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An important tool for the conservation of biomes is the application of technology to support biodiversity maintenance and recovery. Thus, plant tissue culture could be used as strategic tool to support the production of woody species for reforestation purposes. The use of fruit trees is particularly important because they attract seed dispersing animals that could help environment recovery. Although black pitanga (Eugenia sulcata Spreng ex Mart.) is difficult to find in natural habitat, it presents potential relevance for initiatives aimed at the reforestation of the Atlantic Forest because it is highly appreciated by wild birds. However, the low seed production and germination rate in natural environments impairs the maintenance of the genetic diversity. In this way, in vitro cultivation is an alternative to produce seedlings of arboreal species. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the potential use of in vitro culture for the germination of black pitanga seeds from the field to produce viable seedlings used in initiatives to recover Atlantic Forest areas. Seeds of two E. sulcata donor plants were cultured in vitro in the Wood Plant Medium (WPM) and Murashige Skoog medium (MS) with and without activated charcoal. During in vitro cultivation, development parameters (germination, leaf emission, root emission) and contamination were evaluated. Plants obtained were successfully acclimatized. The results demonstrated that the in vitro cultivation of E. sulcata seeds is a viable alternative to produce seedlings for reintroduction under in vivo conditions. However, the genetic background of donor plants could interfere in seed germination and plant development. These results are a probable reflect of the natural genetic diversity present in seeds.

• Soy Moratorium in the Legal Amazon changed the Cerrado land use. • Cerrado is responsible for 54 % of the Brazilian soybean yield. • LCM is used to model the LULC dynamics correlated with driver variables. • Scenario evaluation was performed based on spatial-temporal data. • Results show the possibility to meet soybean demand with vegetation conservation. Soy Moratorium implementation in the Legal Amazon in 2006 had consequences beyond deforestation control in the region. Among these, the influence on the dynamics in land use change in the neighbor biome, the Cerrado, is evaluated. This influence becomes especially important considering that this area accounts for 54% of Brazil's soybean production, and that the country is the world's second largest producer of the grain. This work used Land Change Modeler to study the comparison of the Moratorium influence for two scenarios: a temporal analysis of change trends prior to the implementation of this policy, for 2012; and an impact analysis on the Cerrado policy extension for 2028. The main transitions observed on the evaluated period were between Vegetation, Pasture and Agriculture classes. Driver variables of the transition between these classes were used to model the scenarios. The impact of the moratorium on changing the spatial distribution of transitions was mainly noted. For future predictions, grain yield would not be significantly impacted by the extension of the Cerrado Moratorium. Conclusions include the possibility of biome's vegetation preservation, without disregarding the economic importance of soybean for Brazil and still meeting the estimated demand for 2028. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]