S. M. A. Crispim

Evaluation of seasonal changes in chemical composition and antibacterial activity of Elyonurus muticus (sprengel) O. Kuntze (Gramineae)

Aerial parts of Elyonurus muticus were collected in the four seasons of the year in the Brazilian Pantanal and subjected to extractrion with cold ethanol and to hydrodistillation. Sesquiterpenoids (E)-caryophyllene, bicyclogermacrene, spathulenol and caryophyllene oxide were the main components identified in the essential oils and their concentrations varied according to the plant collection period. The essential oils and the ethanolic crude extracts were active against Bacillus cereus MIP 96016, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and were not active against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. The antibacterial activities varied according to the plant collection period.

Efeitos da queima na dinâmica da biomassa aérea de um campo nativo no Pantanal

Resumo – O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da queima na dinâmica da biomassa aerea do estrato herbaceo de um campo nativo do Pantanal com predominância de Andropogon bicornis. A area de estudo foi submetida aos tratamentos sem queima e com queima, ambos sem pastejo. Os dados de biomassa aerea e cobertura do solo foram analisados nos onze meses subsequentes a queima. A biomassa aerea das areas com queima apresentou pequeno incremento linear de materia seca, tornando sua biomassa significativamente menor que a obtida nas areas sem queima. Andropogon bicornis, Axonopus purpusii e outras especies apresentaram menor biomassa apos a queima, enquanto Mesosetum chaseae foi favorecido pela queima, apresentando maior producao de materia seca. A acao do fogo removeu praticamente toda a biomassa; a cobertura do solo, trinta dias apos a queima, foi de aproximadamente 35%. Somente sete meses depois, a cobertura do solo foi restabelecida, tornando-se semelhante a area sem queima. Effects of burning on the aerial biomass dynamics of a native field in the Pantanal

Composição e dinâmica da biomassa aérea após a queima em savana gramíneo-lenhosa no Pantanal

The purpose of this work was to evaluate composition and aerial biomass dynamics after burning of a grassy-woody savanna in the Pantanal wetlands, Brazil. During 11 months, data on species frequency, aerial biomass and soil cover were collected in an area with burning (WB) and another free of burning (FB), both not grazed. Burning reduced the frequency of the most predominant grasses and increased the number of dicotyledons and cyperaceae species. The production of total aerial biomass was lower in the WB area, despite an increase tendency that was similar in both areas. Litter production was strongly affected by burnings. After 11 months its production was approximately 25% of the production exhibited by the FB area. Soil cover was also lower in the WB and only after four months it was similar to the FB area.

Pastoreio misto em caatinga manipulada no sertão cearense.

O experimento foi conduzido com o objetivo de determinar os efeitos da manipulacao da vegetacao lenhosa da caatinga e do pastoreio multiplo sobre o ganho de peso de bovinos, caprinos e ovinos machos em crescimento. Os tratamentos principais consistiram de caatinga nativa (testemunha), caatinga sob rebaixamento e caatinga sob raleamento, e os subtratamentos, as combinacoes de bovinos, caprinos e ovinos, incluindo o pastoreio solteiro por essas especies de ruminantes. Concluiu-se que, na caatinga, os bovinos devem ser criados em pastoreio solteiro e que o raleamento constitui a melhor tecnica de manipulacao para esses ruminantes. Ja os caprinos devem ser criados em pastoreio solteiro, ou combinado com bovinos, preferencialmente, em areas de caatinga rebaixada ou raleada. Os ovinos, por seu turno, devem ser criados combinados com caprinos ou em pastoreio solteiro e o raleamento constitui a melhor tecnica de manipulacao da vegetacao da caatinga para esses ruminantes. Os melhores rendimentos de peso vivo animal sao obtidos em caatinga raleada sob pastejo de bovinos em crescimento.

A fuzzy logic-based tool to assess beef cattle ranching sustainability in complex environmental systems

One of the most relevant issues in discussion worldwide nowadays is the concept of sustainability. However, sustainability assessment is a difficult task due to the complexity of factors involved in the natural world added to the human interference. In order to assess the sustainability of beef ranching in complex and uncertain tropical environment systems this paper describes a decision support system based on fuzzy rule-approach, the Sustainable Pantanal Ranch (SPR). This tool was built by a set of measurements and indicators integrated by fuzzy logic to evaluate the attributes of the three dimensions of sustainability. Indicators and decision rules, as well as scenario evaluations, were obtained from workshops involving multi-disciplinary team of experts. A Fuzzy Rule-Based System (FRBS) was developed to each attribute, dimension and general index. The essential parts of the FRBS are the knowledge database, rules and the inference engine. The FuzzyGen and WebFuzzy tools were developed to support the FRBS and both showed efficiency and low cost for digital applications. The results of each attribute, dimension and index were presented as radar graphs, showing the individual value (0-10) of each indicator. In the validation process using the WebFuzzy, different combinations of indicators were made for each attribute index to show the corresponding output, and which confirm the feasibility and usability of the tool.

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL FORESTS IN PANTANAL REGION, BRAZIL

The Pantanal region in Brazil has an area of 140,000 km², with approximately 30 % of natural forests distributed as deciduous, semideciduous, and forested savannas. The subregion of Nhecolandia represents 19 % of this area. There is constant concern about the sustainability of these forested areas, as there is a constant demand for wood for farm maintenance, mainly for making fence poles. The objective of this article is to indicate sustainable forest management practices in the Pantanal region of Nhecolandia. The methodology of this novel approach consisted of the recovery and organization of the available information to calculate the sustainable allowable cut per hectare, considering: cutting cycle, wood stock, periodic annual increment (PAI) in percentage of volume from the commercial or interesting species and the stand structure. For forested savannas, the diameter at breast height (DBH) of 529 trees per hectare were estimated as follows: 28 % with a DBH lower than 10 cm, 36 % from 10 to 20 cm, 21 % from 20 to 30 cm, 10 % from 30 to 40 cm and only 4 % greater than 40 cm. The estimated total volume per hectare was 84.2 m³ and the estimated basal area was 18.6 m². The forested areas of the Pantanal region present potential for sustainable use. However, due to regional characteristics and the lack of available information, an enhancement in research is recommended to establish a basic management guide to ensure its perpetuation for future generations.

Adubação Fosfatada e Regime de Uso de Uma Caatinga Raleada. 2 - Produção do Estrato Herbáceo

A pesquisa objetivou determinar os efeitos da adubacao fosfatada, do regime de uso e do sistema de manejo sobre a producao da vegetacao herbacea da caatinga raleada. O experimento foi um fatorial de 2 3 x3, (dois niveis de adubacao, dois regimes de uso, dois sistemas de manejo e tres anos), em parcelas subdivididas, com distribuicao em blocos ao acaso, com tres repeticoes. Os resultados indicaram que a adubacao aumentou a produtividade do estrato herbaceo, desde que associada ao uso da pastagem ao meio e ao fim do periodo chuvoso. O corte nao afetou a produtividade das gramineas e das ervas anuais, enquanto que, o pastejo com ovinos favoreceu a producao das ervas. As flutuacoes anuais da producao de fitomassa foram elevadas, dependeram, provavelmente, das precipitacoes pluviais, e apontam a necessidade de prazos prolongados para a confiabilidade dos resultados da pesquisa nesta area de conhecimento.