ABSTRACT
Most deforested lands in Brazil are occupied by low-productivity cattle ranching. Brazil is the second biggest meat producer worldwide and is projected to increase its agricultural output more than any other country. Biochar has been shown to improve soil properties and agricultural productivity when added to degraded soils, but these effects are context-dependent. The impact of biochar, fertilizer and inoculant on the productivity of forage grasses in Brazil (Brachiaria spp. and Panicum spp.) was investigated from environmental and socio-economic perspectives. We showed a 27% average increase in Brachiaria production over two years but no significant effects of amendment on Panicum yield. Biochar addition also increased the contents of macronutrients, soil pH and CEC. Each hectare amended with biochar saved 91 tonnes of CO2eq through land sparing effect, 13 tonnes of CO2eq sequestered in the soil, equating to U$455 in carbon payments. The costs of biochar production for smallholder farmers, mostly because of labour cost, outweighed the potential benefits of its use. Biochar is 617% more expensive than common fertilizers. Biochar could improve productivity of degraded pasturelands in Brazil if investments in efficient biochar production techniques are used and biochar is subsidized by low emission incentive schemes.
Subject(s)
Charcoal , Environment , Soil/chemistry , Agriculture , Algorithms , Biomass , Brazil , Carbon Cycle , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Ecosystem , Forests , Models, TheoreticalSubject(s)
History, 19th Century , Natural History , Scientific Exhibitions , Museums , Argentina , Book Reviews as Topic , History, 19th CenturyABSTRACT
Com a confirmação do papel dos insetos na transmissão de doenças, rapidamente se desenvolveu, em Manguinhos, uma"escola de entomologistas". As bases desta escola foram, sem dúvida, lançadas por Oswaldo Cruz, que, mesmo sem ser um especialista em entomologia, adquiriu no Instituto Pasteur de Paris os conhecimentos fundamentais que lhe permitiram ocupar-se posteriormente do estudo dos culicídeos. A aproximação de Costa Lima com Manguinhos e Oswaldo Cruz está intimamente ligada ao início de sua trajetória, pois é neste Instituto, e com seu diretor, o contato inicial do cientista com a pesquisa entomológica. Diplomado em medicina em 1910, logo deixou o cargo que exercia, ainda como estudante, de auxiliar acadêmico dos serviços federais de saúde pública, passando a fazer parte, como inspetor sanitário, da comissão organizada por Oswaldo Cruz para combater a febre amarela no Estado do Pará. Em Belém, e sobretudo em Santarém e Óbidos, Costa Lima teve a primeira oportunidade de abordar a pesquisa entomológica, estudando a bionomia dos culicídeos. Em um espaço de tempo relativamente curto, tornou-se um importante cientista, destacando-se como um dos mais proeminentes entomologistas do país.
After the confirmation of the role of insects in disease transmission, a "school of entomologists" was soon developed in Manguinhos. The foundations of this school were undoubtedly outlined by Oswaldo Cruz, who acquired, at the Institut Pasteur, in Paris, the fundamental knowledge which enabled him to study the Culicidae even though he had not been an expert in entomology. Costa Lima's strong relationship with Manguinhos and Oswaldo Cruz is closely linked to the beginning of his career, since his first contact with entomological research occurs in this Institute, and through its director. Graduated in Medical Sciences in 1910, he soon left the position of academic auxiliary of federal services in public health he held as a student, to be part, as a health inspector, of the commission organized by Oswaldo Cruz to fight yellow fever in Pará State. In Belém, and especially in the municipalities of Santarém and Óbidos, Costa Lima had his first opportunity to approach the entomological research by studying the bionomics of Culicidae. In a relatively short time, he became an important scientist, standing out as one of the most notable entomologists in Brazil.
