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Agarwood or gaharu is well known as the most valuable resinous heartwood that occurs in trees of Aquilaria species. Depletion of the wild resource from the jungle leads to the high price of agarwood. Thus, there is an urgent need to produce agarwood sustainably through agarwood cultivation to meet the global demand and induction. This research was conducted to formulate microbial consortia that can be used as fungal inoculants for agarwood induction in Aquilaria species. The effectiveness of formulated microbial consortia was observed based on the colour and mean length of infected zone formation after a three and six months inoculation periods in each wet and dry season, respectively. Aquilaria sp. was inoculated with three types of formulated fungal inoculants and negative control by using the bottle drip method. The findings showed that F3 inoculant (a combination of Trichoderma sp., Lasiodiplodia sp. and Curvularia sp.) was the most potential fungal inoculant for agarwood formation based on the darkest colour and largest mean length of the infected zone, after a three and six months inoculation periods for both wet and dry seasons. The formulated inoculant is recommended for further development as agarwood fungal inoculant to induce agarwood artificially for future sustainable supply of agarwood.

This article focuses on the carrying out of 36 virtual natural lighting simulations, with the purpose to provide an overview of the contributions of the simulation of natural lighting in an office space and describe their results in the light of the rules for visual efficiency, considering seasonal variations, orientation façade, time and color through the use of specialized software. Three seasons were compared at two different times and two orientations (North and South) where only one window was placed. We used Radiance and Autodesk Ecotec software. Our results showed that during winter and facing South the average lighting levels exceed 27 times the values established by the Official Mexican Norm (NOM-025-STPS-1999 Lighting conditions in work spaces) in winter at South orientation at 12:00 hrs. It was also proven that color reflection coefficient plays an essential role in lighting, increasing up to 63% the level of illumination

The objective of this study was to quantify total mercury in highly popular Amazonian fish pacu, curimatã, jaraqui, and sardinha from the Madeira River and to estimate the exposure to methylmercury from fish consumption. The samples were obtained from two locations-Puruzinho Igarapé and Santa Rosa-near Humaitá, Amazonia, Brazil in two seasons of 2015 (high and low waters). The fish were identified, weighed and measured, and lipids were quantified. Total mercury was determined by gold amalgamation-atomic absorption spectro-metry. Mean levels were used to calculate exposure of Amazonian and riverine populations. There was significant correlation (p < 0.05) between length × weight for all fish; length × lipid and weight × lipid were significant only for pacu. Total mercury levels varied along muscle tissue for the fish, except for sardinha; therefore muscle from the dorsal area along the fish were sampled, homogenized and used for analysis. The levels of total mercury varied from 0.01 to 0.46 mg/kg, with higher median levels in sardinha (0.24 mg/kg), followed by curimatã (0.16 mg/kg), jaraqui (0.13 mg/kg) and pacu (0.04 mg/kg), corresponding with the respective feeding habits along the trophic chain. Total mercury levels were not affected by the location of fish capture and by high and low waters seasons. Total mercury correlated significantly with length and weight for jaraqui and with length for sardinha (negative correlation). Total mercury levels in fish complied with legislation ; however, exposures to methylmercury from fish consumption overpassed the safe intake reference dose for sardinha for Amazonians; however, for the riverine communities, all of the fish would cause potential health risk, mainly for children and women of childbearing age. PubChem Nitric acid (PubChem CID: 944) Mercury (PubChem CID: 23931)

The objective of this study was to quantify total mercury in highly popular Amazonian fish pacu, curimatã, jaraqui, and sardinha from the Madeira River and to estimate the exposure to methylmercury from fish consumption. The samples were obtained from two locations-Puruzinho Igarapé and Santa Rosa-near Humaitá, Amazonia, Brazil in two seasons of 2015 (high and low waters). The fish were identified, weighed and measured, and lipids were quantified. Total mercury was determined by gold amalgamation-atomic absorption spectro-metry. Mean levels were used to calculate exposure of Amazonian and riverine populations. There was significant correlation (p < 0.05) between length × weight for all fish; length × lipid and weight × lipid were significant only for pacu. Total mercury levels varied along muscle tissue for the fish, except for sardinha; therefore muscle from the dorsal area along the fish were sampled, homogenized and used for analysis. The levels of total mercury varied from 0.01 to 0.46 mg/kg, with higher median levels in sardinha (0.24 mg/kg), followed by curimatã (0.16 mg/kg), jaraqui (0.13 mg/kg) and pacu (0.04 mg/kg), corresponding with the respective feeding habits along the trophic chain. Total mercury levels were not affected by the location of fish capture and by high and low waters seasons. Total mercury correlated significantly with length and weight for jaraqui and with length for sardinha (negative correlation). Total mercury levels in fish complied with legislation ; however, exposures to methylmercury from fish consumption overpassed the safe intake reference dose for sardinha for Amazonians; however, for the riverine communities, all of the fish would cause potential health risk, mainly for children and women of childbearing age. PubChem Nitric acid (PubChem CID: 944) Mercury (PubChem CID: 23931)

Tomato is an important cash crop in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. However, the yield is constrained by poor soil fertility management and lack of appropriate/adequate fertilizers rates recommendation. Experiments were conducted at Melkassa on station with the objectives of evaluating effect of N and P fertilizer applications on growth and yield, and determining optimal requirements for tomato. The experiments were conducted under both cool season furrow irrigated and rain-fed conditions with variable fertility status of the fields. The treatments consisted of four rates of nitrogen (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg N ha -1 ) and four rates of P (0, 46, 92 and 138 kg ha -1 ). The experiments were laid out in a CRBD in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times using Melkashola variety. Data on growth and canopy characteristics such as plant height and stem diameter, main lateral branch length, canopy width and depth were measured from selected plants. Some of the growth and yield com...

Four Venda indigenous scavenging (VIS) chickens (one young male and one young female of 10–16 weeks of age, a mature cockerel and a mature hen) were randomly purchased from each of six adjacent rural villages during three different seasons (autumn, winter and spring) to determine the meat yield and carcass chemical composition. A total of 72 chickens were slaughtered and feathers, head, neck, viscera, feet and lungs were removed. The live body weight, dressed carcass weight and also the mass of the breast without wings, thighs and drumsticks were recorded with bones and skin. The muscle tissues of the breast and both legs without tendons and fat were sampled for chemical analysis and were analysed for dry matter, ether extract, crude protein and ash. The carcass weight, dressing %, mass of the breast, mass of the thighs, mass of the drumsticks, breast yield, thighs yield and drumsticks yield of both grower and adult VIS chickens were not influenced by season. The crude protein of th...

The present study aimed at to follow the tomato fruit development and quality by hand-held near-infrared spectroscopy. Tomato quality were followed from few days after fruit setting until harvest at commercial maturity during two seasons (spring and summer). Results showed that in both seasons, fruit can be classified from fruit setting to harvest at maturity by using qualitative models (factorial discriminant analyses). Quantitatives models based on PLS regressions allowed the prediction of soluble solids content (R=0.9, RMSE=0.1%Brix), titrable acidity (R=0.9, RMSE=0.6méq.100g-1) and color (a*, R=0.9, RMSE=5) of fruit. The accuracy of the predictions depend on the season and also on the maturity stage. the results are promising in the context of developing a tool to assist in fruit phenotyping on site. Other experiment are now necessary to improve the accuracy and the robustness of the models with including additional varieties growing under variable climatic conditions in our greenhouses.