A diet based on cereals may lack essential mineral elements, among them zinc. The provision of this element in diets can be via supplements, food fortifiers or agronomic biofortification (AB), a practice adopted on a farmer scale. It was carried out different studies in countries with specific local conditions. The meta-analysis allows combining quantitative results from different studies, providing a synthesis of results with high reliability. The objective of this work was to analyze the response of rice (Oryza spp.) and wheat (Triticum spp.) to fertilization with zinc in terms of grain yield and accumulation of this nutrient in the grain. We carried out a systematic review where 16 scientific articles from the last five years were selected, and 179 studies fitted the established criteria. The effect size for Zn application via leaf or soil in rice and wheat compared to the control was calculated using the natural logarithm (lnR) between the ratio of the treatment group and the control group for both variables. Agronomic biofortification with Zn increases grain yield (7%) and zinc content in grains (53%). These results depend on plant species and the fertilization way (via the soil or foliar spray).  Agronomic Biofortification may be a valuable strategy to combat malnutrition and guarantee food sovereignty.

Cattle tick fever (CTF) causes significant economic losses in the livestock sector. The pathogenic action of the hemoparasites is associated with anemia, weight loss, abortion and reduced productivity, which result with animal death. Programs to prevent CTF involve several procedures, including immunization, chemoprophylaxis and use of ectoparasiticides, together with the vector control in the environment. The objective of this study was to report an acute outbreak of CTF in a group of 157 Hereford cattle from a farm without presence of the vector, that were moved to a farm in the same state with a high tick infestation (Rhipicephalus microplus). On the day before the transportation, the animals received a chemoprophylaxis with imidocarb dipropionate (3 mg/kg, SC), which was repeated 21 days after the first application. After 42 days, some animals showed signs compatible with CTF, which was confirmed through clinical examination, necropsy, histopathological and hemoparasitological analyses. The morbidity rate was 37.6% and the mortality rate was 24.8%. Calves that were recently weaned were the group most affected with the tick fever, morbidity (100% and mortality (73%). Chemoprophylaxis in association with use of ectoparasiticides was not sufficient to control the outbreak of the disease.

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Animal production systems and agribusinessShort communication Efficiency of chemical preservatives used in raw milk samples for bacterial counts by flow cytometryABSTRACT -The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare two chemical preservatives in terms of their sample preservation capabilities, considering the individual bacterial count (IBC) and time and temperature variables. Samples were collected in expansion tanks in three commercial dairy farms located in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul, characterized as G1: low IBC values, G2: average IBC values, and G3: high IBC values. The tanks were stored at three different temperatures (4, 10, and 25 °C) for 14 d. Samples supplemented with the preservative Azilat in G1 (lower IBC group) exhibited the best results at a temperature of 4 °C, whereas for G2 and G3, the results showed no statistically significant difference between temperatures 4 and 10 °C. The temperature 25 °C exhibited the worst results. For samples preserved with Azidiol, regardless of the studied group (G1, G2, and G3), the temperatures of 4 and 10 °C did not present a significant difference regarding the preservation of the samples, with the temperature of 25 °C exhibiting the worst results. Azilat was effective in keeping the samples conserved when they presented low IBC, being able to fluctuate with the increase in IBC and temperature variation. Azidiol was effective regardless of the initial IBC level.