Morphological and chemical characterization of Alternaria populations from apple fruit.

Alternaria is a frequent contaminant of apple fruit, causing severe economic losses. It can produce external lesions and mouldy core, characterised by a rotten area in the apple core. In the present study, morphological and chemical characterization of Alternaria from apples was performed, evaluating differences related to agricultural practices and type of disease. A low morphological diversity was observed; most of the isolates were identified as A. tenuissima sp.-grp. (95 %). A. arborescens sp.-grp. and A. gaisen sp.-grp. were present in a proportion of 1 %, and 3 % of the isolates showed intermediate characteristics between these sp.-grps. and were identified as Alternaria sp. The chemical diversity was greater; 27 secondary metabolites were produced by the apple isolates. The most frequents were altertoxin-I (85 %), altechromone A (76 %), tentoxin (69 %), and tenuazonic acid (68 %). The alternariols were produced in a lower frequency when comparing with isolates from other crops; alternariol, 58 % and alternariol monomethyl ether, 57 %. The predominant secondary metabolite profile included compounds from different chemical families, such as dibenzopyrones, tetramic acids, perylene quinones, and cyclic tetrapeptides. A wider metabolomic capacity was observed in isolates from conventional apples when compared to those from organic fruit, with the predominance of strong producers of altertoxins and alternariols. The isolates from mouldy core showed higher ability to produce metabolites from different chemical families than those from external lesions. The wide chemical diversity of the Alternaria apple population should be considered to assess the health risk associated with apple by-products.

Field study on the uptake, accumulation and risk assessment of perchlorate in a soil-chard/spinach system: Impact of agronomic practices and fertilization.

The application of excessive fertilizer represents a primary source of entry for perchlorate into crop systems and thus has raised widespread concern regarding food safety. Several studies have reported the occurrence of perchlorate in vegetables. However, limited information is available on the fate of perchlorate in the soil-plant system. In this study, we performed field experiments to evaluate the effects of the application rate of Chilean nitrate fertilizer and the type of fertilization (manual or fertigation) on the uptake of perchlorate by plants grown in open fields. Interestingly, in the control, chard and spinach accumulated 21.3 and 25.9 µg kg-1, respectively. For both agronomic practices, the content of perchlorate in chard and spinach increased as the fertilizer application rate increased, with fertigation promoting more significant accumulations. Spinach accumulated almost two times more perchlorate than chard for all treatments; however, the concentrations generally remained below regulatory values. The intake of spinach and chard presented a low risk to human health for all age groups. These findings enhance our understanding of the environmental impact of the use of fertilizers in agriculture and food safety.

Composición y fluctuación poblacional de la araneofauna en el algodonero de la Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Perú / Composition and population fluctuation of the spider community in a cotton field at Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Peru

En el presente trabajo, se evaluó la araneofauna durante todo el periodo fenológico del cultivo de algodón, utilizando dos técnicas de muestreo (búsqueda directa y trampas de caída). Se registraron 2304 individuos, agrupados en 50 especies y 18 familias. Las arañas estuvieron presentes durante todo el periodo del cultivo, relacionándose positivamente a su desarrollo fenológico, y donde las prácticas agronómicas, la temperatura y humedad no fueron influyentes en su abundancia, excepto por la cosecha, actividad que sí influenció negativamente sus poblaciones.

In this work, the spider community was assessed during the whole phenological period of a cotton crop using two sampling techniques (direct search and pitfall traps). 2304 individuals were registered, grouped into 50 species and 18 families. The spiders were present during the whole crop’s period; positively related to its phenological development; agronomic practices, temperature and humidity were not influential in their abundance, except for harvest, which negatively influenced their population.

Chá: aspectos relacionados à qualidade e perspectivas: [revisão] / Tea: aspects related to the quality and prospects: [revision]

O chá preto é uma das bebidas mais consumidas no mundo. Essa bebida é feita a partir da infusão de folhas processadas de Camellia sinensis, que é cultivada em mais de 30 países, tendo grande importância socioeconômica. Estudos sugerem que o chá tem efeito protetor contra diversos tipos de câncer e doenças cardiovasculares devido à presença de polifenóis denominados catequinas, que são oxidadas enzimaticamente durante o processamento das folhas, gerando uma mistura constituída principalmente de teaflavinas, teasinensinas e tearubiginas. A produção mundial de chá tem aumentado mais do que o consumo, provocando redução do preço que, juntamente com o aumento no custo de produção, implica a necessidade de alta produtividade e qualidade. Apesar disso, ainda não foram estabelecidos critérios precisos e eficientes para predizer a qualidade do chá a partir das folhas, bem como quais práticas agronômicas contribuem para o aumento da qualidade. No Brasil, a cultura do chá se concentra no Vale do Ribeira, em São Paulo (SP), sendo quase toda produção exportada. Apesar de o produto brasileiro não ser de alta qualidade, tem conseguido bons preços no mercado internacional. A produção brasileira, a área de produção e o número de indústrias de chá vêm diminuindo ao longo dos últimos anos, o que demonstra a necessidade de investimentos.

Black tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and it is prepared by the infusion of water with processed leaves of Camellia sinensis, which is cultivated in more than 30 countries, assuming a great socioeconomic importance. Several studies suggest that tea has protective effects against cancer and cardiovascular disease, due to the presence of polyphenols called catechins, which are oxidized enzymatically during the processing of the black tea, generating a mixture consisting mainly of theaflavins, theasinensins and thearubigins. The world production of tea has increased more than the demand, causing a drop of the price which, together with the increase in cultivation costs has shown a need for high productivity and quality. Nevertheless, there is not yet an efficient and accurate criteria to predict the quality of tea and agronomic practices which contribute to the increase in quality. In Brazil, the culture of tea is concentrated in the Ribeira Valley - SP, and almost all the production is exported. Despite the Brazilian product is not of high quality, it has achieved good prices in the international market. The Brazilian production, the production area and the number of tea industries are decreasing in recent years, clearly indicating the need for investments.

Chá: aspectos relacionados à qualidade e perspectivas

Black tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and it is prepared by the infusion of water with processed leaves of Camellia sinensis, which is cultivated in more than 30 countries, assuming a great socioeconomic importance. Several studies suggest that tea has protective effects against cancer and cardiovascular disease, due to the presence of polyphenols called catechins, which are oxidized enzymatically during the processing of the black tea, generating a mixture consisting mainly of theaflavins, theasinensins and thearubigins. The world production of tea has increased more than the demand, causing a drop of the price which, together with the increase in cultivation costs has shown a need for high productivity and quality. Nevertheless, there is not yet an efficient and accurate criteria to predict the quality of tea and agronomic practices which contribute to the increase in quality. In Brazil, the culture of tea is concentrated in the Ribeira Valley - SP, and almost all the production is exported. Despite the Brazilian product is not of high quality, it has achieved good prices in the international market. The Brazilian production, the production area and the number of tea industries are decreasing in recent years, clearly indicating the need for investments.

O chá preto é uma das bebidas mais consumidas no mundo. Essa bebida é feita a partir da infusão de folhas processadas de Camellia sinensis, que é cultivada em mais de 30 países, tendo grande importância socioeconômica. Estudos sugerem que o chá tem efeito protetor contra diversos tipos de câncer e doenças cardiovasculares devido à presença de polifenóis denominados catequinas, que são oxidadas enzimaticamente durante o processamento das folhas, gerando uma mistura constituída principalmente de teaflavinas, teasinensinas e tearubiginas. A produção mundial de chá tem aumentado mais do que o consumo, provocando redução do preço que, juntamente com o aumento no custo de produção, implica a necessidade de alta produtividade e qualidade. Apesar disso, ainda não foram estabelecidos critérios precisos e eficientes para predizer a qualidade do chá a partir das folhas, bem como quais práticas agronômicas contribuem para o aumento da qualidade. No Brasil, a cultura do chá se concentra no Vale do Ribeira, em São Paulo (SP), sendo quase toda produção exportada. Apesar de o produto brasileiro não ser de alta qualidade, tem conseguido bons preços no mercado internacional. A produção brasileira, a área de produção e o número de indústrias de chá vêm diminuindo ao longo dos últimos anos, o que demonstra a necessidade de investimentos.

Chá: aspectos relacionados à qualidade e perspectivas

Black tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and it is prepared by the infusion of water with processed leaves of Camellia sinensis, which is cultivated in more than 30 countries, assuming a great socioeconomic importance. Several studies suggest that tea has protective effects against cancer and cardiovascular disease, due to the presence of polyphenols called catechins, which are oxidized enzymatically during the processing of the black tea, generating a mixture consisting mainly of theaflavins, theasinensins and thearubigins. The world production of tea has increased more than the demand, causing a drop of the price which, together with the increase in cultivation costs has shown a need for high productivity and quality. Nevertheless, there is not yet an efficient and accurate criteria to predict the quality of tea and agronomic practices which contribute to the increase in quality. In Brazil, the culture of tea is concentrated in the Ribeira Valley - SP, and almost all the production is exported. Despite the Brazilian product is not of high quality, it has achieved good prices in the international market. The Brazilian production, the production area and the number of tea industries are decreasing in recent years, clearly indicating the need for investments.

O chá preto é uma das bebidas mais consumidas no mundo. Essa bebida é feita a partir da infusão de folhas processadas de Camellia sinensis, que é cultivada em mais de 30 países, tendo grande importância socioeconômica. Estudos sugerem que o chá tem efeito protetor contra diversos tipos de câncer e doenças cardiovasculares devido à presença de polifenóis denominados catequinas, que são oxidadas enzimaticamente durante o processamento das folhas, gerando uma mistura constituída principalmente de teaflavinas, teasinensinas e tearubiginas. A produção mundial de chá tem aumentado mais do que o consumo, provocando redução do preço que, juntamente com o aumento no custo de produção, implica a necessidade de alta produtividade e qualidade. Apesar disso, ainda não foram estabelecidos critérios precisos e eficientes para predizer a qualidade do chá a partir das folhas, bem como quais práticas agronômicas contribuem para o aumento da qualidade. No Brasil, a cultura do chá se concentra no Vale do Ribeira, em São Paulo (SP), sendo quase toda produção exportada. Apesar de o produto brasileiro não ser de alta qualidade, tem conseguido bons preços no mercado internacional. A produção brasileira, a área de produção e o número de indústrias de chá vêm diminuindo ao longo dos últimos anos, o que demonstra a necessidade de investimentos.

Chá: aspectos relacionados à qualidade e perspectivas

Black tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and it is prepared by the infusion of water with processed leaves of Camellia sinensis, which is cultivated in more than 30 countries, assuming a great socioeconomic importance. Several studies suggest that tea has protective effects against cancer and cardiovascular disease, due to the presence of polyphenols called catechins, which are oxidized enzymatically during the processing of the black tea, generating a mixture consisting mainly of theaflavins, theasinensins and thearubigins. The world production of tea has increased more than the demand, causing a drop of the price which, together with the increase in cultivation costs has shown a need for high productivity and quality. Nevertheless, there is not yet an efficient and accurate criteria to predict the quality of tea and agronomic practices which contribute to the increase in quality. In Brazil, the culture of tea is concentrated in the Ribeira Valley - SP, and almost all the production is exported. Despite the Brazilian product is not of high quality, it has achieved good prices in the international market. The Brazilian production, the production area and the number of tea industries are decreasing in recent years, clearly indicating the need for investments.

O chá preto é uma das bebidas mais consumidas no mundo. Essa bebida é feita a partir da infusão de folhas processadas de Camellia sinensis, que é cultivada em mais de 30 países, tendo grande importância socioeconômica. Estudos sugerem que o chá tem efeito protetor contra diversos tipos de câncer e doenças cardiovasculares devido à presença de polifenóis denominados catequinas, que são oxidadas enzimaticamente durante o processamento das folhas, gerando uma mistura constituída principalmente de teaflavinas, teasinensinas e tearubiginas. A produção mundial de chá tem aumentado mais do que o consumo, provocando redução do preço que, juntamente com o aumento no custo de produção, implica a necessidade de alta produtividade e qualidade. Apesar disso, ainda não foram estabelecidos critérios precisos e eficientes para predizer a qualidade do chá a partir das folhas, bem como quais práticas agronômicas contribuem para o aumento da qualidade. No Brasil, a cultura do chá se concentra no Vale do Ribeira, em São Paulo (SP), sendo quase toda produção exportada. Apesar de o produto brasileiro não ser de alta qualidade, tem conseguido bons preços no mercado internacional. A produção brasileira, a área de produção e o número de indústrias de chá vêm diminuindo ao longo dos últimos anos, o que demonstra a necessidade de investimentos.