AL-30 and AL-25 and hybrids Aventis A-2288 and Cargil C-333B) and row spacing (0,90 m and 0,45 m ). The population of plants was approximately 55.000 plants.ha-1 for the two spacing. After the soil tillage operations, the best covering percentage results were observed in no tillage, being followed by reduced tillage and conventional tillage respectively. Reduced tillage presented greater aggregates geometric medium diameter, mobilized soil area, effective field capacity and consume per hour and, lower values of demanded time, energy specific use and fuel consumption per area. The parameters, tenor of water in the soil at seedling, percentage soil covering after seedling and depth of seeds deposition were also influenced by the soil tillage systems. For seedling operation, no tillage sowed at 0.90 m presented the best results of effective field capacity, demanded time, specific energy use and fuel consumption per area...(Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-03-12Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:46:27Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 kappes_c_dr_ilha.pdf: 1718636 bytes, checksum: 955e8aa77cf657ce36d88da312d29401 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Pesquisas são desenvolvidas buscando identificar a melhor dose de nitrogênio para o milho nos mais diferenciados sistemas de manejo do solo. Contudo, não há ainda concordância nos resultados, pois a dinâmica deste nutriente é influenciada pelo manejo do solo e pela cobertura vegetal. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência de coberturas vegetais, sistemas de manejo do solo e doses de nitrogênio em cobertura no milho. Os experimentos foram conduzidos no município de Selvíria – MS, durante os anos agrícolas 2009/10 e 2010/11, em Latossolo Vermelho distrófico típico argiloso (20o 20’ S e 51o 24’ W, com altitude de 340 m). Foram estabelecidos trinta e seis tratamentos com quatro repetições, em blocos casualizados, resultantes da combinação entre coberturas vegetais (milheto, crotalária e milheto + crotalária), manejo do solo (escarificador + grade leve, grade pesada + grade leve e sistema plantio direto) e doses de nitrogênio em cobertura (0, 60, 90 e 120 kg ha-1 – fonte ureia). O híbrido de milho utilizado foi o DKB 350 YG®, semeado no espaçamento de 0,9 m entre as linhas e o nitrogênio aplicado no estádio V5. Os efeitos de cobertura vegetal e manejo do solo foram analisados pelo teste de Tukey e de dose pela análise de regressão. O milheto produz menor quantidade de massa seca em relação à crotalária, porém seus resíduos são mais persistentes no solo. A aplicação de nitrogênio em cobertura proporciona incremento da maioria das características morfológicas e nutricionais de plantas e dos componentes de produção do milho. A utilização de crotalária e de milheto + crotalária como antecessoras, associada à aplicação de 90 kg ha-1 de nitrogênio em cobertura do milho sob sistema plantio direto, proporciona maior produtividade / Research has been developed to identify the best nitrogen rate for maize in many types of soil management systems. However, there is no agreement on the results so far, because the dynamic of nitrogen is influenced by soil management system and cover crops. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of cover crops, soil management systems and side-dressing nitrogen rates for maize. The field trials were carried out in Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, during the growing season of 2009/10 and 2010/11, on a clayey Rhodic Haplustox (20o 20’ S and 51o 24’ W, with altitude of 340 m). Thirty six treatments were established with four replications, in a randomized blocks design, with the combination of cover crops (millet, sunn hemp and millet + sunn hemp), soil management systems (chisel plow + levelling disking, heavy disking + levelling disking, and no-tillage system) and side- dressing nitrogen rates (0, 60, 90 and 120 kg ha-1 – urea source). The hybrid of maize used was DKB 350 YG® sown in the spacing of 0.9 m between lines and the nitrogen applied at V5 growth stage. The effects of cover crops and soil management were analyzed by Tukey test and nitrogen rates by regression analysis. The millet produces less amount of dry mass yield than sunn hemp, but its residues are more persistent on the soil surface. The side-dressing nitrogen application increases most of the morphological and plant nutritional characteristics and yield components of maize. Sunn hemp and millet + sunn hemp grown previously, associated with 90 kg ha-1 side-dressing nitrogen application of maize under no-tillage system, provides higher grain yield

abstract: Perceptions of climate variability and change reflect local concerns and the actual impacts of climate phenomena on people's lives. Perceptions are the bases of people's decisions to act, and they determine what adaptive measures will be taken. But perceptions of climate may not always be aligned with scientific observations because they are influenced by socio-economic and ecological variables. To find sustainability solutions to climate-change challenges, researchers and policy makers need to understand people's perceptions so that they can account for likely responses. Being able to anticipate responses will increase decision-makers' capacities to create policies that support effective adaptation strategies. I analyzed Mexican maize farmers' perceptions of drought variability as a proxy for their perceptions of climate variability and change. I identified the factors that contribute to the perception of changing drought frequency among farmers in the states of Chiapas, Mexico, and Sinaloa. I conducted Chi-square tests and Logit regression analyses using data from a survey of 1092 maize-producing households in the three states. Results showed that indigenous identity, receipt of credits or loans, and maize-type planted were the variables that most strongly influenced perceptions of drought frequency. The results suggest that climate-adaptation policy will need to consider the social and institutional contexts of farmers' decision-making, as well as the agronomic options for smallholders in each state. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Sustainability 2015

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2004-01-29Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:20:58Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 borghi_e_me_botfca.pdf: 1240639 bytes, checksum: 570e18c439c5d2e497993bcb4ea50f29 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / Em regiões caracterizadas por temperaturas altas e ocorrência de chuvas de grande intensidade no verão e com inverno seco a maior limitação para o plantio direto são as produções e as persistências relativamente baixas das espécies de cobertura do solo. A escolha de espécies para integrarem um sistema de rotação de culturas, que consigam produzir biomassa de qualidade e em quantidade suficiente, é de suma importância para a sustentabilidade do sistema de plantio direto e também ao fornecimento de forragem aos animais na época de maior escassez de alimento. O trabalho de pesquisa objetivou avaliar o comportamento da cultura do milho em dois espaçamentos de semeadura combinados com diferentes modalidades de consorciação com a Brachiaria brizantha Stapf cv. Marandu, a fim de promover o fornecimento de forragem na estação seca e a manutenção de cobertura vegetal para o sistema plantio direto no verão, utilizando-se da integração agricultura-pecuária. O experimento foi instalado em condições de campo, no ano agrícola 2002/03, na Fazenda Experimental Lageado, da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas - Campus de Botucatu/UNESP, em um solo classificado como NITOSSOLO VERMELHO Estruturado, cultivado há 5 anos em sistema de plantio direto. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial simples 2x4, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram representados por dois espaçamentos entre linhas de milho (E1-0,45m e E2- 0,90m) e por quatro modalidades de cultivo (MCS-cultivo do milho solteiro, MBL-cultivo do milho com B. brizantha na linha de semeadura, MBE-cultivo do milho com B. brizantha na entrelinha e MBLE-cultivo do milho com B. brizantha simultaneamente na linha e na entrelinha). Foram avaliadas características agronômicas da cultura do milho, a produtividade de grãos, a produtividade das forragens e as características bromatológicas... / In regions characterized by summer with high temperatures and occurrence of large intensity of rains and with dry winter the major limitation, in these regions, of no-tillage system are the low production and persistence of the soil coverings species. The selection of species to integrate a crop rotation system, that achieve to output biomass of quality and in sufficient amount, is at high importance for the sustainability of the no-tillage system and also to supply forage for animals in time of the greatest food scarceness. This research aimed to evaluate the behavior of the corn in two row spacings of the sowing to arranged with different modes of intercropping with Brachiaria brizantha Stapf cv. Marandu, in order to promote the catering of forage in dry season and maintenance of vegetal covering for the no-tillage system in summer, to using as agriculture-pasture integration. The experiment was carried out in field conditions, in 2002-2003, at Lageado Experimental Farm, of Agricultural Science College, campus of Botucatu/UNESP, in Red Nitosol (Alfisol), cultivated by five years in no-tillage system. The experimental design used was the randomized complete-block, as a factorial 2x4, with four replications. The treatments were two row spacings of corn (E1-0.45m and E2-0.90m) and four modalities of tillage (MCS-single corn tillage, MBL-corn tillage with B. birzantha in the row of sowing, MBE-corn tillage with B. brizantha in space between two rows and MBLE-corn tillage with B. brizantha simultaneous in the row and inter-row). It was evaluated the agronomical characteristics of corn, grains productivity, forages productivity, and bromatological characteristics. The 0.90m row spacing to proposed major dry matter productivity of B. brizantha during period of intercropped with corn, while after harvest the grain culture production, independent of spacing, everyone modalities of tillage showed... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

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Agradecemos a compreensão. on 2017-01-16T15:59:11Z (GMT) / Submitted by LIGIA MARA SANDESKI null (ligia_sandeski@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-01-16T16:33:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Lígia.pdf: 1319335 bytes, checksum: 713d38fb92f826ec3d351a79254de66e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-01-17T17:52:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 sandeski_lm_dr_araca.pdf: 1319335 bytes, checksum: 713d38fb92f826ec3d351a79254de66e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-17T17:52:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 sandeski_lm_dr_araca.pdf: 1319335 bytes, checksum: 713d38fb92f826ec3d351a79254de66e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-11-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O milho é o ingrediente energético comumente utilizado na formulação de ração de aves que apresenta um papel pigmentante adicional para as gemas dos ovos por conter xantofilas, diferentemente do trigo e do sorgo, que apresentam pouco ou nenhum potencial para isso. Neste estudo foram consideradas as quantidades de xantofilas oriundas dos ingredientes energéticos no cálculo de xantofilas totais da ração. O objetivo do experimento foi identificar as quantidades de xantofilas amarelas e vermelhas a serem adicionadas às rações à base de milho, sorgo e trigo para proporcionar as cores de gemas preferidas pela população local. Além disso, pretendeu-se determinar o custo das rações que forneceram as cores de gemas mais aceitas. Foram realizados três experimentos individuais com 72 aves (Dekalb) cada. Os experimentos foram combinados, resultando em rações contendo oito níveis de xantofilas amarelas (0; 0,25; 0,5; 1,0; 1,25; 1,5; 1,75 e 2,0 mg/ave/dia) e três níveis de xantofilas vermelhas (0; 0,35 e 0,7 mg/ave/dia). Para os dados de desempenho, as aves foram pesadas no início e ao final do experimento e o peso dos ovos foi registrado diariamente. A análise de custo foi realizada com a utilização do Programa Prático para Formulação de Ração. A cor das gemas foi determinada pelos métodos objetivo (L, a, b) e subjetivo (Leque Colorimétrico da Roche - LCR). A aceitação da cor foi avaliada por uma escala hedônica de cinco pontos. Os pesos das aves (P = 1,00) e dos ovos (P = 0,07) não foram influenciados pela inclusão dos aditivos nas rações. As cores LCR mais aceitas foram 9 com a dieta à base de milho, 6 com a dieta à base de sorgo e 8 com a dieta à base de trigo, alcançadas com a suplementação de 2,0 mg/ave/dia de pigmentos amarelos nas dietas de milho e sorgo, e de 1,25mg/ave/dia de pigmentos amarelos na dieta de trigo. Houve interação significativa entre as quantidades de xantofilas amarelas e vermelhas (P < 0,0001), sobre L, a e b. O custo da ração de milho ajustada ao menor consumo (90 g/ave/dia) para fornecer cor LCR 9 para as gemas foi de R$ 111,26 para 1.000 aves e o custo da ração de sorgo ajustada ao maior consumo (110 g/ave/dia) para se obter a mesma cor foi de R$ 86,58, para 1.000 aves/dia. / Maize is the energy ingredient mostly used for poultry feed formulation, with an additional role on the pigmentation of the egg yolks due to its xanthophylls, unlike wheat and sorghum, with little or no potential for it. Of this study, the amounts of xanthophylls from the energy ingredients were considered for the calculation of total xanthophylls of the diet. The objective of the experiment was to identify the amounts of yellow and red xanthophylls to be added to maize, sorghum and wheat diet to provide the preferred yolk colors for the local population. In addition, it was intended to determine the cost of the diets that provided the most accepted yolk colors. Three individual experiments were performed with 72 laying hens (Dekalb) each. The experiments were combined, resulting in diets containing eight levels of yellow xanthophylls (0; 0.25; 0.5; 1.0; 1.25; 1.5; 1.75 and 2.0 mg/hen/day) and three levels of red xanthopylls (0; 0.35 and 0.7 mg/hen/day) in the diets. For the performance analyses, hens were weighed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment and the eggs were weighed daily. The cost analysis was assessed using the Pratical Program for Feed Formulation. The yolks colors were evaluated by objective (L, a and b) and subjective (Roche Yolk Color Fan - RYC) methods. The preference for the yolk color was assessed by a hedonic scale of five points. The hens` weight (P = 1.00) and the eggs` weight (P = 0.07) were not influenced by the inclusion of the additives in the diets. The most accepted RYC colors were 9 with the maize based diets, 6 with sorghum diets and 8 with wheat diets, which were achieved with the addition of 2.0 mg/hen/day of yellow pigments to the maize and sorghum diets, and 1.25mg/hen/day of yellow pigments to the wheat diet. There was a significant interaction between the amount of yellow and red xanthophylls (P < 0.0001) on L, a and b. The cost of the maize diet adjusted to the lowest consumption (90 g/hen/day) to achieve RYC color 9 to egg yolks was R$ 111.26 for 1.000 hens/day, and the cost of the sorghum diet adjusted to the highest consumption (110 g/hen/day) to achieve the same color, was R$ 86.58 for 1.000 hens/day.