Drought is a widespread limiting factor in coffee plants. It affects plant development, fruit production, bean development and consequently beverage quality. Genetic diversity for drought tolerance exists within the coffee genus. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptation of coffee plants to drought are largely unknown. In this study, we compared the molecular responses to drought in two commercial cultivars (IAPAR59, drought-tolerant and Rubi, drought-susceptible) of Coffea arabica grown in the field under control (irrigation) and drought conditions using the pyrosequencing of RNA extracted from shoot apices and analysing the expression of 38 candidate genes. Pyrosequencing from shoot apices generated a total of 34.7 Mbp and 535,544 reads enabling the identification of 43,087 clusters (41,512 contigs and 1,575 singletons). These data included 17,719 clusters (16,238 contigs and 1,575 singletons) exclusively from 454 sequencing reads, along with 25,368 hybrid clusters assembled with 454 sequences. The comparison of DNA libraries identified new candidate genes (n = 20) presenting differential expression between IAPAR59 and Rubi and/or drought conditions. Their expression was monitored in plagiotropic buds, together with those of other (n = 18) candidates genes. Under drought conditions, up-regulated expression was observed in IAPAR59 but not in Rubi for CaSTK1 (protein kinase), CaSAMT1 (SAM-dependent methyltransferase), CaSLP1 (plant development) and CaMAS1 (ABA biosynthesis). Interestingly, the expression of lipid-transfer protein (nsLTP) genes was also highly up-regulated under drought conditions in IAPAR59. This may have been related to the thicker cuticle observed on the abaxial leaf surface in IAPAR59 compared to Rubi. The full transcriptome assembly of C. arabica, followed by functional annotation, enabled us to identify differentially expressed genes related to drought conditions. Using these data, candidate genes were selected and their differential expression profiles were confirmed by qPCR experiments in plagiotropic buds of IAPAR59 and Rubi under drought conditions. As regards the genes up-regulated under drought conditions, specifically in the drought-tolerant IAPAR59, several corresponded to orphan genes but also to genes coding proteins involved in signal transduction pathways, as well as ABA and lipid metabolism, for example. The identification of these genes should help advance our understanding of the genetic determinism of drought tolerance in coffee.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of irrigation and of the presence of brachiaria (Urochloa decumbens) between coffee (Coffea arabica) rows on coffee yield and on chemical and hydrophysical attributes of a Typic Haplustox. The study was conducted in the Cerrado region in Planaltina, Brasília, DF, Brazil, in a randomized complete block design, arranged in split-split plots, with four replicates. Water regimes (irrigated or rainfed) were assigned to the main plots, inter-row management systems to the subplots, and soil layers to the sub-subplots. The following soil attributes were determined: total organic carbon, total nitrogen, C/N ratio, carbon and nitrogen stocks, bulk density, aggregate stability, total porosity, macroporosity, low-retention microporosity, remaining microporosity, criptoporosity, and total and readily-available water, besides coffee yield. Irrigation of coffee plants, associated with brachiaria intercropped as a cover crop, increased coffee yield and favored chemical and hydrophysical soil attributes, improving soil structure and its ability to store water. Irrigation favors organic carbon stocks in the upper soil layers, whereas brachiaria favors soil physical attributes related to water availability to coffee.

Este trabalho foi desenvolvido na área experimental da Embrapa-Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária dos Cerrados (CPAC) com o objetivo de estudar os efeitos de diferentes regimes hídricos e de diferentes doses de N sobre a produtividade e componentes de produção de feijão Pérola (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivado após o milho, na região de cerrado. As aplicações de água foram feitas quando a tensão de água no solo, medida a 10 cm de profundidade, atingia valores de 41, 55, 75 e 300 kPa. As doses de N testadas foram: 0, 40, 80 e 160 kg/ha. As doses foram parceladas em duas aplicações, a saber: a metade, aplicada por ocasião da emergência das plântulas, e o restante, no início do estádio de florescimento da cultura. A máxima produtividade foi obtida com as irrigações quando a tensão de água no solo era de 41 kPa, medida a 10 cm de profundidade. As doses de N que propiciaram as máximas produtividades variaram com a tensão de água no solo utilizada para o controle da irrigação. A quantidade de água aplicada para uma produtividade superior a 4.800 kg/ha foi em torno de 450 mm. O valor da relação entre a produtividade e a lâmina de água aplicada aumentou com o aumento da tensão de água no solo e das doses de N.

Notícias e relatórios de segurança sobre vazamentos de dados sensíveis têm surgido com uma frequência cada vez maior. Muitos desses vazamentos, cujo volume e criticidade são altos, têm afetado empresas e governos de forma significativa. Este cenário, cuja perspectiva é apenas piorar, tem chamado tanta atenção dos governos e empresas que segurança da informação virou uma das maiores prioridades de estado em muitos países. Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar um histórico e o impacto socioeconômico dos vazamentos de dados mais significativos dos últimos anos. Adicionalmente, identificar e discutir as recentes leis de proteção de dados, criadas com o intuito de ajudar a combater o problema de falta de investimentos em segurança da informação, a principal causa desses vazamentos de dados.