The quick diagnosis of diseases in plants that have economic value is essential to guarantee food security and avoid larger losses as a consequence of disease spreading. Two major problems may hinder this goal: 1) the permanent monitoring of all the plants by people capable of detecting diseases is mostly unviable; 2) in many cases, the person who detects the symptoms doesn't have enough knowledge to identify their causes. Despite the existance of solutions that explore technology as a facilitat

Status: Completed     Start date: Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2013

Since Brazil has a strong prospect of becoming a major exporter of dairy products, the production chain of milk needs to prepare to overcome obstacles such as non-tariff barriers related to food safety and quality assurance. Thus, this project aimed to gather information and develop methodologies for addressing such a challenge. One of the goals was the physicochemical and microbiological characterization of four dairy products (Minas Standard cheese, curd cheese, condensed milk, and whey powder

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2011

The recent expansion of sugarcane's culture by the mid-southern states of Brazil (Paraná, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais - except the north, and Goiás), has been mostly happening on areas where degraded grasslands occur, characterized by eroded soils which are poor in nutrients, under distinct hydric regimes in regions of traditional sugarcane production. The incorporation of these flat topography areas enables mechanized harvesting and a more intensive soil use, with the eliminatio ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010

Reproductive biotechnologies, particularly in vitro embryo production, can be useful to improve the milk productivity in Brazil by accelerating the genetic gain and reducing the intervals between generations. Genomic selection associated with reproductive biotechnology may be applied at the embryonic stage to promote the selection of embryos with desirable genetic traits and disposal of those with undesirable traits; consequently, maintenance costs of recipient cows would be reduced and efforts

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

The tomato is one of the most cultivated vegetables in the world, and is the target of countless plant health problems. Embrapa Vegetables has historically produced research in plant health within this production chain under the scope of the Tomato Genetic Improvement Project. However, the increasing demand for studies aimed at perfecting pest diagnosis methods and generating essential information for management has signaled the need to create a specific plant health project. Thus, this project

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2012

One of the main post-harvest problems is the emergence of spoilage in oranges caused especially by fungi that depreciate the quality and decrease shelf life and may also compromise food safety. Various treatment technologies such as: modified atmosphere, irradiation, anti-microbial ice and high pressure, among others, have been studied in the quest to eliminate food pathogens. Thus, understanding mechanisms of microorganism control in foods have been the topic of intense research with the use of

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

Smallholder Capsicum pepper growers in Uganda are operating below the ideal levels of agricultural production due to a lack of improved varieties, low quality seed systems and the devastation caused by pests and diseases. The damages caused by diseases are aggravated by the cultivation of susceptible germplasm and the use of poor quality seeds. In order to increase production and competitiveness in the market, farmers need to have access to clean seeds of cultivars that are tolerant to diseas

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015

In last the two decades, the melon agribusiness in Brazil has expanded nine times, reaching a production that is estimated at 500,000 tons per year and is concentrated in the Northeast. Since 2007, melons have become the main national fruit in volume of exports, and in 2008 Brazil was the second top world exporter. Nearly all melon cultivars planted in the Northeast are imported, and hence there is demand for more adapted ones, as the cultivars available were generally developed in soil and clim

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

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that mainly affects people over 65 years of age, resulting in loss of memory and cognitive functions such as language, attention, orientation and reasoning. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 24.3 million people worldwide suffered from AD and other types of dementia in 2007, with a doubling of this number every 20 years. That Organization also stresses that the impact of AD in develo

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

In the past years, Brazil has stood out for its leadership and high competitiveness in food production, a position reached especially due to the substantial efforts put into research, development and innovation, associated with free entrepreneurship, natural favorable conditions, abundant and efficient food production, and governmental efforts, notably those of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Mapa). However, if on one hand the quantitative issues regarding Brazil's food p

Status: Completed     Start date: Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2010