Thermal favorability for the Oidium caricae and Asperisporium caricae in areas of edaphoclimatic aptitude for the Carica papaya.

Objective this study aimed to determine the thermal favorability for the oidium (Oidium caricae) and early blight (Asperisporium caricae) in areas of edaphoclimatic aptitude for the papaya (Carica papaya) in the Espírito Santo state, Brazil. The edaphoclimatic zoning was based on the overlapping of maps that characterize the average annual air temperature obtained by multiple linear regression, annual water deficiency calculated by the Thornthwaite and Matter method (1955) and favorable soil classes to the development of papaya. The results indicated that as regards the edaphoclimatic zoning for the papaya crop it was observed that 71.70% of the area is classified as apt for its development. In relation to agrometeorological favorability for the occurrence of fungal diseases, there was a favorability of 7.64% for the development without restrictions of the oidium and a predominance of 64,56% of favorability with thermal restriction. For the early blight fungus, it was observed that the zones of favorability without restriction correspond to 11.66% of the area apt for the papaya cultivation and that 55.13% of the area has favorability with restriction of humidity. The edaphoclimatic zoning for the papaya crop showed compatibility with the most productive areas of this crop in the state of Espírito Santo. The zoning of thermal favorability for the occurrence of papaya fungal diseases proved to be a valuable tool for studies of plant diseases, allowing the establishment of plans for the allocation of resistant varieties, in order to minimize the risks of loss of crop productivity due to the disease. This methodology presents potential to be used in other areas, cultures and phytopathological diseases.

Itaipu royalties: The role of the hydroelectric sector in water resource management.

For countries dependent on hydroelectricity, water scarcity poses a real risk. Hydroelectric plants are among the most vulnerable enterprises to climate change. Investing in the conservation of the hydrographic basin is a solution found by the hydropower sector. Given the importance of the Itaipu plant to the energy matrix of Brazil and Paraguay, the aim of this study is to review the current distribution of royalties from Itaipu, using the hydrographic basin as a of criterion of analysis. Approximately 98.73% of the Itaipu basin is in Brazil. The flow contributes 99% of the total electricity generated there, while the drop height of the water contributes only 1%. Under the current policy, royalties are shared equally between Brazil and Paraguay. In the proposed approach, each country would receive a percentage for their participation in the drop height and water flow in the output of the turbines, which are intrinsic factors for electricity generation. Thus, Brazil would receive 98.35% of the royalties and Paraguay, 1.65%. The inclusion of the hydrographic basin as a criterion for the distribution of royalties will promote more efficient water resource management, since the payment will be distributed throughout the basin of the plant. The methodology can be applied to hydroelectric projects worldwide.

Geotechnology and landscape ecology applied to the selection of potential forest fragments for seed harvesting.

The Atlantic Forest biome is recognized for its biodiversity and is one of the most threatened biomes on the planet, with forest fragmentation increasing due to uncontrolled land use, land occupation, and population growth. The most serious aspect of the forest fragmentation process is the edge effect and the loss of biodiversity. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of forest fragmentation and select potential forest fragments with a higher degree of conservation for seed harvesting in the Itapemirim river basin, Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Image classification techniques, forest landscape ecology, and multi-criteria analysis were used to evaluate the evolution of forest fragmentation to develop the landscape metric indexes, and to select potential forest fragments for seed harvesting for the years 1985 and 2013. According to the results, there was a reduction of 2.55% of the occupancy of the fragments in the basin between the years 1985 and 2013. For the years 1985 and 2013, forest fragment units 2 and 3 were spatialized with a high potential for seed harvesting, representing 6.99% and 16.01% of the total fragments, respectively. The methodology used in this study has the potential to be used to support decisions for the selection of potential fragments for seed harvesting because selecting fragments in different environments by their spatial attributes provides a greater degree of conservation, contributing to the protection and conscious management of the forests. The proposed methodology can be adapted to other areas and different biomes of the world.