Although organic agriculture in Brazil targets mainly local consumers, there is growing demand for research related to commercializing this sector abroad. A study was done in Europe on the perception of entities related to this theme, specifically on Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), the feasibility of equivalence between the countries, and control procedures. An exploratory study was conducted through interviews with five organic certification bodies, two in Switzerland, three in Italy, and with a producer association in Italy. PGS is little known in Europe in general and it is suggested that it be better disseminated in the member countries. PGS has been evaluated positively for reducing certification costs and promoting benefits from a social aspect, but it can fail in organic compliance and in large scale production. There are significant differences that must be overcome in order to establish equivalence, such as the lack of homogeneity among European countries on control procedures, the existence of PGS in Brazilian legislation, lack of wild crop products in Europe, different conversion periods, and the requirement of a higher number of inspections in Brazil. Equivalence is seen as beneficial to both Europe and Brazil, and it would therefore be appropriate to promote its viability. The Brazilian law on organic agriculture is taken as very restrictive and complex.

RESUMOAs instituições de ensino são potenciais geradores de grandes volumes de esgotos domésticos. Os estudos com sistemas naturais de tratamento de efluentes têm apresentado boa eficácia e custo reduzidos quando comparados com os sistemas tradicionais, isso os torna adequados para diversos segmentos da sociedade, incluindo instituições de ensino. Uma das características compartilhada pela maior parte das instituições de ensino é o fato das mesmas possuírem calendários acadêmicos que incluem longos períodos de recesso e isso leva, em muitos casos, o fluxo de esgotos nos sistemas praticamente a zero causando danos tanto para as macrófitas dispostas no leito quanto para as colônias de microrganismos associadas. O presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a eficiência de um sistema de leito cultivado, em uma instituição de ensino, logo após período de recesso, verificando, por um período de 45 dias, se este apresentava sinais de recuperação natural, sem qualquer intervenção; em seguida foi efetuado o plantio de 15 mudas do gênero Thypha sp., mantendo-se as análises por mais 45 dias, após plantio de novas mudas. A eficiência de remoção para os parâmetros de turbidez, NH 3 , NO 3 -e Fósforo foram, respectivamente, de 63,0%, 21,7%, 31,1% e 20,3%, para DBO, DQO e para coliformes termotolerante, a eficiência média foi de 46,0%, 29,7% e 44,0%, respectivamente. Se for considerado apenas o período pós-plantio, os resultados melhoraram, sendo os seguintes: turbidez=78,2%, NH 3 =38,0%, NO 3 -=53,2%, Fósforo=25,6%, DBO=66,2%, DQO=36,5% e coliformes termotolerantes=60,7%. Os resultados demonstraram a importância da macrófita na eficiência desse tipo de sistema.Palavras-chave: leitos cultivados; esgotos domésticos; saneamento ambiental; águas residuárias.Performance of wetland systems in the treatment of sewage generated at an educational institution, after a recession period ABSTRACT Education institutions are potential generators of large volumes of domestic sewage. Studies of natural systems for effluent treatment have shown good efficiency and low cost compared to traditional systems. This makes them suitable for various segments of society, including educational institutions. A characteristic shared by most educational institutions is that they have the same academic calendars that include a long period of recess when, in many cases, the flow of sewage systems drops to almost zero, causing damage to both

The county of Paranaguá discards 80 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) daily in the Embocuí landfill without proper treatment. The present study aimed to evaluate the concentration of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) in the dump area and to compare it with reference values for soil and water quality stipulated by CETESB (2005). The methodology of the study involved the collection of waste samples (organic waste mixed with soil) from a depth of 1 m deep at 12 points of the dump, and the collection of water samples from a depth of 3 m at 3 points in the deposited waste. Extraction

Studies on the survival of pathogenic microorganisms in the soil after use of wastewater for fertilization of agricultural crops report the effects of moisture, pH, organic matter, and soil temperature on microorganisms. There are few studies that assess the survival of these microorganisms in the rhizosphere of plants fertilized with wastewater. Thus, the aim of this study was to quantify the number of fecal coliforms and rhizobacteria (fluorescent Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp,) in the rhizosphere of winter and summer crops fertilized with wastewater. In the experiment, we used 20 plots, and each plot occupied an area of 200 m². The treatments used in the winter crop consisted of uncultivated plots and single crops of wheat, triticale, black bean, and intercropped black bean/wheat. In the summer season, we used uncultivated plots and single crops of corn, sunflower, bean, and intercropped bean/corn. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with five treatments and four replications. Soil samples from the rhizosphere for microbiological analyses were collected at the flowering stage of the crops at a depth of 0.00-0.20 m. Plants stimulated fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. and Bacillus spp. in the rhizosphere, with average scores of 7.9 and 6.9 log CFU g -1 of dry soil, respectively, whereas in bare soil, these scores were 6.7 and 5.8 log CFU g -1 of dry soil for these rhizobacteria groups. However, this stimulating effect was not seen for fecal coliforms, which had an average score of 31.7 × 10 3 MPN g -1 of dry soil in the uncultivated area and 20.0 × 10 3 MPN g -1 of dry soil in crop areas. Overall, the numbers of rhizobacteria colonies in the rhizosphere soil under intercropping were higher than those observed in the rhizosphere soils of single winter and summer crops. Therefore, the presence of plants enhances the development of rhizobacteria and changes the balance among the species of microorganisms in the soil microbial community fertilized with wastewater.

O controle alternativo do Aspergillus spp. de amêndoas de castanha-do-brasil (Bertholletia excelsa) pode minimizar o uso de agrotóxicos e evitar danos ao ambiente e ao agricultor. O trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a ação antifúngica do óleo de andiroba (Carapa guianensis Aubl.) e pracaxi (Pentachletra macroloba), bem como extrato alcoólico de própolis sobre o crescimento micelial do Aspergillus spp. Os óleos e extrato de própolis nas concentrações de 0, 4, 8, 16, 32 e 64 mL L -1 foram misturados ao meio BDA, para a inoculação do fungo. O desenvolvimento dos fungos foi determinado pela medição do diâmetro micelial após 24, 48 e 96 h da inoculação. O delineamento foi casualizado com 6 tratamentos e 7 repetições. Os resultados indicaram que o uso de própolis a partir de 4 mL L -1 foi mais eficiente do que a dose de 64 mL L -1 dos óleos na inibição do crescimento do Aspergillus spp. Assim, a própolis, pode ser considerada promissora como antifúngico natural para controlar o Aspergillus spp.