and satellites improves agricultural productivity and identifies erosion and water or nutrient loss SecretDisc / WikiMedia Commons | Marjorie Schulz / USGS agricultural engineer Diego Siqueira was reunited with former college classmate Diogo Barbieri each at the head of their own soil analysis companies in Jaboticabal Siqueira talked about the advances he had made with magnetic sensors used to identify land suitable for growing specialty coffees and suggested his colleague use the same technique in sugarcane fields which are commonplace where they live in the north of the state of São Paulo which he saw as an opportunity to expand his business by offering tests at lower costs than the methods he had been using at the time and spectrophotometers (which measure the intensity of light absorbed and reflected by a material) provide a kind of X-ray of the soil differentiating between apparently identical soils and helping farmers to better take care of their land Siqueira gives an example: the red dust clouds that frightened residents of north and west São Paulo in September 2021 were formed by strong winds sweeping across areas with exposed soil and lacking the minerals that foster aggregation and prevent dispersion Ecossistemas de Inovação: A Revolução AgroMagnet attracts nanoparticles of magnetic minerals from the soilEcossistemas de Inovação: A Revolução Agro Siqueira, co-owner of Quanticum since 2019 (see Pesquisa FAPESP issue nº 299) completed their master’s degrees and doctorates with fellow agronomist José Marques Júnior head of a soil analysis laboratory at São Paulo State University (UNESP) Marques Júnior began work on refining the technique used to identify minerals in soil The UNESP group based their work on studies conducted in the early 2000s by Spanish agronomist José Torrent of the University of Córdoba who used magnetic and color sensors to identify iron oxides using the concepts of German chemist Udo Schwertmann (1927–2016) These minerals define not only the shades of red but also the aggregation level of the soil; sandy and yellowish soils which contain low volumes of these compounds magnetism is a sign of complex interactions which determine the soil’s ability to retain water and nutrients,” says Marques Júnior which these days are only slightly bigger than a cell phone we can determine maghemite and phosphorus levels on the spot with more than 80% accuracy Claudio Lucas Capeche / Embrapa SoilsMapping soil irregularities can help mitigate erosion like this case in Mato GrossoClaudio Lucas Capeche / Embrapa Soils Marques Júnior and his team analyzed the iron oxide content of 42 samples of latosol (one of the 13 basic soil types) from two sugarcane farms that use mechanical harvesting in the municipalities of Guatapará and Guariba Despite having similar geological histories the proportion of iron oxide in the soils varied by as much as ten times from 22 grams per kilogram (g/kg) to 253 g/kg described in the journal Geoderma Regional in August 2015 a type of soil color analysis called reflectance spectroscopy proved capable of recording crystalline iron oxide contents below 5% and providing results within 20 minutes an analysis of 88 soil samples showed that sugarcane fields with higher levels of iron oxide in Luiz Antônio — also in the central-north of São Paulo State — had greater potential for sugar and alcohol production but we already have relatively satisfactory knowledge of the variation in Brazilian soils,” says Marques Júnior Together with other experts from the Luiz de Queiroz School of Agronomy at the University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP) and research centers in France and Australia he participated in a nationwide project that mapped soils rich in iron oxide in Paraná Alexandre Affonso / Revista Pesquisa FAPESP“Soils with a higher iron content have the best physical characteristics which analyzed 30,344 samples from across the country the greater the potential for improving agricultural productivity In an experimental sugarcane farm in the interior of São Paulo UNESP agronomist José Eduardo Corá identified which areas needed higher or lower doses of nitrogen fertilizer based on images taken by a drone that he flew over the farm with adapted cameras capable of generating images of the same object at different electromagnetic wavelengths shows what the human eye cannot see,” he says knowing how the plants interact with the soil and the effects of pests and the climate allows farmers to intervene before potential problems worsen which has been widely adopted by farmers in the USA and is incipient in Brazil Another example is given in an article published in Revista Ciência Agronômica in September 2023 A team of scientists from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and Instituto Federal Goiano in Rio Verde used a drone fitted with a 12-band camera (for different electromagnetic wavelengths) and identified areas of soil infested with nematodes Ecossistemas de inovação: A revolução agro Brazil makes drones used to disperse herbicidesEcossistemas de inovação: A revolução agro  To give farmers more precision in their work developed an AI program that processes aerial images taken by drones to identify potential problems “The resulting files are compatible with most fertilizer tractors and drones: they just have to be uploaded to the equipment which then applies the product in the correct locations,” explained mechatronic engineer Guilherme Barros Castro which was refined as part of a project funded by FAPESP’s Innovative Research in Small Businesses program (PIPE) means herbicide is only applied where necessary reducing costs by 65% and minimizing environmental impacts agronomist José Alexandre Demattê characterizes soils using satellite sensors which can differentiate soils according to the colors they reflect Color variations indicate changes in the basic elements of soil: the composition or proportion of certain minerals The researchers examined images produced by the USA’s Landsat satellites between 1982 and 2019 with a resolution of 30 square meters (m2) from an area of 735,000 square kilometers (km2) in seven states — the Federal District As described in an article published in Scientific Reports in July 2023 indicated that 14% of the land occupied by pasture or soybean crops were previously springs or wetlands that had been covered to increase the economically productive space “Environmental legislation states that water sources or reserves must be preserved and cannot be covered,” he points out This is something he himself recommends for soil conservation when talking to public agencies José Marques Júnior / UNESPPure minerals found in soils in Brazil from the UNESP Jaboticabal archiveJosé Marques Júnior / UNESP ESALQ agronomist Rodnei Rizzo examined the issue of erosion a natural phenomenon caused by rain and exacerbated by the transformation of native vegetation into cropland or pasture According to an analysis by researchers in China published in Environmental Science & Technology in June 2022 which occupies around 11% of the world’s surface and Brazil account for 65% of soil erosion in agricultural areas and the lower the soil fertility,” says Rizzo soil degradation rates have fluctuated over the last 40 years It is still high on the agricultural frontiers of the North with the increasing use of planting directly on straw and the mechanized harvesting of sugarcane.” The USP group participated in a global project that mapped exposed soil corresponding to 38.5% of the Earth’s surface and 82.2% of the area occupied by agriculture as described in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment in December 2023 Analyzing color changes over time proved efficient at detecting not only global but also local soil surface changes — the soil becomes brighter when it loses vegetation cover as a result of erosion Demattê emphasizes that the more the soil is exposed the more intensely it suffers the effects of temperature we were able to identify areas with different agronomic potential,” says one of the users of the new research who is director of agriculture and technology at São Martinho one of the largest sugar and ethanol producers in Brazil knowing the iron oxide content helps the company better plan the use of soil that small-scale producers are more resistant to soil analysis But he also points out that soil conservation practices have advanced “It was previously thought that the more contour lines [plateaus built in steep terrain to reduce the flow of rainwater and prevent flash floods] © Revista Pesquisa FAPESP - All rights reserved Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo researchers supported by FAPESP had shown that tegu lizards reach higher temperatures than the burrows they inhabit in spring This new study has found a physiological explanation for the phenomenon which is owned by the Scandinavian Physiological Society In 2016, another group of scientists supported by FAPESP discovered that S. merianae’s body temperature remains several degrees above the nocturnal burrow temperature during the mating season (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/22723).  the group collected biopsies from the skeletal muscles of ten lizards during summer (February) and spring (September-October) Small tissue samples taken from a front foot and back foot were submitted to biochemical analysis and calorimetry “We had to take a long time to establish the protocols because this kind of analysis had never been performed on these lizards,” Bícego said.  The researchers found that during the reproductive season the muscles of both males and females produced far more mitochondria (cellular energy organelles) a protein present in mitochondria called ANT known to be involved in a biochemical process that generates heat in birds was more abundant and more active in the lizards during the reproductive season when females prepare for egg laying and nest building while males seek territory and increase their gonads to get ready for mating.  another protein involved in the process of heat generation was not found to be active during the experiments with S Muscle samples collected during the reproductive season produced more heat than in summer owing to the activity of ANT but not UCP the only reptiles known to be able to warm themselves were two species of python large Asian snakes that can reach 5 m in length This endothermic behavior occurs mainly while they are incubating eggs a technique also used by some mammals and birds. S merianae raises its own temperature without shivering Temperature regulation may be associated with the production of sex hormones which peaks in the mating season for both males (testosterone) and females (estradiol and progesterone) Other hormones that are abundant in this phase are involved in energy expenditure and mobilization of energy reserves.  “Thyroid hormones are known to trigger a rise in mitochondria Increased production of these hormones during the mating season may be associated with abundance of mitochondria and hence increased activity of the protein ANT which helps produce heat and is known in birds,” said Hervas currently a PhD candidate at FCAV-UNESP.  as well as the research findings published by other groups show that mechanisms involved in endothermy may have appeared in vertebrates even earlier than has been estimated Their presence in a large lizard (without shivering) and a large snake (with shivering) could be a sign that the phenomenon is more common in reptiles than scientists think in which internally produced heat tends to take longer to dissipate It’s possible that other large reptiles may also be warmer than the outside temperature at certain times and one that inhabits a subtropical region of a cellular heat-generating mechanism that closely resembles what happens in birds and mammals,” Bícego said Marcos Túlio de Oliveira, penultimate author of the article, is a professor at FCAV-UNESP, also supported by FAPESP and head of the laboratory where mitochondrial biochemistry experiments were conducted for the study previous awardees of scholarships from FAPESP.  About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) 10.1111/apha.14162 Mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle contributes to reproductive endothermy in tegu lizards (Salvator merianae) are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system Copyright © 2025 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors - Photo: UNESPA combined Brazilian-US study into techniques to smartly assess required supplemental temperatures for piglets has received an award by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) called ‘Prediction of Optimum Supplemental Heat for Piglets’ won the award for using a smart and sustainable system for temperature control during the lactation phase The partnership included researchers from São Paulo State University (UNESP) The scientists developed a system that uses innovative solutions in order to determine optimal supplementary heat for piglets The study was published in the peer-reviewed journalTransactions of ASABE and was considered the best work of the year in the category ‘Plant The researchers wrote in their abstract: “In this study we determined optimum supplemental heat requirements (supplied by heating lamps) for piglets based on energy balance as a function of air temperature and animal body weight.” In doing so The researchers concluded that for air temperature between 15-19°C the predicted optimum supplemental heat was 266-344 W and 44-128 W for piglets weighing 1 kg and 20 kg The predicted optimum supplemental heat was roughly 200 W lower for piglets at the end of the farrowing cycle (assuming a weight of 20 kg) than at birth (assuming a birth weight of 1 kg) professor at UNESP and one of the article’s authors responded: “I believe that most interesting topic in our study was the use of innovative techniques in order to predict and reduce energy consumption and improve thermal comfort and animal well-being.” The research was carried out in a unit in Jaboticabal These were processed in the USA through a scientific cooperation with professor Kifle G This is the first time that a winner study in animal field has a Brazilian as the first author in that prize.” Professor Campos Maia also takes part of the research group Inobio-Manera (short for Innovation in Biometeorology and Animal Welfare) which focuses on improving thermal comfort and animal welfare using concepts of environmental responsibility and generating innovation aligned with development sustainable “We hope to contribute to sustainability through lower anthropic CO2 emissions and improving the quality of life of these animals Besides that it helps on a greater producer satisfaction by reducing costs and to a better perception by consumers.” A study of the management plans for 118 conservation units in Brazil shows that 60% use unsuitable methods to detect the presence of deer and that 38% do not even describe the method used Conservation of these animals may be endangered as a result Eight deer species occur in Brazil; three are red-listed as “vulnerable” by IUCN Management plans prescribe the governance and technical aspects of the administration of protected areas in Brazil. The protected areas analyzed in the study correspond to 298,000 square kilometers and are located in all biomes. An article reporting the study is published in the journal Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation “Incorrect inclusion or exclusion of a threatened species hampers local management, hinders the compilation of information about the species, and impairs assessment of the risk of extinction,” said Pedro Henrique de Faria Peres “We’ve spent several years testing the most widely used field methods for this kind of identification and found they aren’t always suitable Some of the management plans analyzed were in place before that and so we set out to contribute to future revisions of these plans as well as new plans,” Duarte explained Deer have an excellent sense of smell and sharp hearing almost always fleeing before they can be identified on rare occasions when they are spotted in nature a trained eye is needed to distinguish certain species by morphology (size Visual analysis of droppings, fur, and footprints is a reliable method of identification for most species, as other research by NUPECCE has shown. Its researchers have also developed strategies that include the use of sniffer dogs and fecal DNA sequencing (more at: https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/en/dogs-working-in-the-forest/).  The knowledge gleaned by the research group includes the fact that the Marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) can be identified by the shape of its antlers and footprints only DNA analysis can reliably determine whether an individual is a Red brocket (Mazama americana) or a Small red brocket (Mazama bororo) the researchers consider many of the methods used to identify species in the genus Mazama unsuitable The management plans they analyzed frequently referred to such methods including interviews with people living nearby Camera traps and antler shapes are considered appropriate to identify the Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) whereas direct observation and interviews are not “People who live near the border of a protected area may be accustomed to distinguishing what they believe to be species on the basis of traits such as presence or absence of antlers or spots within the same species,” Peres said To improve management plans, the researchers have prepared a deer identification guide with FAPESP’s support containing descriptions and illustrations that help distinguish most species the implementation of suitable methodologies including DNA analysis is important both to the management of conservation units and to an understanding of the real extent to which species are endangered “You hear a lot of talk about the gap between research and public policy Our aim here was to bring the science closer to the conservation managers using a large amount of knowledge we now have to contribute to the protection of these animals,” Peres said 10.1016/j.pecon.2021.08.001 Implications of unreliable species identification methods for Neotropical deer conservation planning statistical tools and database systems will ensure participants are “on the same page” with regard to key content and practical applications of precision livestock farming in Brazil and worldwide (photo: FCAV-UNESP) The main aim is to optimize farm management via real-time control of animal productivity and environmental impacts Agência FAPESP – São Paulo State University’s School of Agrarian and Veterinarian Sciences (FCAV-UNESP) in Jaboticabal, Brazil, is organizing the São Paulo School of Advanced Science (SPSAS) on Precision Livestock Farming, to be held on October 15-24, 2024. Anyone interested should apply not later than January 20 via the event website: sites.google.com/unesp.br/plfschool/applications?authuser=0 The SPSAS is funded by FAPESP and will bring together Brazilian and foreign scientists to inspire graduate students and young researchers to explore various aspects of precision livestock farming in depth The main aim is to find solutions that optimize production management via real-time continuous automated control of aspects such as animal productivity The organizers’ strategic plan entails delivering short courses on machine learning statistical tools and database systems to ensure participants are “on the same page” with regard to key content and practical applications of precision livestock farming in Brazil and worldwide One hundred participants will be selected – 50 from any part of Brazil and 50 from other countries Applications will be analyzed by the organizing and scientific committees Selection will be based on the applicants’ résumés and letters of recommendation from supervisors or tutors Applicants’ home countries will also be considered so as to assure the inclusion of participants from all continents The organizing and scientific committees aim to achieve gender equality in the participating group The list of selected applicants will be published on February 20 For more information, visit: sites.google.com/unesp.br/plfschool For more information, visit: sites.google.com/unesp.br/plfschool.  skipWhenExists: false });CMSBrowserComponents.load({ el: '#vue-1746456026155-519' props: {"entity":{"id":15508095,"ns":"base.wattglobalmedia-all.content-article","name":"Biorigin hires new technical feed expert","props":{"type":"article","published":1381347600000},"refs":{"primarySection":{"id":84473,"ns":"base.wattglobalmedia-all.website-section","props":{"alias":"home"}},"company":null,"authors":[],"createdBy":null}},"category":"Content","selector":".document-container .page .content-page-body .page-contents__content-body"} skipWhenExists: false });CMSBrowserComponents.load({ el: '#vue-1746456026155-914' props: {"entity":"base.wattglobalmedia-all.content-article*15508095","selector":"#content-body-15508095","linkSelector":".bcl-injected-link"} skipWhenExists: false });Biorigin hires new technical feed expertFernando de Oliveira Roberti Filho is the new technical expert of Biorigin for the animal feed sector.Filho is a veterinarian and has a master's degree in animal science from Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Filho is a veterinarian and has a master's degree in animal science from Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP He previously worked in a renowned animal nutrition company He will be responsible for technical experiments on product functionalities, relations with universities, and support for the sales team and distributors. According to Filho, "Working in a expanding Brazilian company that develops and produces excellent natural solutions is a strong motivation to develop my work in Biorigin." Biorigin is a Brazilian company concerned with people's health and wellbeing The company is dedicated to the development of solutions providing sustainable and innovative ingredients derived from biotechnology a company that has more than 65 years and is included in the list of the 200 largest Brazilian companies By submitting this form, you acknowledge that use of your data is governed by our Privacy Policy. you agree to receive texts or calls regarding your subscription or other WATT products and services Please call +1 (847) 400-5960 for custom support New mineral mapping technique can help farmers save on farm inputs and minimize environmental impacts “Soils are not all alike. Even small, adjacent portions of land can have very different physical, chemical, biological, and mineral properties,” explains crop scientist José Marques Júnior, who is leading the Soil Characterization for Precision Farming (CSME) research group at UNESP, where the new technique was developed. Topsoil, he elaborates, contains water, air, organic matter and minerals, with the latter accounting for approximately 45% of soil composition. Mineralogy is concerned with the nanometric fractions of the soil—those with mineral particles smaller than 0.002 millimeters (mm), commonly known as clays. In agriculture, mineralogical techniques can be used to determine the soil’s ability to hold water and provide plant-available nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and calcium. The CSME researchers draw an analogy between the mineral characterization of soils and the sequencing of a person’s DNA. CSME Research group / UNESP Determining soil composition by X-ray fluorescenceCSME Research group / UNESP CSME Research group / UNESP Samples with different concentrations of ironCSME Research group / UNESP Three members of Cooxupé, the world’s largest coffee cooperative, with 15,800 member farms in the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, are currently experimenting with the technique. Mário Ferraz de Araújo, the cooperative’s technical development manager, believes magnetic mapping will help farmers to more precisely apply fertilizers and herbicides depending on each field’s needs. Total production costs per hectare (ha) for Arabica coffee are currently in the range of R$8,500 to R$10,000, says Araújo. Of this amount, around R$4,000 is spent on fertilizers and soil amendments. “Using these inputs more effectively could significantly improve a farm’s financial performance,” he explains. “Each hectare yields around 30 coffee bags and revenues of about R$15,000 in a good year, or R$10,000 in a bad one. So fertilizers consume 40% of farmers’ revenues,” he notes. CSME Research group / UNESP Taking soil magnetism readings using magnetic susceptibility metersCSME Research group / UNESP Magnetic mapping can also be used to supplement chemical and physical analyses, supporting a more accurate assessment of nutrient requirements when fertilizing a given field. “The higher the quality of the data, the lower the risk of inputs being applied improperly. Excessive use of soil nutrients, such as nitrogen, can be harmful to groundwater and surface water,” says Inda. Soil characterization was first introduced in the nineteenth century. The most widely used method, X-ray diffraction (XRD), earned German physicist Max von Laue (1879–1960) the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1914. XRD has an accuracy of 95%, and is considered by mineralogists to be the gold standard in analytical chemistry. Other characterization methods include Mössbauer spectroscopy, which uses gamma radiation; differential thermal analysis (DTA); and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). These four techniques all have an accuracy greater than 85%. But they all have three drawbacks in common: they are expensive, time consuming, and require highly skilled professionals to operate the equipment. These downsides, says Alberto Inda, have prevented these technologies from being mainstreamed in tropical and subtropical agriculture. São Martinho Soil samples from São Martinho’s sugarcane fields in São Paulo, taken for conventional chemical analysesSão Martinho Quanticum takes minerals readings using magnetic susceptibility sensors. A single reading covers all the main minerals present in the sample. The resulting report costs between R$5 and R$30 per ha, depending on the level of detail and other features, such as fertilization recommendations. “Compared to the gold-standard methods, the resulting data is 15% to 20% less accurate, but a great deal cheaper for farmers,” says Diego Siqueira. Ideally, a magnetic mapping survey should be repeated in the following years, but with fewer samples—around 40% fewer than in the first sampling program. After this initial follow-up program, spot analyses can be performed ad hoc, such as for a field where a new cultivar will be planted or which has undergone significant compaction. São Martinho, one of the largest sugar cane producers and processors in the world, has pioneered the use of this technique in managing sugarcane crops—all 80,000 ha of sugarcane fields in its Pradópolis operation in São Paulo have now been mapped. The mapping work was conducted by a team of employees who had graduated from the FCAV-UNESP campus in Jaboticabal and were members of the CSME research group. Luís Gustavo Teixeira, agricultural manager at São Martinho, says magnetic mapping provides detailed information about the soil that supports more effective soil management and more efficient use of inputs. This improves not only yields but also the environmental sustainability of farm operations. Magnetic sensing can be used for more than just soil characterization. São Martinho has also employed the technique to assess soil susceptibility to compaction and inform crop management decisions. Federação dos Cafeicultores do Cerrado Coffee beans drying in the sun on a farm property in Minas Gerais where some farmers are experimenting with mineral mapping in coffee growingFederação dos Cafeicultores do Cerrado Soils can be compacted both by natural processes Compacted soil affects plant development and ultimately crop yields and needs to be occasionally broken up using subsoilers Magnetic sensing can be used to detect the depth of the compacted layer reduces operating costs—such as through fuel savings—and enhances soil conservation,” says Teixeira Citing data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) the impacts from poor soil management are estimated to cost around US$70 per person per year He believes these impacts could the substantially reduced if detailed data were available on soil conditions The FAO also estimates that global agriculture production will have to be increased by about 70% percent to adequately feed a population of almost 9.8 billion people in 2050 with Brazil expected to account for 40% of the added production Marques Júnior is confident Brazil can achieve this without having to clear new land in the Amazon “Today we have more than 100 million hectares of cropland that has been abandoned because of an inadequate knowledge of the soil,” he says one of three deer species native to the Atlantic Rainforest is highly vulnerable to human activity (photo: Projeto Onças do Iguaçu) According to a mapping exercise by a group of Brazilian researchers 56.8% of the areas that should be priorities for conservation are not legally protected They identified 21 large forests that could be converted into new conservation units By André Julião  |  Agência FAPESP – Highly dependent on forests targeted by poachers and attacked by domestic dogs and cattle diseases the deer that live in Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest biome are mostly vulnerable to extinction The good news is that extending protection to an additional 48,400 square kilometers (km²) could be sufficient to maintain the populations of the three Brazilian deer species that live in these forests Only about half the areas concerned are at all protected by law This is the gist of an article published in the Journal for Nature Conservation and signed by Brazilian researchers supported by FAPESP His co-authors are researchers at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and the Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA) in Foz do Iguaçu 56.8% of the areas that should be priorities for protection are not in conservation units The rest are in biological reserves and national parks A small proportion (2.6%) are in Indigenous territories the researchers mapped all the Atlantic Rainforest areas inhabited by the Southern red brocket (Mazama rufa) Small red brocket (Mazama jucunda) and Pygmy brocket (Mazama nana) in Brazil The mapping exercise focused on forests and viable bioclimate conditions The researchers defined the minimum area for survival as 120 km² Areas considered theoretically adequate for the animals but where they had not actually been detected were added to the map “We couldn’t be sure whether species were there or not so these areas were given lower weightings,” Oliveira said The researchers also observed that many areas Half the area proposed as a priority was significantly influenced by human activity and the rest less so Public policy for deer conservation should take these differences into account In heavily human-influenced areas outside conservation units they recommend the creation of APAs or similar protected areas in which certain sustainable uses could be allowed they propose the establishment of more restrictive units “We identified 21 large forests outside protected areas that could sustain viable deer populations and could be converted into new conservation units,” Oliveira said Although the level of protection in some conservation units is lower the existence of legal protection would necessarily make environmental licensing of infrastructure projects more rigorous The researchers hope the mapping exercise will provide administrators and communities with a sound basis for conservation of deer and The study was also supported by FAPESP via a doctoral scholarship awarded to Pedro Henrique de Faria Peres The NUPECCE group led by José Maurício Barbanti Duarte, a professor at UNESP School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences (FCAV) in Jaboticabal, has researched South American deer for decades (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/37739) As a result of this research, some deer groups have been reclassified. Red brockets, for example, previously considered a single species (Mazama americana) are now viewed as a complex that includes Mazama rufa, mentioned above and recently revalidated More recently, the group brought back the genus Subulo, originally described in 1827 and later considered synonymous with Mazama. In a paper published in the Journal of Mammalogy they removed the Gray brocket from Mazama and renamed it Subulo guazoubira The species inhabits the Caatinga (the semi-arid biome in Northeast Brazil) and Cerrado (savanna) including areas reforested after environmental degradation (cerradão) This study resolved one more piece of the complex evolutionary jigsaw puzzle concerning South American deer. It was supported by FAPESP via two projects (17/07014-8 and 19/06940-1) The article “Using niche modelling and human influence index to indicate conservation priorities for Atlantic Forest deer species” is at: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138122001352 The paper redescribing Subulo is at: academic.oup.com/jmammal/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jmammal/gyac068/6702645 A group of scientists from UNESP wants to investigate why aerosol and ozone particle concentrations in São Paulo did not decrease after the state prohibited burnings; the subjected was highlighted at FAPESP Week France (burning of sugarcane registered in 2014 between the cities of Jaboticabal and Taquaritinga; photo: Marco Aurélio Esparza / Wikimedia Commons) A group of scientists from UNESP wants to investigate why aerosol and ozone particle concentrations in São Paulo did not decrease after the state prohibited burnings; the subjected was highlighted at FAPESP Week France from Lyon  |  Agência FAPESP – The burnings that were carried out in the past during sugarcane harvest to eliminate dry leaves have altered for years the air quality in the central region of the State of São Paulo The particles launched into the atmosphere during the process were visible to the region’s inhabitants and were deposited in the streets and on cars Atmospheric pollution also caused respiratory problems among the population impacts on biodiversity and the native vegetation Technological advances and pressure from society led to the end of this practice sugarcane burning was substituted by more modern techniques “In 2018, mechanized harvesting was used in 90% of the production. It was hoped, above all, that there would be an improvement in air quality. However, official statistics indicate that aerosol and ozone particle concentrations remain at the same levels as before,” said Arnaldo Alves Cardoso a researcher at the Institute of Chemistry of the São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Araraquara Cardoso has been analyzing the consequences of the atmospheric pollution in the sugarcane region of São Paulo since the end of the 1990s In studies performed in the decades of 1990 and 2000 his team has collected air samples in the city of Araraquara and measured the changes in the composition of the atmosphere between the harvest and inter-harvest period characterized by less-than-intense mechanization that among the particulate matter there were sugarcane macronutrients When this material falls on sugarcane plantations it can modify the soil and cause a loss of biodiversity,” he said A change of scenario took place at the turn of the decade an agreement signed between the sugar-alcohol industry and the State of São Paulo government established the elimination of burning by 2017 the production harvested manually was 43.6 million tons Cardoso highlighted that mechanization in harvests entailed an important change the use of leaves and other sugarcane parts with less energy value have been used as raw material for producing electrical energy and second generation (2G) ethanol which is indicated as a way of increasing bioenergy generation without extending the area under cultivation “These facts suggest that the sources of emissions have possibly changed in quality It seems that we have merely changed activity But there are still many questions that I intend to answer with more studies,” he said Brazil is the biggest sugarcane producer in the world The main producing region is located in the State of São Paulo which has the highest population density in Brazil and an economy based primarily on agroindustry “The State of São Paulo covers 55% of the area planted with sugarcane in Brazil 13 billion liters of ethanol were produced which corresponded to 47% of the Brazilian production,” he said The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n \n \n \n '.concat(e,' Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response Brazil - February 2018 – On Saturday 3 February presided over the Eucharist and the rite of the diaconal ordination of 12 Salesians: five from the Brazil-São Paulo Province Also present was the Councilor for the America South Cone Region and the representatives of all the Provinces involved ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007 This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements