Resumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi selecionar e caracterizar estirpes nativas de Bacillus thuringiensis tóxicas a Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Cento e seis estirpes pertencentes ao Banco Selection and characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis efficient strains against Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)Abstract -The objective of this work was to select and characterize native strains of Bacillus thuringiensis toxic to Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). A hundred-and-six strains, belonging to the bank of invertebrate bacteria (Brazil), of Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, were tested as to their toxicity to D. saccharalis, and the most toxic ones were characterized by biochemical and molecular methods. Out of the 106 tested strains, 16 caused 100% mortality within 24 hours. The three most toxic strains showed median lethal concentrations between 8 and 43 ng cm -2 . The protein profile of the 16 strains showed the presence of 130 and 65 kDa proteins, and the molecular characterization showed the presence of cry1and cry2 type genes: cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, and cry2Aa. The median lethal concentration of spores and crystals obtained from recombinant strains, which individually expressed the genes cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, and cry2Aa, varied between 222 and 610 ng cm -2 , values much higher than the ones of the most toxic native strains, which have the possibility of simultaneously expressing these genes. This result indicates a synergy between the toxins. There are interactions between B. thuringiensis toxins and their receptors in the sugarcane borer.

No abstract

Bocaiuva (Acrocomia aculeata) fruit pulp has high potential for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications and in the biofuel industry, however, the main hindrance for these applications is the availability of pulp in sufficient quantity. The pulp of this fruit is usually supplied by rural communities where the processors use manual pulping, which is not only time-consuming but yields product of low quality. Therefore, the objective of this work was to design, fabricate and evaluate the efficiency of an experimental bench device for pulping bocaiuva fruits. The bench device was designed to be compact and easy to operate, consisting of three units (processing, secondary, and peripheral) with intermittent operation and pulping performed by shearing. The performance evaluation of the machine was carried out with fruit dehydrated at 70 ºC and different times of dehydration (6, 12 and 24 hours). The pulp weight was evaluated every 15 seconds during the pulping process period (150 seconds). The highest pulping efficiency (96%) was obtained with fruits that were dehydrated for 24 hours, with a 120-second pulping, which resulted in a production rate of 5.5 kg h-1 This high efficiency makes this mechanized prototype effective for pulping bocaiuva fruits and, thus, it can replace manual pulping, especially in rural communities involved with the bocaiuva production chain.

O gafanhoto Cornops aquaticum (Bruner, 1906) (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Leptysminae) completa seu ciclo de vida em Eichhornia (Pontederiaceae). Em experimentos ao ar livre, durante o período da enchente, foi verificado que a cópula pode durar entre 40 a 120 minutos. Cada postura tem em média 13,4 ovos (+/- 3,2) e o período de incubação durou 34,1 dias (+/- 1,97). A duração média do desenvolvimento de ovo a adulto foi de 156,2 dias, sendo 34,1 do estágio de ovo, 53,4 do estágio ninfal e 68,7 do estágio adulto. Alimentou-se de 6 espécies de macrófitas aquáticas dentre as 13 oferecidas. Ninfas (N) e Adultos (A) sobreviveram mais dias em Pistia stratiotes (N = 43 % até 30 dias e A =1 % até 27 dias) e Pontederia sp. (N = 85 % e A = 40 % até 24 dias) que em Limnobium sp. (N =13% e A =10 % até 12 dias), Ludwigia sp. (N =3 % até 24 dias e A =15 % até 9 dias), Azolla sp. (N =35 % até 9 dias e A =15 % até 12 dias) e Paspalum repens (N =3 % até 21 dias e A =5 % até 24 dias).

No abstract