Pulses provide distinct health benefits due to their low fat content and high protein and fiber contents. Their grain production reaches approximately 93,210 × 10³ tons per year. Pulses benefit from the symbiosis with atmospheric N₂-fixing bacteria, which increases productivity and reduces the need for N fertilizers, thus contributing to mitigation of environmental impact mitigation. Additionally, the root region harbors a rich microbial community with multiple traits related to plant growth promotion, such as nutrient increase and tolerance enhancement to abiotic or biotic stresses. We reviewed the eight most common pulses accounting for almost 90% of world production: common beans, chickpeas, peas, cowpeas, mung beans, lentils, broad beans, and pigeon peas. We focused on updated information considering both single-rhizobial inoculation and co-inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. We found approximately 80 microbial taxa with PGPR traits, mainly Bacillus sp., B. subtilis, Pseudomonas sp., P. fluorescens, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and that contributed to improve plant growth and yield under different conditions. In addition, new data on root, nodule, rhizosphere, and seed microbiomes point to strategies that can be used to design new generations of biofertilizers, highlighting the importance of microorganisms for productive pulse systems.

A agroecologia é um paradigma que incorpora princípios para a construção de agroecossistemas baseados em processos e interações socioecológicas (Gliessman, 2001 Gliessman, S. R. (2001). Agroecologia: processos ecológicos em agricultura sustentável. Porto Alegre: Ed. Editora da UFRGS. ; Anderson et al., 2019 Anderson, C. R., Bruil, J., Chappell, M. J., Kiss, C., & Pimbert, M. P. (2019). From transition to domains of transformation: getting to sustainable and just food systems through agroecology. Sustainability, 11(19), 5272. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11195272 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11195272... ). No que tange aos mercados, as estratégias são pensadas para articular a produção agroecológica e a comercialização a partir de relações mais justas e equitativas. E para esse objetivo, os circuitos curtos de comercialização (CCC) representam oportunidades para agricultores e consumidores, contribuindo para a valorização dos produtos da agricultura familiar (Rover & Darolt, 2021 Rover, O. J., & Darolt, M. R. (2021). Circuitos curtos de comercialização como inovação social que valoriza a agricultura familiar agroecológica. In M. R. Darolt & O. S. Rover (Eds.), Circuitos curtos de comercialização, agroecologia e inovação social (pp. 19-43). Florianópolis: Estúdio Semprelo. Recuperado em 10 de fevereiro de 2024, de https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/229738/circuitos_curtos.pdf?sequence=1#page=19 https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/ha... ).

Atlantic Forest devastation has resulted in the search and introduction of management capable of promoting and reestablishing the quality and sustainability of the ecosystem. Agroforestry systems (AS) are recognized for many benefits due to their management. This study compares an agroforestry system macrofauna and physical and chemical soil properties to those of a secondary forest area in the Atlantic Forest biome in southeast Brazil. Agroforestry system with 8 years of establishment and the regenerating subcaducifolious tropical forest fragment with 28 years were examined. Samplings were conducted in two periods of the year (rainy and dry seasons) to evaluate physical and chemical soil fertility-associated properties, as well as soil organic matter (SOM) fractions and biological aspects (macrofauna). Higher clay content, moisture levels, basic cations, and greater values of the sorption complex, diversity indices, and uniformity in macrofauna were observed in the agroforestry plots. Agroforestry systems increased the levels of the most labile fraction of soil organic matter (SOM) compared to the forest fragment. Higher abundance, diversity indices, and evenness of fauna were observed in the agroforestry plots during both seasons. In terms of multivariate analyses, a higher correlation was observed among fauna, carbon fractions, P, K ⁺ , pH, clay, potential acidity, moisture, and temperature in the Agroforestry plots. In general, AS promoted a positive relationship between physical and chemical properties and the macrofauna community of soil invertebrates, in a similar way and sometimes superior to the forest, confirming the study hypothesis and demonstrating the efficiency of management in maintaining soil properties and, consequently, ecosystem services.

No presente trabalho objetivou-se avaliar o comportamento de cultivares de alface conduzidas sob sistema de cultivo orgânico nas condições edafoclimáticas de Seropédica-RJ. Foram conduzidos dois experimentos independentes, em campo, em duas épocas do ano, no delineamento em blocos casualizados, com três repetições e doze plantas por parcela. No primeiro e segundo experimentos foram utilizados como tratamentos 22 e 25 cultivares de alface, respectivamente, pertencentes aos grupos crespa, lisa e americana. Nas avaliações dos dois experimentos foram considerados os caracteres massa fresca da parte aérea, diâmetro de cabeça, número de folhas, massa fresca de folhas e comprimento de caule. Ao considerar os cinco caracteres avaliados, para cada grupo de alface, infere-se que para as condições edafoclimáticas de Seropédica-RJ e manejo utilizando o biofertilizante Agrobio ® as cultivares Hortência, Regina de Verão, Stella, Tainá e Raider Plus apresentaram melhor desempenho.

The enrichment of plant rhizosphere with beneficial bacteria is a strategy that favors the production of more vigorous seedlings, which is essential for the success of vegetable cultivation. The aim of this study was to screen fluorescent pseudomonads that are able to act as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Production of indole acetic acid (IAA) and phosphate solubilization were used as traits for initial screening of 78 strains. In addition, we evaluated kale growth promoting ability under greenhouse conditions in unsterilized soil. Strains that significantly increased the dry mass of plants were characterized based on biochemical traits and by 16S rRNA sequencing. All isolates produced IAA. From these, 59 solubilized CaHPO4. Seven strains which promoted kale growth, presented low or intermediate solubilization efficiency and IAA production ability and were characterized as Pseudomonas putida. Seven growth promoting strains with potential for the development of inoculants were selected for future tests under field conditions. This study also shows that growth promoting capability was not consistently related in vitro to IAA production and phosphate solubilization. Key words: Rhizospheric soil, auxin, phosphorus, kale, root colonization.

Agroecology is a paradigm that incorporates principles for the construction of agroecosystems based on socioecological processes and interactions (Gliessman, 2001 Gliessman, S. R. (2001). Agroecologia: processos ecológicos em agricultura sustentável. Porto Alegre: Ed. Editora da UFRGS. ; Anderson et al., 2019 Anderson, C. R., Bruil, J., Chappell, M. J., Kiss, C., & Pimbert, M. P. (2019). From transition to domains of transformation: getting to sustainable and just food systems through agroecology. Sustainability, 11(19), 5272. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11195272 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11195272... ). With regard to markets, strategies are designed to articulate agroecological production and marketing based on fairer and more equitable relationships. For this purpose, short marketing circuits (SMCs) represent opportunities for farmers and consumers, contributing to the appreciation of family farming products (Rover & Darolt, 2021 Rover, O. J., & Darolt, M. R. (2021). Circuitos curtos de comercialização como inovação social que valoriza a agricultura familiar agroecológica. In M. R. Darolt & O. S. Rover (Eds.), Circuitos curtos de comercialização, agroecologia e inovação social (pp. 19-43). Florianópolis: Estúdio Semprelo. Recuperado em 10 de fevereiro de 2024, de https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/229738/circuitos_curtos.pdf?sequence=1#page=19 https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/ha... ).