ABSTRACT The characteristic evolution of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on timescales of months to years means that risks to agriculture have structure between seasons and years. The potential for consecutive ENSO-induced yield anomalies is of particular interest in major food producing areas, where modest changes in yield have significant effects on global markets.

ABSTRACT. Abstract The unusual severity and return time of the 2005 and 2010 dry-season droughts in western Amazon is attributed partly to decadal climate fluctuations and a modest drying trend. Decadal variability of western Amazon hydroclimate is highly correlated to the Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) north-south gradient (NSG). Shifts of dry and wet events frequencies are also related to the NSG phase, with a 66% chance of 3+ years of dry events per decade when NSG > 0 and 19% when NSG

ABSTRACT. The ability to authenticate the feed given to animals has become a major challenge in animal production, where the diet fed to the animal is one of the most important production factors affecting the composition of milk and meat from cattle, sheep, and goats. Hence, there is currently an increased consumer demand for information on herbivore production factors and particularly the animal diet.

ABSTRACT A major bottleneck to Introgressive hybridization is the lack of genome collinearity between the donor (alien) genome and the recipient crop genome. Structural differences between the homeologs may create unbalanced segregation of chromosomes or cause linkage drag. To assess large-scale collinearity between potato and two of its wild relatives (Solanum commersonii and S. chacoense), we used BAC-FISH mapping of sequences with known positions on the RH potato map. BAC probes could successfully be hybridized to the S. commersonii and S.

ABSTRACT. The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is one of the main plagues of honey bees Apis mellifera. Grooming behavior is a resistance mechanism through which parasitized bees can dislodge mites by themselves (autogrooming) or by the action of other bees (allogrooming). The objective of this study was to evaluate grooming behavior in Italian (A. m. ligustica) and Africanized (hybrids of A. m. scutellata) bees at the individual, group, and colony levels. Firstly, five behaviors were recorded observing bees individually placed on a Petri dish and after placing a mite on their thorax.

Early weaning may be used in beef cattle production to improve reproduction rates in range conditions. However, weaning causes a stress response in cows, which may be especially strong in early weaning management, as the bond between the cow and the calf is still strong. We hypothesized that weaning calves in two steps, with the aid of anti-sucking devices (nose flaps) would reduce the behavioural stress response in the cows separated from their calves 2 months after parturition.

Rice breeding has made important contributions to Latin America. More than 400 cultivars were released from 1975 to 2012, which helped to raise total production to >27 million tonnes obtained from 5.7 million hectares (average for 2010?2012). Rice production provides ∼US$8.8 billion for thousands of farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The result of higher yields in the irrigated sector was to triple rice production in LAC while area did not grow, thus preserving more fragile environments. Several estimates on genetic gains for grain yield have been carried out in LAC.

ABSTRACT. A new set of objectives for sustainable development are now in place, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and countries need to develop concrete policy roadmaps to achieve them. This is particularly challenging in the agricultural sector given the heterogeneity of local conditions, the diffuse nature of its environmental impacts, and the important interactions with various aspects of sustainable development ? from education and poverty alleviation, to human health and the environment.

ABSTRACT. A new set of objectives for sustainable development are now in place, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and countries need to develop concrete policy roadmaps to achieve them. This is particularly challenging in the agricultural sector given the heterogeneity of local conditions, the diffuse nature of its environmental impacts, and the important interactions with various aspects of sustainable development ? from education and poverty alleviation, to human health and the environment.