The state of Pará is responsible for 80% of the national black pepper production, and Brazil is the third biggest producer and exporter of the spice. However, the production and productivity of the culture has been decreasing throughout the years due to the occurrence of the root rotting disease caused by Fusarium solani f sp. Piperis in a great number of black pepper farms, leading to great economical loss and substantial decline in plantation area along the period of more than forty ye ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2007

Pasture degradation is one of the main problems of Brazilian cattle farming. Several strategies to recover the productivity of degraded pastures have been developed by Embrapa and other research and education institutions. In such studies, reducing the costs of the recovery of degraded pastures has been one of their main focuses. Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) have proved to be some of the best alternatives to reduce the costs of pasture fertilization. ICLS have potential to increase t

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2007

Data from 2006 the Agricultural Census indicate that the area of cultivated pasture in Brazil corresponds to about 106 million hectares. Since Brazilian cattle farming predominantly takes place in pastures, their degradation can represent economic and environmental damages for the sector. The process of pasture degradation is a complex phenomenon, which involves causes and consequences that lead to the gradual reduction of the pasture's support capacity. In order to adjust to the new environment

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2011

Development programs aimed at increasing production, improve milk quality and assist genetic selection of livestock are strategic initiatives to modernize the dairy chain in Brazil. Farmers, mostly family-scale, need special guidance to access technological information and training programs to increase production and improve productivity of the dairy herd. In addition, action plans and strategies to improve milk quality are essential in order to promote their inclusion in the formal dairy market

Status: Completed     Start date: Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2013

Under the strong impact of the demand for energy and the need to develop alternative technologies to replace oil, the sugarcane industry is expanding and boosting interest in the assessment of both private and social costs and benefits in sugar and energy production. The importance of environmental issues in society has inserted this topic in the agenda of public and private planners through their concern with the preservation of water resources, soil fertility, and biodiversity, as well as with

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2012