Ciência e Natura

Potential of irrigated agricultural production of cassava (Manioth esculenta Crantz) in a basin using GIS

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0300

This study aimed to evaluate and map the potential of agricultural production of cassava using geotechnologies for the basin of the middle course region of Paraíba river. SPRING was used to construct the maps of irrigation potential and water retention capacity of the soils and generate the partial map through matrix crossing. Annual average rainfall data were used to construct the climate condition map. Subsequently, LEGAL was used to generate the agricultural production potential map through matrix crossing between the partial map and the climate scenario map. For cassava crop, the following climatic conditions were found: Full in 13.67% of the basin’s total area; Full with prolonged rainy season in 3.55%; Moderate due to water excess was not identified; Moderate due to water deficit in 21.03%; and Unsuitable due to severe water deficit in 61.75%. Regarding the potential of irrigated agricultural production of cassava crop, there was no Very High or High, and it was classified as Medium in 3.19% of the area, Low in 5.09% and Very Low in 91.72%. Irrigated cassava cultivation is not recommended in the watershed of the region of the middle course of the Paraíba River.

Pesticides in different environmental compartments in Brazil: a review

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0300

Over the years Brazil has become one of the largest agricultural producers and exporters in the world. At the same time, there was a significant increase in the use of pesticides to increase productivity at harvest. In this context, there is great concern about human health, fauna, and flora, since the inputs can go through different chemical processes and migrate through various environmental compartments. In this context, this paper addresses a review of studies that have reported the presence of pesticides in various environmental compartments such as water (surface and irrigation), soil, and food. The detected concentrations, Maximum Residue Limit (MRL), current legislation, and the values of Estimated Daily Intake (ADI) or Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) are presented. In general, it was observed that DDTs and their metabolites were reported at concentrations beyond the MRL, followed by atrazine. Regarding intake estimates, there is a greater concern with children as they are more vulnerable, due to their low body weight when compared to adults. Finally, studies that consider the cumulative effect are needed to better assess the different chemical components in the human diet and the potential adverse effects on the health of the population.

A propose of a metric to the home advantage based on awarded points

Giovani Festa Paludo, Nikolas Neves de Figueiredo, Eric Batista Ferreira — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0300

In double round-robin sports tournaments, the total of points awarded divided by the total of the points earned at home consists in metric to access the home advantage that is easy to use, to interpret and is widely known. However, when a team award a small number of points this metric is underestimated, vary expressively, among others fragilities. Thus, our objective was to build a new metric to measure home advantage keeping the positive aspects of the previous one and improving all the listed fragilities. It was proposed the new metric and a test to be used in sportive championships. As the study application, it was used data from Brazilian Championship Series-A (2003-2020). As our main result, the new metric was not negatively correlated to the awarded points. The test of the metric let to verify on which occasion there is enough information to affirm that exists home advantage, avoiding the effects of a small number of awarded points. Based on this, of the 370 participations of 43 teams in 18 editions, one participation presented home disadvantage, 259 presented home advantage and 110 did not present home effect. Besides, the metric permitted to visualize the individual behavior of each team throughout the league.

Garden at school: environmental education actions with fundamental education students in city, Breves, Island of Marajó- PA

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0300

The present work aimed to provide practical knowledge related to the environment, sustainability and healthy diet as an environmental education strategy through the school garden, with elementary school students in schools in the municipality of Breves, Ilha do Marajó. Three schools were chosen, being students of the 5th grade of elementary education, making a total of 200 students. The study was conducted in two stages with the students: the first step was by requesting activities (drawings) about their perceptions of the environment and family production. The second stage the students were taken to the practical workshops based on the themes presented in the lectures. After applying the practical workshops, students were again asked to draw a picture to see how the theory / practice junction complemented the students’ learning about the school’s vegetable production system. Most of the experiences seek to stimulate the participation of children who, by getting their hands dirty, more clearly assimilate what is in the soil and its importance in nature. The applied methodology was effective for teaching and learning, since the student was able to establish a connection between theory and practice, acquiring knowledge of citizenship and respect for the environment.