Pasture as an exclusive feeding source accounts for almost 90% of the beef consumed in Brazil and for most of the nearly 35 billion liters of milk produced annually in the country. It is estimated today that, in Brazil, grasses of the genus Brachiaria are cultivated in approximately 84 million hectares. In Brazil, the most cultivated species of Brachiaria are B. decumbens, B. brizantha, B. humidicola and B. ruziziensis. With the increasing agricult ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

Pastures assume a prominent position in the Brazilian agricultural scenario, covering about three quarters of the cultivated area nationwide. In addition to the physical aspect, pastures are the main feeding source for the Brazilian herd. Pastures account for almost 90% of the beef consumed in Brazil and for most of the 21 billion liters of milk produced annually in the country. It is estimated today that in Brazil grasses of the genus Brachiaria are cultivated in approximately 84 millio

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

Yuca is a highlighted culture for the state of Pará, not only for its importance in the state's cuisine, but also for representing a source of income for thousands of agriculture producers. The culture can also give support to the state's agro-industry, by means of supplying raw materials used in the fabrication of many products. In order to be incremented in the state of Pará, the yuca culture needs to go through a genetic improvement program, in the hopes of obtaining material which is more ad ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010

The growing demand for a sustainable energy matrix and the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels make the energy obtained from biomass a prominent option. The major uses of biomass as energetic input are the production of thermal energy (direct combustion, charcoal and residues), production of mechanic energy (alcohol and bio-oils), production of electricity (through combustion, gasification or gas burning), and production of other components of the so called green chemistry (bioproducts and

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2014

Heat along with high humidity is one of the causes of impaired milk production and fertility of cattle, especially in the summer or in tropical and semitropical regions. Such problems can be aggravated with the prospect of global warming. In the hottest regions of Brazil there is a preference for crossbred Holstein (H) X zebu (Z), mainly Gir (G) cattle that form the Girolando synthetic breed whose composition is mainly ⅝ GxH. Girolando animals are more tolerant to heat than breeds of European or

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015

In Brazil, milk production is practiced by more than one million farmers, mostly smallholders, who have in pastures and swards for green chop the most important sources for cattle feeding. Dairy agribusiness plays a significant role in food supply for the domestic market, in the generation of jobs and income for the population and in recent years has also become increasingly important in the Country’s export line. The intensification of animal production systems demands the use of forage species

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2016

The productivity indices of dairy farming in Brazil are low when compared to countries with technologically advanced dairy farming. Productivity can be significantly improved through the use of animals with higher genetic value for milk production and appropriate management techniques. Worldwide, the Holstein breed is predominant for milk production, being also the most used in Brazil, both as a pure breed and in crosses, as a contribution to the development of the Girolando breed. In this proje

Status: Completed     Start date: Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2007

Genetic Vegetable resources, globally, involve a number of around 300,000 identified species, of which 30,000 are edible and only 30 consist of foods that feed the world's population. However, from this total, only three species provide 50% of proteins necessary in a regular diet (rice, wheat and corn). This situation has been stimulating a great number of researchers in the quest to increase the number of species dedicated to feed the population. Brazil is considered the world's greatest source

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2009

Germplasm banks have as their main purpose to get together in one place part of the genetic variability (germplasm), in order to prevent the loss of genes or gene combinations (genetic erosion), thus ensuring a broad genetic basis for research programs. Germplasm banks are usually made up of local races (ethnovarieties), improved varieties and wild species of the same genus. And because they bring together genetic constitutions of different origins and different breeding levels, they can be grea

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2009

The dairy activity in Brazil has undergone extensive changes. If, on the one hand, the industry tends more and more to value items associated with the quality of milk, such as fat, protein, total milk solids, etc., the prices paid or the incentives applied are arbitrary or defined based upon the financial return arising from one unit of the product. On the other hand, the dairy farmer does not know if the received incentive value, when it exists, is interesting from the point of view of returnin

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008