Ministry of Agriculture

About: Ministry of Agriculture is a government organization based out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Biology & Chemistry. The organization has 1153 authors who have published 1189 publications receiving 14442 citations.

Assessing the dynamics of soil salinity with time-lapse inversion of electromagnetic data guided by hydrological modelling

Abstract: . Irrigated agriculture is threatened by soil salinity in numerous arid and semi-arid areas of the world, chiefly caused by the use of highly salinity irrigation water, compounded by excessive evapotranspiration. Given this threat, efficient field assessment methods are needed to monitor the dynamics of soil salinity in salt-affected irrigated lands and evaluate the performance of management strategies. In this study, we report on the results of an irrigation experiment with the main objective of evaluating time-lapse inversion of electromagnetic induction (EMI) data and hydrological modelling in field assessment of soil salinity dynamics. Four experimental plots were established and irrigated 12 times during a 2-month period, with water at four different salinity levels (1, 4, 8 and 12 dS m−1 ) using a drip irrigation system. Time-lapse apparent electrical conductivity ( σa ) data were collected four times during the experiment period using the CMD Mini-Explorer. Prior to inversion of time-lapse σa data, a numerical experiment was performed by 2D simulations of the water and solute infiltration and redistribution process in synthetic transects, generated by using the statistical distribution of the hydraulic properties in the study area. These simulations gave known spatio-temporal distribution of water contents and solute concentrations and thus of bulk electrical conductivity ( σb ), which in turn were used to obtain known structures of apparent electrical conductivity, σa . These synthetic distributions were used for a preliminary understanding of how the physical context may influence the EMI-based σa readings carried out in the monitored transects as well as being used to optimize the smoothing parameter to be used in the inversion of σa readings. With this prior information at hand, we inverted the time-lapse field σa data and interpreted the results in terms of concentration distributions over time. The proposed approach, using preliminary hydrological simulations to understand the potential role of the variability of the physical system to be monitored by EMI, may actually allow for a better choice of the inversion parameters and interpretation of EMI readings, thus increasing the potentiality of using the electromagnetic induction technique for rapid and non-invasive investigation of spatio-temporal variability in soil salinity over large areas.

One-part suction unit with bearer of comparatively hard material - has mouthpiece of soft material connected to it

Abstract: The hard material of the bearer (1) is an ETPE or a basic polymer of it, and the soft material of the mouthpiece (8) is an ETPE moistened with the bearer material. The basic polymer is a polyolefin such a polypropylene. The bearer (1) has a safety strip (4) which extends into the mouthpiece (8). Pref. the safety strip (4) extends in the longitudinal direction of the mouthpiece (8) and at both ends is connected with the bearer (1). The bearer has an accommodation (9) for the end of the mouthpiece (8) connected with it. The mouthpiece (8) is connected to the bearer (1) via a peripheral projecting edge section (9). The EPTE of the mouthpiece (8) covers the safety strip (4) on the side facing the user. USE/ADVANTAGE - As a one-part suction unit. The unit is cheap to produce and the connection of the mouthpiece and bearer fulfils very high strength requirements.

Physicochemical properties and biological activities of bracatinga honeydew honey from different geographical locations.

Abstract: Bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella Bentham) honeydew honey is a Brazilian dark honey in increasing international appreciation. In this sense, the knowledge of its composition and potential biological properties becomes indispensable. In the present study, the physicochemical characteristics, including mineral and phenolic composition, and the scavenging, reducing, and antimicrobial proprieties of bracatinga honeydew honey (bhh) from five different geographical locations, were investigated. Bhh proved to be a potential functional food due to its high content of minerals (up to 6395 mg kg−1) and phenolic compounds (up to 2393 µg 100 g−1) and high scavenging and reducing activities. High antimicrobial activity against four bacterial strains, with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 10 to 60%, were also found. Additionally, through principal component analysis, partial discrimination of bhh was observed according to the geographical location, which favored the separation of samples from Lages, and mainly due to the presence of nectar in this honey, which was proposed for the samples from Bom Retiro.

Leakproof bottle for feeding a child

Abstract: Leakproof bottle for feeding a child with a bottle, with a first external thread around a bottle opening, a lower closure ring, with a first internal thread, which is screwed onto the first external thread and has at least one first throughflow hole, with an upper closure ring, with a second external thread on which the lower closure ring sits in a sealing manner and which has at least one second throughflow hole which, by rotation of the upper closure ring in relation to the lower closure ring, can be brought into coinciding and non-coinciding positions in relation to the first throughflow hole, locking elements which can rotate the lower closure ring and the upper closure ring relative to each other and lock them releasably to each other, with a drinking teat and a screw ring with a second internal thread, which is screwed onto the second external thread of the upper closure ring and secures a lower edge region of the drinking teat releasably to the upper closure ring.