This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of tannin and pyroligneous liquor as a natural preservative for Eucalyptus sp. wood. Three trees, approximately 10 years old, were felled, and logs were removed and specimens were prepared for application of 4 treatments (control, pyroligneous liquor, liquor and tannin, and chromated copper borate). The treated and untreated logs were exposed to soil in a decay field for a period of 120 days. Chemical analyses: mass loss, penetration, retention and leaching of preservative, visual classification of specimens and static bending tests were performed. The specimens were installed in a decay field and subsequently collected for analysis and determination of properties. The analyses of bulk density at 12% moisture content, static bending, solubility in sodium hydroxide, preservative absorption, and solubility in cold water demonstrated that there was interaction between the factors and statistical differences between and within the treatments. It was concluded that the treatment of Eucalyptus sp. with pyroligneous liquor and tannin, in comparison to the control and to the woods treated only with pyroligneous liquor, was efficient mainly for the property of resistance to static flexure and bulk density, showing itself to be a potential preservative product.

Mangroves are tropical and subtropical coastal ecosystems that play a crucial role in protection against erosion and sea level rise, as well as being important in mitigating climate change by storing large amounts of biomass and carbon. To estimate biomass and carbon storage in mangroves, using field and remote sensing methods. An inventory was carried out at 24 monitoring sites within the UMA, each with 30 x 10 m plots. Dasometric variables such as diameter at breast height and tree height were measured using measuring tapes and altimeters. Biomass was estimated using allometric equations specific to each mangrove species, and carbon content was calculated using a biomass-to-carbon conversion factor of 0.48. The vegetation index NDVI, obtained from images from the Sentinel 2A satellite, was used to assess vegetation health at the different sites. At site 3, L. racemosa had the highest average aboveground biomass (127.08 Mg ha-1), while site 18 had the lowest (8.18 Mg ha-1). For A. germinans, site 7 had the highest biomass (129.03 Mg ha-1), and site 5 the lowest (4.23 Mg ha-1). For R. mangle, site 21 had an average aboveground biomass of 53.88 Mg ha-1. NDVI values ranged from 0.68 to 0.88, being higher in areas of robust growth and lower in areas with less developed vegetation. The study validates a spatial model for estimating biomass and carbon storage in mangroves in the Gulf of Mexico, demonstrating the effectiveness of allometric equations and the use of NDVI as a tool to assess ecosystem health.

The main objective of this research was to characterize the physical, chemical and energetic properties of wood from seven tree species from the Cerrado Tocantinense: Terminalia argentea (Garroteiro), Enterolobium gummiferum (Tamboril), Hymenaea stigonocarpa (Jatobá-do-Cerrado), Xylopia aromatica (Pindaíba), Tachigali aurea (Cachamorra), Vatairea macrocarpa (Angelim-amaroso) and Simarouba versicolor (Mata-menino). According to the Forest Code 12.651/2012, the native species were legally collected through environmental licensing for the suppression of native vegetation, resulting from the opening of roads in the municipality of Gurupi-TO. The wood samples were collected, prepared and subjected to tests to verify their properties such as moisture content, basic density, chemical and elemental composition of the wood and the calorific value of the samples, essential to evaluate their energy efficiency. The data were analyzed using statistical methods, such as analysis of variance and Tukey's test, and correlated using Pearson's coefficient to identify possible relationships between variables. The results show that the species present significant variations in their physical and chemical properties, reflecting different potential applications. The woods with higher density, such as Garroteiro and Jatobá-do-Cerrado, are recommended for the production of charcoal; the analysis of calorific value suggests that species such as Pindaíba and Angelim-amargoso have high energy potential.

The need for ever faster and more efficient instruments, techniques and methods to assist in industrial decision-making has been a major challenge for industry, given growing production requirements and economic demands. In the biomass sector, the purchase, receipt and storage of batches requires increasingly efficient, fast and accurate instruments. The aim was to develop a rapid methodology for determining the water content of woodchip (eucalyptus or native wood) and sawdust samples using microwave ovens. When the water content values for woodchip and sawdust samples exposed to microwaves and forced-air ovens were compared, the results were similar, which indicates the reliability of the microwave method in relation to the results of the standard oven method. Samples with higher initial water content require a greater number of exposures in microwave ovens to reach mass stabilization for all the materials evaluated. Therefore, from this research, we can conclude that the microwave oven method guarantees results that are as reliable as those obtained using the standard forced-air oven method.

Entomopathogenic fungi represent a promising low-impact alternative for pest control. This study aimed to isolate and select entomopathogenic fungi from Amazonian soils for the biological control of the termite Nasutitermes sp. (Blattodea: Termitidae). Ten soil samples were collected from different Amazonian sites, and the decimal dilution technique was employed for sample processing. Fungi were isolated by spreading the dilutions onto a selective medium containing 2% macerated termites as the sole carbon source. Termites of the genus Nasutitermes sp. were collected from natural mounds and used in pathogenicity assays with the three most frequently isolated fungal morphospecies, at concentrations of 10⁵, 10⁶, 10⁷, and 10⁸ conidia/mL, alongside a control group. The most frequently isolated fungus was identified through molecular techniques. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey’s test. A total of 19 fungal isolates were obtained and grouped into six morphospecies. The most frequent were Paecilomyces lilacinus (42.11%), Paecilomyces sp. 2 (26.32%), and Aspergillus sp. 1 (10.53%). Paecilomyces sp. 2 (4.816) and Aspergillus sp. 1 (4.808) achieved 100% termite mortality at all tested concentrations from the sixth day onward. Paecilomyces lilacinus (4.807) also reached 100% mortality on the sixth day. The termite-based selective medium proved effective for isolating entomopathogenic fungi, as all tested strains showed potential for controlling Nasutitermes sp. This study presents the first report of virulence of Paecilomyces lilacinus against the termite Nasutitermes sp.

Planted forests are widely established and have shown excellent results in terms of quality for various purposes. However, newly introduced species whether native or exotic are typically found in experimental trials or small-scale plantations in Brazil and still lack studies to assess their potential within the sawn timber supply chain. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the physicomechanical properties of wood from Acacia mangium and Calophyllum brasiliense plantations, at 15 and 16 years of age, respectively. Both species exhibited very similar physicomechanical properties. However, the anisotropy coefficient related to compression strength in Acacia mangium wood was significantly higher compared to that of Calophyllum brasiliense. While Calophyllum brasiliense showed physicomechanical properties compatible with those of Hymenolobium excelsum, Peltophorum dubium, Pouteria pachycarpa, and Goupia glabra, Acacia mangium presented characteristics similar to those of Eucalyptus used as sawn timber. The wood of Acacia mangium may be more suitable for applications requiring greater structural strength; however, its higher anisotropy coefficient indicates greater directional variation in its properties, which may affect its performance in various applications within the timber industry.

Carmenta foraseminis (Busck) Eichlin es considerada una de las principales plagas en el cultivo de cacao, por tanto, estrategias de control de fácil adquisición, preparación, uso y de bajo costo deben ser generadas. El objetivo fue determinar el efecto insecticida del extracto de hojas de Lonchocarpus utilis-LU sobre el control de Carmenta foraseminis en frutos de Theobroma cacao. Fue empleado un diseño de bloques completamente al azar (DBCA), con 6 tratamientos, 3 bloques y 10 frutos por parcela experimental. Los tratamientos fueron 6 concentraciones del extracto (T1:0%; T2:10%; T3:20%; T4:30%; T5:40% y T6:50%). Las variables evaluadas fueron: porcentaje de presencia de huevos en el fruto (PPHF), el porcentaje de eclosión larval (PEL), número de larvas eclosionadas (NLE), porcentaje de frutos atacados (PFA) y número de orificios (NO). Fue determinado que las concentraciones de 30% y 40%, tuvieron mayor capacidad de inhibición de eclosión de larvas de 10,89% al cuarto día y de 22,85% al sexto día de exposición. Las concentraciones de 30% y 40% fueron más eficientes en la reducción del ataque de la plaga, con 3.77% y 6,79% al cuarto y quinto día de exposición. En tanto, las concentraciones de 10% y 20% presentaron mayor ataque en 34% y 28% al cuarto y quinto día de exposición. Se concluye que, las concentraciones de 30% y 40% del extracto de hojas de Lonchocarpus utilis provocaron mayor eficiencia en el control de Carmenta foraseminis en frutos de Theobroma cacao.

Insect resistance is an inherent characteristic of plants and determined by genotypic differences across plants. In this study, we determined differences in the gene expression patterns between two clones of Populus section Aigeiros after insect infestation and elucidated the mechanism of resistance induced by insect feeding. We performed differential gene expression (DEG) analysis by using Illumina Hiseq 2000 high-throughput sequencing of leaf samples from the upper, middle, and lower parts of Populus euramericana cv. ‘Neva’ (“P107”) and P. deltoids ‘Chuangxin’ (“P17-2”) infested with the insect. We selected 3,462 DEGs through a comparison between “P107” and “P17-2” (A vs. B). Based on the gene ontology analysis, the identified DEGs were functionally annotated, which revealed 20, 23, and 22 functional categories of “biological process”, “cellular component”, and “molecular function”, with enrichment mainly in “cellular process”, “cell part”, and “binding functions”, respectively. After insect feeding, the damaged leaves of “P107” and “P17-2” showed different degrees of resistance, along with upregulated defense gene expressions, reduced nutrient accumulation and photosynthesis, and enhanced secondary metabolite biosynthesis. This study provides a molecular basis for understanding the mechanism underlying insect resistance in plants.

Para monitorar as mudanças da biodiversidade em relação as mudanças climáticas são utilizadas diferentes modelos de nicho ecológico (ENMs). A seleção do modelo mais adequado para uma espécie pode ser limitada por inúmeros fatores, como disponibilidade e resolução de dados. O objetivo do trabalho foi analisar 13 algoritmos e determinar um modelo consenso para simular a distribuição potencial de cinco espécies alvo do desmatamento na Amazônia: Aspidosperma desmanthum, Cariniana micranta, Clarisia racemosa, Couratari oblongifolia e Vouchysia guianensis. Para a construção dos ENMs foram utilizadas variáveis bioclimáticas e edáficas. As informações de cada espécie foram modeladas individualmente considerando os 13 algoritmos, posteriormente foi obtida a média de cada algoritmo para todas as espécies onde o desempenho foi analisado a partir das métricas: Area Under the Curve, True Skill Statistics e Índice de Sorensen. Com base nos resultados, observou-se que não existe um algoritmo ideal para todas as espécies, assim, foi proposto um modelo consenso a partir dos algoritmos Random Forest, Boosted Regression Trees, Support Vector Machine, Bayesian Gaussian Process e Maximum Entropy Default, uma vez que estes apresentaram melhor desempenho a partir da média. Concluímos é importante considerar as particularidades de cada espécie e a individualidade do conjunto de dados.

This work aimed to select Jacaranda mimosifolia genotypes for vegetative propagation by mini-cutting. Evaluated the competence of adventitious rooting of minicuttings of genotypes during six successive collects. J. mimosifolia genotypes were established in a clonal mini-garden for shoots production and mini-cuttings supply. In each of the six collections, the minicuttings were planted in tubes containing commercial substrate and vermiculite. Mini-cuttings were evaluated for the rooting percentage and the number of rooted mini-cuttings after 60 days of cultivation in the greenhouse. The components of variance were estimated based on repeated measures by the Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) method, the prediction of phenotypic and genotypic values by the Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP). Genetic variability was observed at accuracies of 0.84 and 0.74, for the number of produced and the number of rooted minicuttings, respectively, in the six evaluations. Seven J. mimosifolia genotypes were selected for the number of rooted minicuttings, resulting in a selection gain of 53.5%. The results of this work show a high potential of this strategy of genetic improvement of forest species for vegetative propagation with high gains from selection, can be applied to other species.