Musa AAB Research Articles

A Functional Analysis of Inflorescence Architecture in Musa L. (Musaceae)

ABSTRACTInflorescence architecture underpins sexual reproduction in wild Musa species and productivity in edible banana cultivars. In a functional analysis, we identified the apical inflorescence and lateral ‘cushion’ meristems and the change in flower type as the three primary components that generate inflorescence architecture. Five genotypes of two clone sets of edible plantains (Musa AAB) were grown for four generations along an elevation gradient (1100–2200 m, 16°C–24°C) straddling the equator in the humid highlands of East Africa. The data consisted of reproductive peduncle length at harvest (Pr), fruit per hand (Fh) and hands per bunch (Hb). The activity of the apical inflorescence meristem drives peduncle length and generates lateral ‘cushion’ meristems which determine Fh. However, Hb is determined by a change in flower type—from fruit forming to non‐fruit forming. Site temperature affected Hb more than Fh, while the development of the genet (rhizome) changed the allocation of resources between Hb and Fh, independently of the effect of site temperature. Clone sets differed in their response to genet development. Cooler temperatures reduced the number of fruit‐forming flowers in an inflorescence and changed the balance away from female towards male flowers. In banana breeding schemes, manipulating inflorescence components independently raises options for producing genotypes better suited to markets, environments and cultural practices.

Potential of Plantain Pseudostems (Musa AAB Simmonds) for Developing Biobased Composite Materials.

A plantain pseudostem was harvested and processed on the same day. The process began with manually separating the sheaths (80.85%) and the core (19.14%). The sheaths were subjected to a mechanical shredding process using paddles, extracting 2.20% of lignocellulosic fibers and 2.12% of sap, compared to the fresh weight of the sheaths. The fibers were washed, dried, combed, and spun in their native state and subjected to a steam explosion treatment, while the sap was subjected to filtration and evaporation. In the case of the core, it was subjected to manual cutting, drying, grinding, and sieving to separate 12.81% of the starch and 6.39% of the short lignocellulosic fibers, compared to the fresh weight of the core. The surface modification method using steam explosion succeeded in removing a low proportion of hemicellulose and lignin in the fibers coming from the shims, according to what was shown by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), achieving increased σmax and ε from the tensile test and greater thermal stability compared to its native state. The sap presented hygroscopic behavior by FT-IR and the highest thermal stability from TGA, while the starch from the core presented the lowest hygroscopic character and thermal stability. Although the pseudostem supplied two types of fibers, lower lignin content was identified in those from the core. Finally, the yarns were elaborated by using the fibers of the sheaths in their native and steam-exploded states, identifying differences in the processing and their respective physical and mechanical properties.

Physiological response induced by biostimulants on plantain plants (Musa AAB) under Ralstonia solanacearum race 2 stress

Physiological response induced by biostimulants on plantain plants (Musa AAB) under Ralstonia solanacearum race 2 stress

Effects of Fertilization and Planting Distance on Growth Parameters of Musa AAB Simmonds

Effects of Fertilization and Planting Distance on Growth Parameters of Musa AAB Simmonds

Evaluation of triploid banana genotypes (Musa ABB and AAB) for bunch traits and postharvest quality attributes

Evaluation of triploid banana genotypes (Musa ABB and AAB) for bunch traits and postharvest quality attributes

Analysis of Moko disease propagation on plantain (Musa AAB Simmonds) through a model based on system dynamics

Plantain represents one of the principal sources of income for Colombian farmers, besides being an important aspect of the national culture. Plantain is part of the daily diet for different social levels. Nevertheless, its production is threatened by diseases that have devastated entire crops and have forced many families to change their agricultural occupation. Moko (Ralstonia solanacearum phylotype II race 2) is one of the diseases that over time has caused considerable loses and continues to bring major phytosanitary problems to the region. The easy transmission of the pathogen makes it necessary to implement methodologies that help to limit the epidemic spread of the disease. In order to improve our understanding of the propagation of the disease through the plant’s developmental stages and contribute to establishing better targeted control measures, this paper proposes a population simulation mathematical model, which seeks to interpret the dynamics of Moko disease, bearing in mind the influence of the plant’s developmental cycle. We investigate the implementation of disease prevention on the population of susceptible and infected plants over time. The model has a good fit to the field data. The simulations, using the parameters estimated, showed that early elimination of infected plants is important to reduce disease incidence. It is also important to implement strategies to prevent the spread of the bacteria, which translates to a smaller probability of infection in any state.

Changes in the physicochemical properties of isolated starch and plantain (Musa AAB Simmonds) flours for early maturity stage

This work focuses on the study of the physicochemical changes that take place during the first stage of ripening of plantain, with particular attention to the changes in the orthorhombic and hexagonal nanocrystals present in this starch, and its relation shift with resistance starch. Significant changes were observed in the proximal analysis of plantain flour. A gradual increase in moisture content was attributed to the high content of crystalline structures and molecules that can be removed by drying. Water activity increased with ripening, which was attributed to the hygroscopic nature of the flours. The protein content increased, and the carbohydrate content decreased, indicating the progress of biochemical reactions. The changes in the fat content are consistent with the hydrolysis and resynthesis of lipids during the ripening process. The obtained results indicate a significant influence of the ripening stage on the physicochemical properties of flour and starch of plantain, which is associated with the occurrence of a climacteric peak on the 4th day of ripening.The hydration properties of plantain flour decreased significantly during the ripening days, consistent with the occurrence of a climacteric peak. Water holding capacity (WHC) and water binding capacity (WBC) were affected by the degree of digestion of native starch granules and protein denaturation during fruit ripening. Scanning electron microscopes (SEM) showed that during ripening the surface of the isolated starches do not suffer any significative damage. X-ray diffraction patterns were used to identify crystalline structures and to study the changes in the crystalline structures. These results showed that the starch contains orthorhombic and hexagonal nanocrystals, which play and important role and which show small structural damage during ripening reflected in a decrease in their relative crystallinity. This is the first time that these nanocrystals have been studied and considered in the ripening process. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the thermal transition in isolated starch. The results indicated that the gelatinization of starch corresponds to the solvation of orthorhombic and hexagonal nanocrystals, and that during ripening there is a decrease in the enthalpy reflecting some crystal structural damage. Pasting properties were studied using a Starch cell for flours and isolated starches, indicating that the pasting profile is governed by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The resistant starch does not show significant changes at this stage of maturation. This starch is the one with the highest resistant starch content reported in the literature (38%). It was hypothesized that the resistant starch is directly related to the amount of whole starch granules, and more importantly, directly related to the number concentration of orthorhombic and hexagonal nanocrystals. Therefore, knowledge of the physicochemical and nutritional properties of plantain and flour at each stage of ripening allows better selection according to industrial applications.

Regeneration of Raja (Musa AAB Group) and Kepok (Musa ABB Group) bananas on various stages of in vitro culture

Banana group can be divided into two groups based on their method of its utilization. Banana group that can be eaten immediately after ripening is called "dessert banana", e.g., Raja, while the group that needs particular processing before consumption is called "plantain banana", e.g., Kepok. This study aimed to compare the growth of Raja banana with Kepok plantain through experiments at three stages of the in vitro culture media: the shoot initiation, shoot multiplication, and plantlet acclimatization, also to compare the growth of Raja bananas with Kepok plantains in response to cytokinins BAP and TDZ at shoot multiplication stage. Planting material was in the form of rhizomes that was prepared with the same size. The experiment was performed using a completely randomized design. Results showed that Kepok plantain could adapt faster to the media condition than Raja banana; the phenomenon was evident in the growing speed of Kepok during shoot initiation stage. The proportion of the B genome did not show a direct effect on shoot induction at the multiplication stage or enlargement and organ formation at the acclimatization stage. Shoot induction at the multiplication stage depended more on the composition of the media used. The combination of BAP 3 mg L-1 and TDZ 0.01 mg L-1 in MS media produced the best shoot induction rate, and TDZ 0.01 mg L-1 in MS media had the highest shoot elongation rate.
 Keywords: banana, BAP, genome, PGR, plantain, TDZ

First Report of Lasiodiplodia theobromae Causing Dieback Symptoms on Plantain (Musa AAB subgroup) in Nigeria.

Bananas (banana and plantains) rank sixth among staple food crops (FAO 2018), with production challenged by biotic factors, mainly fungal diseases that may cause a total loss in some orchards (Jones 2018). In April 2017, dieback symptoms (progressive blackening and necrotic aerial plant parts, leaves, fruits and peduncles) were observed on plantain (Musa AAB subgroup), in Onne, Rivers State, Nigeria (4°42'55.4012″N, 7°10'35.92128″E). Diseased plants (n=112) were either wilted with blackened necrotic areas, or dead (Fig. S1). Nearly 10% of the plants had blackened pseudostems and fruits with slate gray to black internal tissues when sliced (Fig. S1) and black, erumpent pycnidia were observed on diseased fruits. A fungal species was consistently isolated when surface disinfected pieces of diseased samples were cultured on PDA plates. Plates were incubated at 25±2°C for 4 to 15 d to observe conidia. Isolates had colonies and conidia consistent with members of the Botryosphaeriaceae family (Phillips et al. 2013). Immature conidia were single-celled, ellipsoidal and hyaline while mature conidia were two-celled, had a thick wall, a central septum, longitudinal striations, and a dark brown, cinnamon-like color. Size of mature conidia (n = 20) ranged 22.9 to 30.0 × 14.2 to 18.4 μm ( = 27.0 × 15.6 μm; Fig. S1). DNA templates of three isolates (23688-2_R16; 19144-18_R15 and PITA_22-1) were amplified using primers ITS1 and ITS4 for the ITS locus, EF1-688F and EF1-1251R for the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF-1α) locus (Phillips et al. 2013) and sequenced (GenBank accession Nos. MZ413346, MZ413347, and MZ413348 for ITS; and MZ420177, MZ420178, and MZ420179 for TEF-1α). BLASTn query showed 100% identity with reference sequences of various isolates of Lasiodiplodia theobromae. Based on morphological characters and nucleotide homology, the isolates were identified as L. theobromae (Fig. S1 & S2). To fulfil Koch's postulates, 4-month-old plants of plantain hybrid PITA 24, and mature fruits from three genotypes (PITA 24, plantain cultivar Obino L'ewai) were inoculated with mycelial plugs from the margins of 5-d-old cultures of the three L. theobromae isolates. Pseudostems were drilled with a sterile 5 -mm cork borer, a mycelial plug placed down into the wound, covered with sterilized cotton, and sealed with parafilm. Sterile water was injected every third day to maintain moisture at the inoculated area. Toothpicks containing mycelia were used to inoculate fruits, placed in plastic Crisper boxes. Sterile PDA plugs or toothpicks were used for the controls. Inoculated plants and fruits were kept in a screenhouse at room temperature (~26°C) for 14 d. All inoculated materials developed symptoms similar to the diseased plants in the field. Control plants and fruits remained asymptomatic. L. theobromae was re-isolated from the artificially inoculated plant parts and its identity was confirmed. The fungus L. theobromae is distributed in tropical and subtropical regions and has a wide host range (Phillips et al. 2013; Mehl et al. 2017). This fungus was previously reported in grey literature as the causal agent of Musa spp. basal rot at Onne, Nigeria (Mwangi et al. 2005) but its molecular identification was not conducted; it was unknown whether the isolates were indeed L. theobromae or other cryptic species (L. pseudotheobromae or L. parva) (Alves et al. 2008). Over 15 years later, the present study confirms L. theobromae as the causal agent of basal rot of bananas based on nucleotide homology, and to our knowledge, this is the first report of L. theobromae causing dieback disease on plantain in Nigeria and in Africa. There is need to conduct a more comprehensive distribution surveys and develop appropriate control strategies in Nigeria.

Effect of Radopholus similis, Pratylenchus araucensis, Meloidogyne spp. and their interaction on Musa AAB 'Dominico Hartón' seedlings.

The effect of Radopholus similis, Pratylenchus araucensis, Meloidogyne spp., and their interaction was evaluated in seedlings of Musa AAB 'Dominico Hartón'. The study was conducted in a nursery in Palestina, Caldas department, Colombia. Forty-day-old plantain seedlings were infected separately with 750, 1,500, 2,250 and 3,000 of each species of nematodes/plant. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the damage of R. similis, P. araucensis, Meloidogyne spp. and the mixture of 750 R. similis + 750 P. araucensis + 750 Meloidogyne spp. compared with the mixture of different proportions (1,500, 2,250 and 3,000 of each species of nematodes). Noninfected plants were included as a control treatment, for a total of 17 treatments in a randomized complete block design with ten replications. Twelve weeks after inoculation, all nematodes, both alone and in combination, reduced (p < 0.05) plantain dry root and shoot weight. In two experiments, R. similis, P. araucensis, and Meloidogyne spp. alone, each with a population density of 3,000, reduced (p < 0.05) root dry weight by 32.5%, 9.5% and 49%, respectively, and decreased (p < 0.05) shoot dry weight by 21.5%, 23%, and 31.5%, respectively, compared to the control. The interaction of nematodes with the lowest population decreased root (33%) and shoot (21%) weight. We conclude that the growth of 'Dominico Hartón' seedlings was affected by plant-parasitic nematodes, but the greatest damage occurred with concomitant nematode infection.

Evaluation of the Performance of a Direct Mode Solar Dryer of Local Manufacture: Application to Plantain

This study focused on the evaluation of the performance of a direct solar dryer designed at the National Institute of Research in Engineering Sciences, Innovation and Technology. It aims to contribute to the reduction of post-harvest losses of agro-resources in Congo through the conservation and manufacture of new food products. Plantain (<i>Musa AAB x paradisiaca</i>) of the Agnrin variety was used as raw material. The method used was that of dimensioning the dryer, evaluating its performance to assess its capacity and also to characterize physically and chemically the banana flour obtained. The results obtained revealed that the dryer temperature was higher than the ambient temperature 86.18% on average throughout the day, at the end of the day, the temperature reached 96.88% in three hours of time shortly before noon. The drying rate and efficiency of the system were 0.1106 kg/h and 44.1% respectively. The rapid drying rate in the dryer revealed the ability to dry the food quickly to a moisture content of 34%. The analyses led to the rates of 2.23±0.39%; 0.51±0.059%; 0.5±0.0%; 9.81±0.37%; 14.4±0.11% and 82.36±0.0% in protein, ash, lipids, soluble sugars, moisture and total sugars respectively. The low water content guarantees a longer shelf life and the ash content allows the flour to be classified as type 55.

Phytochemical Screening and Nematicidal Activity of Lixiviate from Plantain and Banana Rachis

Nematodes are among the most economically damaging parasites of bananas (Musa AAA) and plantains (Musa AAB). The restriction on the use of nematicides has encouraged the development of alternative strategies. This work aimed to study the effects of plantain and banana lixiviate on Pratylenchus coffeae and Radopholus similis in vitro essay. P. coffeae and R. similis were exposed to four concentrations (5%, 15%, 25% and 35%) of each lixiviate for 48 hrs. These effects were compared with a water control and Fluopyram at 10%. Then they were transferred to water for 24 hours to assess the viability of the immobile nematodes. The percentages of immobility and mortality of the nematodes were determined. A phytochemical screening of plantain and banana lixiviate to identify their composition in secondary metabolites was also performed. Lixiviate presented nematostatic activity at 15%. Also, lixiviate showed nematicide activity at 25% and 35%. The percentage of mortality was higher in Pratylenchus coffeae than in Radopholus similis (40% against 30% for plantain lixiviate and 39% against 29% for banana lixiviate). The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of secondary metabolites in proportions which vary few in the two compounds. In this study, we showed that plantain and banana lixiviate can be encouraging for developing methods for the biological control of banana parasitic nematodes.

Phytochemical investigation of unripe banana (Musa AAB) cv. Nendran and its novel ‘Banana Grits’

Novel ‘Banana Grits’ (BG) was prepared from the pulp of unripe banana (Musa AAB) cv. Nendran, and their detailed phytochemical investigation is described. The present work serves as a first report of isolation and identification of glycolipids by exhaustive NMR and HR-ESI-MS analysis from Nendran that include glycolipids viz. monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, digalactosyldiacylglycerols, acyl steryl glycosides, glucocerebrosides, and sterylglycoside. Proximate analysis, estimation of total carotenoid content, and the resistant starch content in BG are also reported. In vitro starch digestion pattern indicated that out of 80% of total starch in BG, 21% is slowly digestible starch (SDS) and 42% is resistant starch (RS). The presence of SDS and RS indicates that they may contribute to gut health and glycaemic control.

Influence of Agrosystems on the Diversity of Mycorrhizae under Plantain Banana Cultivation in the Forest Region of Kisangani (Tshopo Province, DR Congo)

The largest genetic diversity of plantain banana (Musa AAB subgroup) is found by DRCongo. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are synergistic beneficial organisms with a positive effect on growth vigor. We determined the influence of plantain banana-based agrosystems on the diversity of AMF in agroforestry and home-garden field systems located in the Kisangani region of DR Congo. Soil samples of the different agrosystems showed a high mycorrhizal frequency (82.5%) with an overall mycorrhizal rate of 33.43%. Vigorous plantain plants are growing in soils that rich in AMF spores whereas non vigorous ones were found in soils that had few AMF spores. There were also significant differences between cultivars, in terms of the number of spores. Glomus was the most abundant genus followed by Gigaspora, Acaulospora, Scutellospora and Entrophospora. The diversity indices evaluated, richness, abundance and Shannon_H showed non-significant difference between agroforestry and home-garden plantains. However, agroforestry plantains showed a larger Inv-Simpson and Equitability-J index than home-garden plantains. Soil physico-chemical characteristics had an effect on abundance of mycorrhizal genera in all inventoried mycorrhizal taxa.

Biochemical Ameliorating Potential of Optimized Dough Meal from Plantain (Musa AAB), Soycake (Glycine max) and Rice bran (Oryza sativa) Flour Blends in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats

Research is gradually drifting towards the adoption of food as therapy for the management of diseases that result from metabolic derangement, in extension genetic diseases can as well be managed by a functional and nutritional diet that will maintain the health of an individual through life. Diabetes Mellitus is not an exception. This study was aimed at formulating functional diets from blends of plantain, soycake, and rice bran flours. They were processed into the dough and referred to as optimized flour blends and dough meals. The 100% Plantain flour (PLTF) and 100% cerolina (CERF) serve as the positive and negative controls. The protein efficiency ratio of the optimized flour blends and dough meal samples fed on rats ranged between 0.73 in PLTF – 3.23 in PSRD. The flour blends were less digestible than the dough meal flour. The dough meal flours (PLTD, CERD, and PSRD) have higher α–amylase inhibitory activity than the flour samples (PLTF, CERF, and PSRF). The PSRD has the highest α–amylase inhibition (30%) and was significantly higher than others.Inhibition against α- glucosidase activity ranged from 25% (PLTD) to 32% (PSRD). The raw flours (PLTF, CERF, and PSRF) have lessα–glucosidase inhibition than dough meal samples. Rats fed with the optimized diets enhanced the endogenous antioxidant status by elevating the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione transferase (GST) in the liver, while the diet depressed the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and xanthine oxidase (XO). The optimized dough meal has high alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase activities which are key enzymes implicated in diabetes mellitus; hence, the sample has the potential to be used as dietary intervention to modulate DM and hypertension.

Towards a biorefinery processing waste from plantain agro–Industry: process development for the production of an isomalto–oligosaccharide syrup from rejected unripe plantain fruits

The aim of this work was to evaluate the production of isomalto–oligosaccharides (IMO) from rejected unripe plantain fruits (Musa AAB Simmonds) on a laboratory scale and assess IMO syrup production for a large scale through process simulation. The enzymatic activity of the commercial preparation of α-glucosidase was 936.23 ± 0.71 U/mL. The Michaelis–Menten model was used to adjust the experimental data, and its kinetic parameters were used in the simulation. Maximum IMO production from a mixture of 18% plantain flour with a starch content of 84% was obtained for a reaction of 6 h in the transglycosylation step (29 ± 3 g/L isomaltotetraose and 8 ± 3 g/L isomaltopentaose). The best scenario to produce IMO showed a net present value of $ 459,000. Results suggest that IMO syrup production for a large scale, including an integrated production of single cell protein considering a batch size greater than 11,126 kg rejected fruits is feasible, if the production costs associated with labor are reduced and the selling price of the products increases according to the variation of the market. This work demonstrated that the rejected plantain pulp exhibits high potential as an ingredient to produce prebiotic compounds such as IMO.

Study of the Variability in the Enthalpy and Transition Temperature of the Organic Material Musa Aab Simmonds Obtained by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Study of the Variability in the Enthalpy and Transition Temperature of the Organic Material Musa Aab Simmonds Obtained by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Repeatability and Reproducibility Study of Organic Material (Musa AAB Simmonds) in the Measurement of Enthalpy and Transition Temperature

To establish repeatability and reproducibility parameters in the enthalpy values obtained in a differential scanning calorimeter, DSC Q2000, the endothermic and exothermic phase changes of Musa AAB Simmonds (Plantain). Were used peel samples were analyzed in a temperature range between -50 °C and 500 °C; with heating rates between 2 °C/min and 10 °C/min, in an N 2 atmosphere, and mass values of 3.0 mg, 6.0 mg and 9.0 mg. For variability analysis, a completely randomized experimental design with factorial structure, to model the effect of sample mass and heating rate on the enthalpies associated with three anomalies presented by the organic material studied. In the analysis of variance, it was found that, although the factors Mass (mg) and Rate (°C/min), influence the uncertainty, there is no dependence between them when it comes to the peak temperature variables. The analysis of enthalpy with respect to mass (mg) showed that there are no differences between the masses at significance levels greater than 0.20, attributable to the fact that the enthalpy measurement is made for first order phase transitions, i.e., the enthalpies correspond to latent heats which are constant for the same material.

Data Sheet on the Potential Impacts of Climate Changes on Consumption Patterns of Plantain Based Foods most consumed in Urban Area of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire Data Sheet: Potential Impacts of Climate Changes on Consumption Patterns of Plantain

Until recently, most assessments of the impact of climate changes on the food and agriculture sector have focused on the implications for production and global food supply, with less consideration of other components of the food chain. This paper examines how climate changes could effect on plantain food systems in Cote d’Ivoire and food security. Thus, our study was carried out in order to list the varieties of banana and plantain mostly used by housewives and restaurant dealers and to describe the various culinary preparations used for their transformation. It suggests that on the Ivorian market and availability in production volume, there is first the Afoto (Musa AAB, Horn) variety, followed varieties Agnrin (Musa AAB, French horn) and Ameletiha (Musa AAB, French) and finally Kpatregnon (Musa AAB, True Horn) variety which are popular plantain cultivars in Ivorian marketing system. Yet, overall preference of plantain cultivars according to the ripeness and food uses are Afoto (Musa AAB, Horn) variety, followed varieties Agnrin (Musa AAB, French Horn) and Ameletiha (Musa AAB, French) and according to consumer preference, eleven (11) food preparations containing plantain were identified..

Mineralización de nitrógeno en suelos cultivados con plátano (Musa AAB Subgrupo plátano cv. Hartón), estado Zulia, Venezuela

The main source of N in the soil is organic matter; therefore, its availability depends on its quantity and quality, microbial activity, soil characteristics and management. An efficient way to quantify available N is by mineralizing it as ammonium (N-NH ) and nitrate (N-NO ). Therefore, in this study, the total and available N was determined in soil samples 0-20 cm deep from two plots with plantain plants (Musa AAB plantain subgroup cv. Hartón) with high and low vigor (AV and BV, respectively), in the South of Lake Maracaibo. Total N was determined by the Kjeldalh method and the mineralization of available N by incubation under laboratory conditions for 10 weeks. The accumulated mineralized N (Nm), the constant mineralization rate of (k) and the potentially mineralizable N (N0) were calculated. A one-way analysis of variance was applied, when it was significant (p&lt;0.05), a Tukey test was applied for multiple comparisons of means. Total N was low (&lt;0.025 %) and did not present statistical differences (p&lt;0.05) between AV and BV. The accumulated mineralized N-NO was statistically (p&lt;0.05) higher (524.47 mg.kg-1) in BV, while the N-NH did not present differences between AV and BV. Only k was statistically higher (0.07 ± 0.03; p&lt;0.05) in BV. Nitrification was the process that prevailed especially in BV where organic carbon was higher and presented a higher percentage of sand.