ABSTRACT. Helicoverpa armigera caterpillars are polyphagous and exhibit high migratory potential. Given the traits of this pest, alternative hosts located in or near the crop stand may support the survival and permanence of H. armigera in the field. The aim of this study was to investigate Conyza sp. as a food source for H. armigera caterpillars in scenarios with conventional and Bt soybean. Two experiments were conducted in biochemical oxygen demand incubators. The first assessed consumption of conventional soybean, Bt soybean and Conyza sp.

ABSTRACT. Acute intestinal bloat occurs in horses and mules introduced into sprouting Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, cv. Massai and cv. Mombaça pastures in northern Brazil during the rainy season. It has been suggested that the disease is due to high concentrations of non- -structural carbohydrates in this grass. The paper aimed to study outbreaks of colics in the state of Rondônia, Brazil and contribute to the knowledge of the carbohydrates contained in P. maximum as the cause of the disease. For this, ten farms which had cases of intestinal bloat were visited.

ABSTRACT. The wheat leaf rust fungus, Puccinia triticina, is found in the major wheat growing regions of the world and is a leading cause of yield loss in wheat. Populations of P. triticina are highly variable for virulence to resistance genes in wheat and adapt quickly to resistance genes in wheat cultivars. The objectives of this study were to determine the genetic relatedness of worldwide collections of P. triticina using restriction site associated genotyping by sequencing. A total of 558 isolates of P.

ABSTRACT. For more than 60 years, sporadic cases of massive summer honey bee larvae mortality in colonies located near freshwater systems with abundant riparian vegetation have been reported in Uruguay. This odd phenomenon, known as ?River disease? by beekeepers, can lead to colony death by depopulation. The aim of this study was to detect the causes of larvae death. Different experiments and analyses were performed using affected apiaries located between two important water courses.

ABSTRACT. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the characteristics of the onset of the postpartum ovarian activity on the reproductive efficiency of dairy cows. Eighty-four Holstein cows (43 multiparous and 41 primiparous) were utilized and ovarian function was assessed by milk progesterone and ultrasonography. The experimental period was from day 10 postpartum to first breeding. Intervals from calving to:first ovulation, first observed estrus, first service and conception were 35,4±4,9, 80,8±8,6, 103,4±7,1 and 126,8±9,1 (days, mean±SEM) without differences within categories.

ABSTRACT. The incidence of short oestrous cycles and kidding rate in dairy goats were evaluated after administering a low dose (500 IU) of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) during two breeding seasons. The first year, 46 does (Saanen, n = 10; Nubian, n = 26; and their local crossbred, n = 10) were used. The second year of the study was performed on 34 of the same does (Saanen, n = 4; Nubian, n = 19; local crossbred, n = 11). The goats were synchronised with intravaginal sponges that contained medroxyprogesterone acetate during a period of 14 days.

ABSTRACT. Plant breeding that emphasizes crosses among elite parents in a closed population (advanced cycle breeding) is presumed to decrease genetic diversity. To assess the effect of plant breeding on allelic diversity, we evaluated regional ancestors, parental lines, and cultivar candidates from the University of Minnesota six-rowed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) breeding program between 1958 and 1998 using pedigree information, 70 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, and a gene specific marker.

ABSTRACT. Browning of the lettuce stem butt is one of the main postharvest changes induced by wounding during harvest. The browning process of the harvested lettuce starts with yellowing, then becomes reddish brown, and finishes with an intense brown pigmentation (Tomás-Barberán et al., 1997). Castañer et al. (1996) reported promising results to prevent butt discoloration of iceberg lettuce with solutions of acetic acid (10 ml/L and 50 ml/L), and vinegar.

ABSTRACT. This study aimed to identify genomic regions influencing growth traits in Nellore cattle and evaluate the predictive ability of each trait based on results obtained from single-step genome-wide association analyzes (ssGWAS) considering different single nucleotide polymorphims (SNP) densities of markers. The National Association of Breeders and Researchers provided the dataset, from eighteen Nellore herds participating of the Nellore Brazilian breeding program.

ABSTRACT. Prosopis strombulifera (Lam.) Benth. is a spiny shrub with the maximum tolerance limits reported for halophytic plants. This species is frequently found in the salinized areas in south-western of Córdoba and San Luis provinces, Argentina. Little is known about the genetic diversity within this species in a native population. Genetic diversity in 60 plants of P. strombulifera in south-western San Luis was investigated using AFLP analysis. Polymorphism was found among the samples tested.