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.

Evolution, importance and evaluation of cultivar protection in Brazil: the work of the SNPC

Abstract: Law no. 9.456/97 instituted the Plant Variety Protection Act (Lei de Protecao de Cultivares - LPC) in Brazil, bearing a range of positive aspects for Brazilian agriculture, such as the increase in the number of new varieties in Brazil, both domestic and foreign; incentives for breeding activities in the country; and socioeconomic benefits to the agricultural sector. In 15 years of activity in the sphere of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Ministerio da Agricultura, Pecuaria e Abastecimento), the National Plant Variety Protection Service (Servico Nacional de Protecao de Cultivares - SNPC) has consolidated its activity, not only through its credibility in analysis and granting of plant variety protection (PVP) applications, but also through its proactive stance in technical and legal activities in Brazilian and international affairs, as well as involving the scientific community in a participatory manner in the actions it develops. Nevertheless, in spite of these advances, there is a great deal of discussion regarding the limitations to effective exercise of plant breeders' rights caused by some legal provisions of the LPC that may lack refinement.

BRUCELOSE BOVINA: PREVALÊNCIA DE ANTICORPOS ANTI-Brucellaabortus EM REPRODUTORES BOVINOS NA MICRORREGIÃO DE GOIÂNIA

Abstract: Com este trabalho avaliou-se a prevalencia de reprodutores bovinos soro-reagentes a Brucella abortus na microrregiao de Goiânia, em 60 propriedades escolhidas aleatoriamente de 13 municipios. Foram examinados 139reprodutores, com idade entre 12 a 146 meses, em que 63(45,32%) eram de racas de corte e 76 (54,67%) de racasleiteiras. Das propriedades visitadas, 11 eram de gado de corte, 39 de gado de leite e 10 tinham atividade mista. A colheita do material foi feita por puncao na veia caudal externa, ou na veia safena lateral. O material foi conservado em caixa isotermica com gelo reciclavel e centrifugado em laboratorio no maximo 24 horas pos-colheita. Os exames foram realizados no Laboratorio de Microbiologia do Departamento de Medicina Veterinaria da Universidade Federal de Goias. Foi relatada a presenca de abortos em 32(53,33%) das propriedades estudadas. A prova de soro-aglutinacao rapida em placa revelou 137 reprodutores negativos e dois suspeitos, com sorologia 1:50 e 1:100 incompleta. Nas amostras dos animais suspeitos, foi realizada a prova de rosa bengala, e ambos responderam negativamente.Um dos touros suspeitos era oriundo de uma propriedade com historico de aborto e outro nao. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Brucelose, bovinos, touros.

Soroprevalência de Borrelia burgdorferi latu sensu associada à presença de carrapatos em cães de áreas rurais do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Abstract: The prevalence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi latu sensu was investigated in dogs from rural areas of seven towns of the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All dogs were also examined for the presence of ticks. From the 199 dogs, 15.58% were seropositive, with titers that ranged from 400 (13.57%) to 1600 (0.5%). The positive cases were equally distributed among the seven studied towns. No differences (P > 0.05) were found among the age groups of over six months old. Ticks were found and collected from 71 (35.68%) dogs. From this total, 24.12% were infested with Amblyomma cajennense, 13.6% with Rhipicephalus sanguineus, 2.5% with Amblyomma aureolatum and 1.5% with Amblyomma ovale. Amblyomma cajennense was found in 38.7% and R. sanguineus in 22.6% of the dogs with B. burgdorferi antibodies, although no positive correlation between the ticks parasitism and positive serology was found.

Archaeological Remains Accounting for the Presence and Exploitation of the North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena glacialis on the Portuguese Coast (Peniche, West Iberia), 16th to 17th Century

Abstract: The former occurrence of the North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis on the Portuguese coast may be inferred from the historical range of that species in Europe and in NW Africa. It is generally accepted that it was the main prey of coastal whaling in the Middle Ages and in the pre-modern period, but this assumption still needs firming up based on biological and archaeological evidence. We describe the skeletal remains of right whales excavated at Peniche in 2001–2002, in association with archaeological artefacts. The whale bones were covered by sandy sediments on the old seashore and they have been tentatively dated around the 16th to 17th centuries. This study contributes material evidence to the former occurrence of E. glacialis in Portugal (West Iberia). Some whale bones show unequivocal man-made scars. These are associated to wounds from instruments with a sharp-cutting blade. This evidence for past human interaction may suggest that whaling for that species was active at Peniche around the early 17th century.