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Groundnut can obtain N from the N2 fixation in the symbiosis with rhizobia and inoculation with selected strains can improve grain yields. We report the results from four field experiments, aiming to verify if microbial inoculants may improve groundnut performance, through the effects of single inoculation with Bradyrhizobium sp. (SEMIA6144), of co-inoculation Arthrospira platensis IPR7059 or Synechocystis sp. IPR7061, and of the N fertilization with 100 kg ha− 1 of N on plant growth, nodulation, N accumulated in tissues, grain protein, and grain yield. There were no effects of inoculation treatments and N-fertilizer on shoot and root dry weights. In clayey soil, co-inoculation with Bradyrhizobium sp. and cyanobacteria increased grain productivity by an average of 19% compared to the non-inoculated control. In this clayey soil with higher P content, regardless of whether co-inoculated with Bradyrhizobium sp. and cyanobacteria or single inoculated, grain productivity was 16% higher on average compared to nitrogen fertilizer. In conclusion, it was clear that success of rhizobia inoculation in groundnut is dependent on the soil, probably due to P limitation, and weather conditions.

The aim of this study is to provide a bibliometric analysis and mapping of existing scientific papers, focusing on microalgae cultivation coupled with biomass production and bioremediation of wastewater from cassava, dairy, and coffee industries. Using the Web of Science (WoS) database for the period 1996–2019, a search was performed using a keyword strategy, aiming at segregating the papers in groups. The keywords used in this search were “wastewater treatment,” “microalgae,” “cassava,” “dairy,” and “coffee” for the first step, resulting in 114 papers; for the second step, we used the keywords “wastewater treatment,” “biomass productivity,” “microalgae,” “economic viability,” and “environmental impacts,” which resulted in 29 scientific papers. In these papers, keywords such as “carbon dioxide biofixation” and “removal of nutrients by the production of biomass by microalgae” followed by “environmental and economic impacts” were highlighted. Some of these papers also presented an analysis of the economic feasibility of the process, including costs of production systems, which reveal the state-of-the-art setup required to make the cultivation of microalgae economically viable. Research in eco-industrial parks is needed to improve the integration of microalgae production systems using wastewater as a source of nutrients, aiming to achieve the global goal of bioremediation and clean alternatives for renewable energy generation.

Background and Aims Crop rotation systems and rhizobial inoculation are strategies to increase yield through organic matter addition and modulation of microbial diversity, yet the extent to which these agricultural practices change soil Bradyrhizobium populations, soybean grain yield and economic benefits to farmers are unclear. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the interaction between crop rotation and inoculation of soybean (Glycine max) cultivated in two contrasting soils (clayey and sandy soil) on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) components, grain yields and profits. Methods Field experiments with a three-year crop rotation system were carried out to compare effects of inoculation soil chemical attributes, the of bradyrhizobia most probable number (MPN) and diversity, soybean nodulation, grain yield and economic value. Results The crop management system did not affect the soil MPN of bradyrhizobia, which was altered by the soil sampling time, with higher values during the postharvest period for the summer crops. In clayey soil, soybean nodulation was influenced by crop rotation. The grain yield of inoculated soybean in clayey soil was higher than that in sandy soil. Conclusion The soybean response to inoculation is influenced by cropping history. Crop rotation and inoculation of soybean is a strategy for improving BNF components, grain yields and profits. Over time, diversified production systems with crop rotation and inoculation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria will make great contributions to environmental and economic sustainability.

O pinhão manso (Jatropha curcas L.) tem-se apresentado como uma oleaginosa importante, com aplicações medicinais e industriais. Assim o trabalho aqui apresentado teve como principal objetivo avaliar o potencial do uso de pinhão manso para a geração de biocombustíveis. A Jatropha tem relevância especialmente para o desenvolvimento da bioenergia, pela percentagem de óleo em suas sementes que pode variar de 40-60%, servindo para a fabricação de biodiesel. As cascas de seus frutos podem ser consideradas para a produção de etanol por seu alto conteúdo de celulose. A torta, que fica depois da extração de óleo, é um resíduo sólido rico em nutrientes e proteínas mas limitada, pois possui vários fatores anti-nutricionais e tóxicos como os ésteres de forbol, mas com enorme potencial para a geração de biogás. Embora existam tecnologias para o desenvolvimento dos usos industriais desta espécie, não existe suficiente quantidade de produção dos frutos por planta e gente que se motive a plantar e colher, para suprir a demanda necessária e ser uma cultura altamente lucrativa.

The combined inoculation of Rhizobium (R. tropici+R. freirei), Azospirillum brasilense, and Anabaena cylindrica, a diazotrophic cyanobacterium, is a technology that has not yet been tested and established in the production of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The inoculation may be a promising strategy for increasing crop productivity by combining the benefits of biological nitrogen fixation with the production of plant growth phytohormones. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the co-inoculation of Rhizobium, Azospirillum brasilense, and Anabaena cylindrica as an alternative method for optimizing the symbiotic performance and development of the common bean at greenhouse conditions. The treatments were as follows: (T1) control without N and inoculation, (T2) N addition (100 kg N ha-1), (T3) Riz (addition of R. tropici+R. freirei), (T4) Azo (Azospirillum brasilense addition), (T5) Ana (Anabaena cylindrical addition), (T6) Riz+Azo, (T7) Riz+Ana, (T8) Azo+Ana, (T9) Riz+Azo+Ana. We used a completely randomized experimental design with four replications. The co-inoculation of Riz+Azo+Ana promoted plant height, root length and volume, shoot dry matter, accumulated shoot N, number and dry matter of nodules at flowering, number of grains per pod, hundred seed weight, and grain production of the common bean, contributing to increased yield per plant. We observed an increase in common bean grain yield ranging from 62 to 84% after double and triple co-inoculation of rhizobia with azospirilla and/or cyanobacteria, with the highest yield observed in the plants inoculated with Riz+Azo+Ana (84%), similar to those observed in plants after N addition. However, field experiments are necessary to elucidate the performances of the inoculated beneficial microorganisms. A inoculação associada de Rhizobium, Azospirillum e uma cianobactéria diazotrófica Anabaena cylindrica é uma tecnologia que ainda não foi testada e estabelecida para o feijão comum (Phaseolus vulgaris) e pode ser uma estratégia promissora para aumentar a produtividade das culturas, combinando os benefícios da fixação biológica de nitrogênio com a produção de fitohormônios de crescimento vegetal. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a co-inoculação de Rizobium, Azospirilum brasilense e Anabaena cylindrica, como uma alternativa para otimizar o desempenho simbiótico e o desenvolvimento do feijoeiro, em casa de vegetação. Os tratamentos foram: T1-control, T2-N-mineral (100 kg N ha-1), T3- Rhizobium (R. tropici+R. freirei), T4- A. brasilense, T5- A. cylindrica, T6- Rhizobium + A. brasilense, T7- Riz + Ana, T8- Azo + Ana, T9- Riz + Azo + Ana. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com quatro repetições. A co-inoculação de Rhizobium (R. tropici+R. freirei) + Azo + Ana promoveu aumento do feijão (IPR Campos Gerais) em altura das plantas, comprimento e volume de raiz, massa seca da parte aérea, N acumulado da parte aérea, número e matéria seca dos nódulos no florescimento, número de grãos por vagem, peso de cem grãos e de grãos por planta, o que contribuiu para incremento da produção. Houve um aumento na produção de grãos de feijão com co-inoculação dupla e tripla de rizobia com azospirila e / ou cianobactérias, variando de 62 a 84%, com o maior aumento de produção observado no tratamento inoculado com Riz + Azo + Ana (84%), semelhante ao tratamento com nitrogênio mineral. No entanto, experimentos de campo podem contribuir para elucidar o desempenho de microrganismos benéficos inoculados.

Active methodologies for teaching propose tools and strategies for improving student learning by using participative and integrative approaches. These lead students to autonomous research for industry problems and solutions. This study aimed to apply active-project active methodologies to undergraduate soil microbiology and inoculant courses to verify students' perception of their knowledge levels on these topics. Forty undergraduate students received the traditional methodology that presented theoretical contents referring to the soil microbiology and inoculants; one group of twenty also elected to receive active methodologies based instruction during which they developed active projects that were structured in seven steps: briefing, bibliographic research, problematization and resolution, solutions, abstract and banner creation, and presentation. At the end of the academic year, all students answered a questionnaire to verify the perception of their levels of knowledge of soil microbiology and inoculants. Regarding the topic of microbial inoculants, perceived knowledge was the same for both groups, but overall, the active methodologies group had higher perceived knowledge of good practices of inoculation. The two groups were clustered by a multivariate approach, confirming that the use of active projects can increase the knowledge and level of subject matter understanding. The active projects contributed to undergraduate students' increased assimilation and perceived understanding of soil microbiology subject matter content and microbial inoculant issues. The active projects can be explored in other subdivisions of soil science, including agriculture and environmental studies.

O milho (Zea mays L.) é uma das culturas mais importantes do mundo. O nitrogênio (N) é considerado un dos nutrientes maíz requerido pela cultura do milho, estando relacionado com a sua produção, entretanto, sujeito a perdas no solo por lixiviação, escoamento superficial e volatilização, provocando prejuízos ambientais. A aplicação de bactérias promotoras do crescimento de plantas (BPCPs), para o incremento da produção agrícola é una das alternativas mais importantes para depender menos dos fertilizantes químicos. As BPCPs estimulam a fixação biológica do nitrogênio (FBN). Algumas espécies do gênero Azospirillum têm essa capacidade além de produzir hormônios promotores de crescimento favorecendo a cultura do milho e outras Poáceas

Microorganisms play essential roles in regulating the ecosystem. Several interactions occur between plants and their associated rhizobacteria, cyanobacteria, and/or mycorrhizal fungi, which result in better plant growth. This chapter presents general aspects regarding interactions between edaphoclimatic conditions and plant–microbial inoculants and their impacts on plant growth, nutrient uptake, and yields. The different roles of the arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) and plant-growth-promoting microbes (PGPM) are highlighted. Although the presented data demonstrated the remarkable abilities of these microorganisms, there is still much to be done on both explorations as well as the implementation of PGPM. Single microorganism inoculants, as well as formulations, have been proved to significantly increase crop production at a very low cost when compared to chemical fertilizers. Exploration that involves the understanding of the mechanism and at the same time implementation needs to take care of a great deal of optimization on field applications.

This chapter presents general aspects regarding microalgae biology and growth under ex situ conditions. Emphasis is given on some aspects of microalgae responses to major environmental and nutritional factors, for example, temperature, light, nutrients, and pH. Then, management of photobioreactor systems where microalgae are grown to achieve the objectives of producing high biomass and bioactive compounds for biotechnological applications is addressed. The feasibility of producing multiproducts has led to more efficient production pathways and use of materials and energy. Most of the studies about microalgae are addressed in an interrelated way with environment and agricultural applications.

The acid release of phosphates from rock phosphates (RP) and the retention of ammonium by inorganic phosphates have been studied separately in composting; however, there is a gap in the knowledge of combined application of RP with organic residues and microorganisms. The objectives were to evaluate the combined application of fresh poultry litter (PL) with RP and P-solubilizing microorganisms (M) on soil organic matter pools, microbial biomass C (MB-C) and on whole-plant silage maize and grain yields. Two field experiments tested the effects of timing of applications of PL (8 Mg ha–1), RP (4 Mg ha–1) and microorganisms on soil organic matter pools, nutritional aspects and productive components of maize crop whole-plant silage. A second experiment evaluated the effects of RP doses (0, 3, 6 and 9 Mg ha–1) with a fixed dose of PL (8 Mg ha–1) on maize grains. Application of PL+RP decreased soil organic C, while RP alone increased the humin fraction C compared to the control. The MB-C in soil with PL and PL+RP+M increased in comparison to the control and the RP. The application of PL, based on an average of fall and spring, increased leaves + stem dry matter, while in the fall on its own, the highest cob yield was observed in the combination of PL+RP, showing synergistic effects. The best ratio of poultry litter to rock phosphate combination is 2:1 in the anticipated fall application on the maize silage crop or immediate application on the maize grain crops.

In this chapter, an overview on sustainable bioenergy will be given with emphasis on biodiesel and biogas production. The major aims highlight the challenges of renewable clean energy production, which are several, ranging from the production of nonedible oil seeds as source of bioenergy, in the other words, raw materials should not compete with food production, to methodologies for the generation of economically viable energy. Most countries present diverse sources of biomass, but Brazil stands out due to edaphoclimate conditions for ethanol and biodiesel production. In Brazil, changes by the decision-makers on the energy matrix, in the long run, were able to make viable the increase in the proportion of renewable biofuels in petroleum derivatives. In this context, search for cleaner production and governance of stakeholders are the great challenge to expand the use of bioenergy with sustainability in the global energy matrix.

In this study, our working hypothesis was to examine whether temperature alters biomass and metabolite production by microalgae according to strain. We also addressed whether it is possible to choose a strain suitable for growing in each season of a given region. A factorial experiment revealed a significant interaction between chlorophylls a and b (Chl a and Chl b), carotenoid/Chl (a + b) ratio, biomass and total lipid productivity of six green microalgae (four Chlorella spp., Chlorella sorokiniana and Neochloris oleoabundans) after 15 days at four temperatures. At 39/35 °C, two Chlorella sp. strains (IPR7115 and IPR7117) showed higher total carotenoids/Chl (a + b) (0.578 and 0.830), respectively. N. oleoabundans had the highest Chl a (8210 μg L−1) and Chl b (1909 μg L−1) at 19/15 °C and highest maximum dry biomass (2900 mg L−1), specific growth rate (0.538 day−1) and total lipids (1003 mg L−1) at 15/8 °C. We applied a method to infer the growth of these six green microalgae in outdoor ponds, as based on their response to changing temperatures and by combining with historical data on day/night air temperature occurrence for a given region. We conclude that the use of regionalized maps based on air temperature is a good strategy for predicting microalgal cultivation in outdoor ponds based on their features and tolerance to changing temperature.

Inoculation with Rhizobium tropici and Rhizobium freirei can partially supply the nitrogen demand required for normal development and high productivity of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Here, a simple and low-cost approach was used to select R. tropici sodium azide-resistant mutants with improved efficiency as microsymbiont of common bean. We mutagenized R. tropici CIAT889 by treatment with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and selected azide-resistant mutants. Six mutants (AzR14, AzR15, AzR16, AzR17, AzR18, and AzR19) with varying levels of resistance were obtained and characterized for symbiotic traits and performance upon inoculation of common bean. Mutants grew and produced exopolysaccharides similar to the CIAT899 wildtype; however, swarming motility, biofilm, and auxin production were altered. About nodulation, shoot biomass, and nitrogen content, the performance of mutant strains was improved or similar to that of CIAT899. All mutants enhanced nodulation of common bean; furthermore, AzR14, AzR18, and AzR19 increased nodule biomass by 25%–36%. AzR18 and AzR19 increased shoot biomass by up to 13% compared to CIAT899, whereas AzR14, AzR15, AzR16, and AzR17 reduced biomass accumulation by 9%–19%. In addition, AzR18 and AzR19 showed higher motility or biofilm production than the other mutant strains, suggesting that these traits are involved in bacterial symbiotic effectiveness. Shoot N content do not differ between plants inoculated with the CIAT899 or mutant strains, although plants inoculated with AzR18, AzR19 and CIAT899 had increased the shoot N as compared to uninoculated plants grown at N-limiting conditions. Our results demonstrated the possibility to improve the performance of the R. tropici microsymbiont through induced mutagenesis followed by the selection of azide resistant mutants. This approach allowed to identify the AzR18 and AzR19 strains, which showed superior nodulation and symbiotic effectiveness than CIAT899 while providing equivalent amounts of N to the inoculated plants. We propose the AzR18 and AzR19 as promising candidates for developing new and more efficient inoculants for common bean, nevertheless further trials under field conditions are required to confirm their superior performance to the wild strain.

Methane (CH4) generation from the anaerobic digestion of vegetal biomass is an important clean alternative form of energy. In this context, the response of the physic nut seed cake to microbial inoculum for biogas and CH4 production was examined in lab-scale biogas anaerobic digesters. Two experiments were carried out with physic nut seed cake stored over 6 and 18 months. The treatments assayed in each one of these experiments included five types of inoculum: water as the control, three different consortia of bacterial isolates from Jatropha seed cake and one bacterial consortium from bio-digested swine manure. The cake stored for 18 months with water showed the highest volume of biogas, with 83.67 mL in 6.54 g of cake after 21 days, but with lower production of CH4. The best concentration of CH4 (84.33%) was obtained from the Jatropha seed cake stored for 18 months when co-digested with the consortium of 14 bacterial isolates. Co-digestion of physic nut seed cake with the bacterial consortium of isolates from Jatropha cake was the best for producing CH4. After anaerobic digestion, substrates had an increase in macro and micronutrient contents, showing potential for biofertilizer production.

Developing simple and cost-effective methods for soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) measurement eases routine laboratory analysis and enables large numbers of soil samples to be measured in a relatively short period of time. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a microwave-assisted biocidal-extraction (MWE) method which does not employ CHCl(3) as biocide and K(2)SO(4) as C-extractor, to estimate MBC. First, the microorganisms of soil samples are killed using microwave (MW) irradiation at energy level of 800 J g(−1) soil as biocide followed by microwave irradiation extraction (MWE) at 562 W (120 J g(−1) soil for 1 min), using deionized water as solvent. Microbial biomass of carbon from two contrasting soils microwaved with 80, 100, and 140 J g(−1) soil did not differ from those obtained by using the chloroform fumigation-extraction (CFE) method with 0.5 mol L(−1) K(2)SO(4) as extractant. To evaluate the robustness of the MWE method, twenty-six soil samples, from cultivated and non-cultivated areas, with clay contents from 70–690 g kg(−1), organic carbon from 5.52 to 50.82 g C kg(−1) and pH values from 3.9 to 6.8 were analyzed for MBC using MWE and CFE methods. There was a linear regression (MW = − 17.87 + 0.92*K(2)SO(4); R(2) = 0.705; p < 0.001) between MWE and CFE. The biocidal microwave-assisted extraction method using 120 J g(−1) soil for 1 min is a cleaner method for evaluating MBC, because it does not require chloroform, potassium sulfate salt and takes a shorter time to extract a set of soil samples.

We examined microbial communities from enriched fine and retorted shale particles using sequencing of V4 variable region of 16S rRNA. High number of microbial genera was found in both enriched shale by-products that were dominate by Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, showing differences due to microbial colonization after the pyrolysis process.

RESUMO O conhecimento das respostas de feijoeiros em razão da adubação nitrogenada ou da inoculação das sementes com rizóbios pode direcionar seus cultivos para diferentes nichos de mercado, em níveis tecnológicos diversos. Foram avaliadas as nodulações das raízes e as produtividades de grãos de 10 cultivares de feijão diante da adubação nitrogenada e da inoculação das sementes comRhizobium freirei, objetivando-se identificar em, termos de produtividades de grãos, as mais eficientes e responsivas à adubação nitrogenada, bem como à nutrição simbiótica de N em relação à adubação nitrogenada. Foram conduzidos dois experimentos em duas safras (seca-2012 e águas-2012/2013), empregando-se, em cada qual delineamento em blocos ao acaso, em esquema fatorial 10 × 3 com quatro repetições. Avaliaram-se as quantidades e massas de nódulos radiculares e produtividades de grãos de 10 cultivares de feijão dos grupos comerciais preto (IPR Gralha, IPR Tuiuiú, Rio Tibagi, BRS Esplendor e IPR Uirapuru) e carioca (IPR Tangará, Iapar 81, IPR Campos Gerais, BRS Pontal e Carioca), em razão de três tratamentos, visando variações em nutrições nitrogenadas: testemunha, sem N; com adubação nitrogenada; e inoculação das sementes com R. freirei. Feijões do grupo comercial carioca são mais produtivos e, independentemente da nodulação com rizóbios nativos ou exógenos, são mais propensos à nutrição simbiótica nitrogenada. A adubação nitrogenada é prejudicial, principalmente para as nodulações das cultivares BRS Esplendor, Carioca e BRS Pontal na safra da seca. Em termos de produtividades de grãos, as cultivares Rio Tibagi, BRS Esplendor, BRS Pontal e IPR Uirapuru são relativamente mais eficientes com a inoculação das sementes com R. freirei do que com a adubação nitrogenada, e as cultivares IPR Gralha e IPR Tangará se destacam como responsivas e eficientes à adubação nitrogenada.

Cyanobacteria, a group of N2 fixing bacteria, and some species of them are free-living or associated with other bacteria, such as Azospirillum. Their association promotes the growth and productive performance of maize (Zea mays), showing variable responses according to the maize hybrid used. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inoculation and co-inoculation of the Anabaena cylindrica (cyanobacteria) with Azospirillum brasilense on the development and productive performance of four maize hybrids. The field experiments were carried out in two locations (Londrina and Faxinal, Parana State, Brazil), using a randomized block experimental design, in a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement, with four replications. Four inoculation treatments were evaluated (A. cylindrica + A. brasilense, A. cylindrica, A. brasilense, and an uninoculated control) in four maize hybrids (512 PW, 2A620 PW, 2B810 PW, Status Viptera 3). The following characteristics were evaluated: plant height, ear insertion height, stem diameter, leaf area index, chlorophyll index, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium leaf content, number of grain rows per ear, number of grains per row, number of grains per ear, number of ear per plant, mass of 1000 grains, nitrogen content in the grains and yield. The co-inoculation of A. cylindrica with A. brasilense favored the development and yield performance of maize hybrids, with an increase of 966.63 kg ha−1 (9.37%) in Londrina and 1743.79 kg ha−1 (23.1%) in Faxinal, in comparison to the uninoculated control. The maize hybrids showed the similar behavior, regardless of the inoculation or co-inoculation with A. brasilense and A. cylindrica. Therefore, these microorganisms can be recommended as inoculants.

Background:The 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for systemic sclerosis (SSc) allowed the inclusion of a subset of patients without skin involvement, emphasizing the need of early diagnosis of SSc.Objectives:In this setting, the objective of this study was to classify, according to ACR/EULAR SSc criteria, patients with Raynaud phenomenon (RP) and at least one SSc manifestation, except for skin involvement, and analyze predictors for development of SSc.Methods:This is a cross-sectional single-center analysis of consecutive patients presenting RP and a characteristic SSc manifestation (SSc autoantibody, SSc visceral involvement or SD pattern at nailfold capillaroscopy - NFC), without skin involvement, who attended a scleroderma outpatient clinic between 2010 and 2019. Patients were classified as SSc (according to ACR/EULAR SSc criteria) or undifferetiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) in their last medical visit and compared. Additionally, a longitudinal retrospective analysis of both groups was performed to find predictors for development of SSc. Data were obtained from an electronic register database. Statistical significance was set up as pResults:Among 217 patients, 153 (70.5%) were classified as SSc, at the last medical visit, including 65 (30%) after the first investigation. During a comparable median follow-up [4.9±3.8 vs. 4.6±3.0 years;p=0.90], patients with SSc presented more frequently puffy fingers (PF:73% vs. 6.3%;pvs. 57.8%;pvs. 3.1%;pvs. 10.9%;p=0.048). Furthermore, SSc patients were more frequently treated with immunosuppressive therapy (80.1%vs. 37.5%;pvs. 1.6%;pConclusion:Among patients with RP and SSc features, but without skin involvement, those with SSc had a more severe disease with worse prognosis than UCTD with RP. Puffy fingers and a higher baseline SSc score, especially in combinations including PF or lung disease were predictors of SSc, reinforcing the strength of the ACR/EULAR classification criteria and the presence of specific non-RP symptoms.Disclosure of Interests:Valdirene Siqueira: None declared, Mariely Helbingen: None declared, Ana Paula Luppino-Assad: None declared, Henrique Carriço da Silva: None declared, Danieli Andrade: None declared, Ana Cristina Medeiros-Ribeiro: None declared, Percival D. Sampaio-Barros Consultant of: Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, Novartis, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis

The intensive cultivation of microalgae is an alternative for the sustainable and clean production of energy, protein, and pigments, particularly when associated with agribusiness and wastewater treatment. Intensive microalgae cultivation aims to mitigate environmental risks and microalgae by-products add value to the production chain. However, studies on the microalgae production chain in Brazil are few. Thus, the aim of this study was to review the Brazilian microalgae production chain (BMPC) and suggest alternatives for its consolidation. Its structure was mapped, showing how BMPC public research funds, research, development and innovation, publications, patents, and companies are linked. State-of-the-art research on microalgae was analyzed using the research database from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development. Information on the number of documents published was evaluated using the Scopus database and patent information was gathered from World Intellectual Property Organization database, Latin American Patent Bank and National Institute for Industrial Property. Despite microalgae research initiatives in Brazil, which have leveraged several research groups and generated patents, the dissemination of this knowledge to companies appears limited and is restricted to only a few regions in the country. Furthermore, Brazil has neither regionalized alignment of microalgae supplies and demand nor any organization or adequate interaction among stakeholders. The high cost of producing the raw material and the lack of organizations representing the sector are the primary barriers to the yet incipient Brazilian microalgae production chain. Likewise, a main challenge for consolidation and development of the production chain concerns the representative organization of the microalgae sector through the creation of associations.

Dual inoculation of Casuarina sp. with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Frankia actinomycetes is typically intended to improve seedlings survival and to increase growth in degraded and low fertility soils and to replace fertilizers in low-input agricultural systems. Thus, this field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of inoculating seedlings of Casuarina cunninghamiana with mycorrhizal fungi and Frankia on tree growth on a sandy soil (Oxisol) managed with mineral fertilisation and inter-row cultivation of cover crops during 75 months. The following treatments were applied to seedlings of C. cunninghamiana: 1) inoculation with a mixture of two Frankia sp. strains (KB5 and HFPCcI3) plus AMF (Glomus clarum and Gigaspora margarita); 2) inoculation with a mixture of Frankia strains (KB5 and HFPCcI3); 3) inoculation with AMF; 4) mineral N and 5) control (no inoculated and without mineral N). Fertilization with N in the nursery improved tree height from 3 to 50 months. Diameter and wood volume were favoured by N at 10 and 17 months. Inoculation of C. cunninghamiana seedlings with Frankia showed a positive effect on height growth at 36 and 50 months. AMF and AMF plus Frankia had no effect in DBH and wood volume growth of C. cunninghamiana. This study points out the possibility of inoculation of C. cunninghamiana with selected Frankia for wood production in sandy soils managed with mineral fertilisation and inter-row cultivation of cover crops.

Fine shale particles and retorted shale are waste products generated during the oil shale retorting process. These by-products are small fragments of mined shale rock, are high in silicon and also contain organic matter, micronutrients, hydrocarbons and other elements. The aims of this study were to isolate and to evaluate fungal diversity present in fine shale particles and retorted shale samples collected at the Schist Industrialization Business Unit (Six)-Petrobras in Sao Mateus do Sul, State of Parana, Brazil. Combining morphology and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence, a total of seven fungal genera were identified, including Acidiella, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Ochroconis, Penicillium, Talaromyces and Trichoderma. Acidiella was the most predominant genus found in the samples of fine shale particles, which are a highly acidic substrate (pH 2.4-3.6), while Talaromyces was the main genus in retorted shale (pH 5.20-6.20). Talaromyces sayulitensis was the species most frequently found in retorted shale, and Acidiella bohemica in fine shale particles. The presence of T. sayulitensis, T. diversus and T. stolli in oil shale is described herein for the first time. In conclusion, we have described for the first time a snapshot of the diversity of filamentous fungi colonizing solid oil shale by-products from the Irati Formation in Brazil.

Landfill leachates, which are potential pollutants, may also carry significant amounts of nutrients that can be recycled by plants. We assessed the nutritional status and yield of wheat ( L.) and properties of a Rhodic Kandiudult soil (depths of 0-10, 10-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm) after 11 applications of landfill leachate over 4 yr. In the last application, wheat received 0, 32.7, 65.4, 98.1, or 130.8 m ha (875 mg L of nitrogen, N) of leachate and a positive control (90 kg ha of N as urea) 15 d after sowing. Urea increased nitrate (>160 mg kg) in the topsoil (down to 40 cm), whereas landfill leachate increased nitrate (>60 mg kg) only at 40 to 60 cm with the highest dose, suggesting leaching. Urea-treated soil had less negative ΔpH, which might have led to greater retention of nitrate in the topsoil. Sodium (0.02-0.26 cmol Na kg), potassium (0.18-0.82 cmol K kg), and electrical conductivity (0.05-0.14 dS m) all increased with leachate dosage. Treatments did not affect resistance to penetration and clay dispersion. Basal respiration increased with leachate dosage, whereas dehydrogenase activity decreased, suggesting effects on soil microbial metabolism. Microbial biomass and soil enzyme activities were not affected by addition of leachate. Nitrogen nutrition (15.1-22.7 g N kg in flag leaves) and grain yield (1381-2378 kg grain ha) increased with leachate dosage so that the highest dose gave results similar to those for urea-treated plants (2563 kg grain ha). Landfill leachate showed strong potential as source of N for wheat but caused none, or transient, effects on soil properties. However, nitrate from leachate was more leachable than nitrate from urea.

Nitrogen (N), the nutrient most required for plant growth, is key for good yield of agriculturally important crops. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) can benefit from bacteria collectively called rhizobia, which are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen (N2) in root nodules and supplying it to the plant. Common bean is amongst the most promiscuous legume hosts; several described species, in addition to putative novel ones have been reported as able to nodulate this legume, although not always effectively in terms of fixing N2. In this study, we present data indicating that Brazilian strains PRF 35T, PRF 54, CPAO 1135 and H 52, currently classified as Rhizobium tropici , represent a novel species symbiont of common bean. Morphological, physiological and biochemical properties differentiate these strains from other species of the genus Rhizobium , as do BOX-PCR profiles (less than 60 % similarity), multilocus sequence analysis with recA, gyrB and rpoA (less than 96.4 % sequence similarity), DNA–DNA hybridization (less than 50 % DNA–DNA relatedness), and average nucleotide identity of whole genomes (less than 92.8.%). The novel species is effective in nodulating and fixing N2 with P. vulgaris, Leucaena leucocephala and Leucaena esculenta. We propose the name Rhizobium paranaense sp. nov. for this novel taxon, with strain PRF 35T ( = CNPSo 120T = LMG 27577T = IPR-Pv 1249T) as the type strain.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) can establish symbiotic associations with several Rhizobium species; however, the effectiveness of most strains at fixing nitrogen under field conditions is very low. PRF 81T is a very effective strain, usually referred to as Rhizobium tropici and used successfully in thousands of doses of commercial inoculants for the common bean crop in Brazil; it has shown high rates of nitrogen fixation in all areas representative of the crop in the country. Here, we present results that indicate that PRF 81T, although it belongs to the ‘ R. tropici group’, which includes 10 Rhizobium species, R. tropici , R. leucaenae , R. lusitanum , R. multihospitium , R. miluonense , R. hainanense , R. calliandrae , R. mayense , R. jaguaris and R. rhizogenes , represents a novel species. Several morpho-physiological traits differentiated PRF 81T from related species. Differences were also confirmed in the analysis of rep-PCR (sharing less than 45 % similarity with the other species), MLSA with recA, atpD and rpoB genes, and DNA–DNA hybridization. The novel species, for which we propose the name Rhizobium freirei sp. nov., is able to establish effective root nodule symbioses with Phaseolus vulgaris, Leucaena leucocephala, Leucaena esculenta, Crotalaria juncea and Macroptilium atropurpureum. The type strain is PRF 81T ( = CNPSo 122T = SEMIA 4080T = IPR-Pv81T = WDCM 440T).

This aim of this study was to examine the effects of vineyard management and spatial heterogeneity of soil on chemical and microbial variables in comparison with an adjacent forest fragment. In 2000, two field experiments with Vitis labrusca (L.) were set up on an Oxisol of North Parana, Brazil. In 2004, soil samples were taken to evaluate the following factors: (i) conventional (CONV) and organic (ORG) vineyard management and (ii) spatial heterogeneity of soil, row or inter-rows cultivation and at different sampling depths (0-10 cm and 10-20 cm), in a split-plot arrangement fitted to a randomized complete block with six replicates. The forest adjacent fragment was considered as undisturbed agricultural (or control) area. Chemical attributes of the soil in the ORG vineyard were improved in comparison to the soil in the forest, at a depth of 0-10 cm, with the exception of total carbon. To microbial carbon (Cmic) values the both factors (vineyard management and special soil heterogeneity) contributed to changes in the contents this microbiological soil attributes in the areas evaluated. While, the spatial heterogeneity of the soil was the main factor to changes in soil microbial basal respiration, with higher values in the CONV rows. Regardless of the depth, the lowest qCO2 values were observed in the soil from the ORG vineyard and the forest. The cluster analysis showed that, represented on the Axis-X, the CONV vineyards, ORG vineyards and forest clustered from the negative to the positive, progressively, indicating greater similarity between ORG and forest. Moreover, when the spatial heterogeneity of the soil was plotted on the Axis-Y, the 0-10 cm layer appeared in the positive portion, and the 10-20 cm layer appeared in the negative portion. In the short term, it appears that different vineyard management methods affected microbial variables and some similarity between ORG and forest soil.

This aim of this study was to examine the effects of vineyard management and spatial heterogeneity of soil on chemical and microbial variables in comparison with an adjacent forest fragment. In 2000, two field experiments with Vitis labrusca (L.) were set up on an Oxisol of North Paraná, Brazil. In 2004, soil samples were taken to evaluate the following factors: (i) conventional (CONV) and organic (ORG) vineyard management and (ii) spatial heterogeneity of soil, row or inter-rows cultivation and at different sampling depths (0-10 cm and 10-20 cm), in a split-plot arrangement fitted to a randomized complete block with six replicates. The forest adjacent fragment was considered as undisturbed agricultural (or control) area. Chemical attributes of the soil in the ORG vineyard were improved in comparison to the soil in the forest, at a depth of 0-10 cm, with the exception of total carbon. To microbial carbon (Cmic) values the both factors (vineyard management and special soil heterogeneity) contributed to changes in the contents this microbiological soil attributes in the areas evaluated. While, the spatial heterogeneity of the soil was the main factor to changes in soil microbial basal respiration, with higher values in the CONV rows. Regardless of the depth, the lowest qCO2 values were observed in the soil from the ORG vineyard and the forest. The cluster analysis showed that, represented on the Axis-X, the CONV vineyards, ORG vineyards and forest clustered from the negative to the positive, progressively, indicating greater similarity between ORG and forest. Moreover, when the spatial heterogeneity of the soil was plotted on the Axis-Y, the 0-10 cm layer appeared in the positive portion, and the 10-20 cm layer appeared in the negative portion. In the short term, it appears that different vineyard management methods affected microbial variables and some similarity between ORG and forest soil. objetivo deste trabalho foi examinar os efeitos de diferentes manejos de videira e espacial heterogeneidade do solo através de variáveis químicas e microbiológicas do solo e também comparar com uma área de floresta adjacente. Em 2000, dois experimentos de campo com Vitis labrusca (L.) foram instalados em Latossolo no norte do estado do Paraná, Brasil. Em 2004, amostras de solo foram coletadas para avaliar os seguintes fatores: (i) manejo de videira convencional (CONV) e orgânico (ORG) e (ii) espacial heterogeneidade do solo, considerando linha e entrelinha de cultivo e diferentes profundidades (0-10 cm e 10-20 cm), aplicando o delineamento em blocos casualizados em seis repetições. A área de floresta adjacente foi considerada como área sem perturbação agrícola (ou controle). Os atributos químicos em solo com videira ORG foram maiores em comparação com solo sob floresta, na profundidade de 0-10 cm, com exceção do carbono total. Para os valores de carbono microbiano (Cmic) ambos os fatores (manejo de videira e heterogeneidade espacial do solo) contribuíram para as mudanças observadas. Enquanto, apenas a heterogeneidade espacial do solo foi o principal fator para as alterações na respiração basal do solo, com os maiores valores observados nas linhas do CONV. Independente da profundidade, os menores valores de qCO2 foram observados em solo de videira ORG e floresta. A análise de agrupamento demonstrou que no Eixo-X, os manejos de videira agruparam-se da região negativa para positive na seqüência: CONV, seguido do ORG e floresta, com alta proximidade entre ORG e floresta. Por outro lado, quando a espacial heterogeneidade do solo, representada pelo Eixo-Y, a camada de 0-10 cm foi positiva e a camada de 10-20 cm na porção negativa. Em curto tempo, foi possível detectar diferenças entre os atributos microbiológicos do solo em diferentes manejos de videira, e indicar algumas similaridades com solo sem alterações agrícolas.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a legume that has been reported as highly promiscuous in nodulating with a variety of rhizobial strains, often with low effectiveness in fixing nitrogen. The aim of this work was to assess the symbiotic efficiency of rhizobial strains isolated from common bean seeds, nodules of Arachis hypogaea, Mucuna pruriens, and soils from various Brazilian agroecosystems, followed by the characterization of elite strains identified in the first screening. Forty-five elite strains were analyzed for symbiotic properties (nodulation, plant-growth, and nitrogen-fixation parameters) under greenhouse conditions in pots containing non-sterile soil, and variation in symbiotic performance was observed. Elite strains were also characterized in relation to morpho-physiological properties, genetic profiles of rep-polymerase chain reaction (PCR; BOX), and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-PCR of the 16S rRNA. Sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA were obtained for 17 strains representative of the main groups resulting from all previous analyses. One of the most effective strains, IPR-Pv 2604, was clustered with Rhizobium tropici, whereas strain IPR-Pv 583, showing lower effectiveness in fixing N(2), was clustered with Herbaspirillum lusitanum. Surprisingly, effective strains were clustered with unusual symbiotic genera/species, including Leifsonia xyli, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Burkholderia, and Enterobacter. Some strains recognized in this study were outstanding in their nitrogen-fixing capacity and therefore, show high biotechnological potential for use in commercial inoculants.