Buckwheat is a dicotyledonous crop that quickly grow at high altitudes. It presents high tolerance to acidity and ability to grow in poor soil. This study aimed to identify different buckwheat forms of use and benefits in agriculture and human nutrition. It can be used as green manure, being an option as soil cover plant and recycling of nutrients, as well as an alternative grain and forage. At the plant flowering, it can provide a food source to the predators of common insects’ pests, increasing their populations. In livestock, it can feed cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and poultry because it features similar quality to millet forage, but with higher concentration of protein. Buckwheat could act as a functional forage to manipulate ruminal fermentation. The presence of tannins in plants can positively influence the health of small ruminants because these represent a promising alternative control of gastrointestinal nematodes. For human nutrition, the buckwheat is an important food that contain a well-balanced amino acid profile with a high quantity of lysine, limiting amino acid in grasses such wheat, relatively high fibre content, zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se). Furthermore, this flour is gluten-free and it can be used as a supplement for patients with celiac disease. Therefore, it is a culture that should be best explored in different regions of the world. Key words: Buckwheat, celiac sprue, green manuring, high protein, tanniferous plants, recycling of soil nutrients.

Mastite bovina é caraterizada por inflamação da glândula mamária, geralmente em resposta à infecção bacteriana, compromete quali-quantitativamente a produção leiteira. Este estudo objetivou verificar a atividade antibacteriana in vitro do extrato hidroalcoólico da casca da romã sobre bactérias isoladas de leite bovino. As colônias de Staphylococcus spp. foram ressuspendidas a escala 6 de MacFarland e ajustada a sua concentração por espectrofotometria UV visível na concentração de 10 mL-1. Os extratos foram avaliados em quintuplicata, em sete concentrações: de 4mg mL-1 até 0,0625 mg.mL-1. A sensibilidade dos isolados microbianos foi determinada utilizando o teste de difusão em disco e os resultados que apresentaram zonas de inibição correspondentes a valores a partir de 15 mm, foram considerados sensíveis. Os resultados foram avaliados pelo método ANOVA, teste de Tukey 5%, utilizando o SISVAR 5.3 -DEX/UFLA. Adicionalmente o extrato foi avaliado quanto à atividade antioxidante, teores de fenóis e flavonoides totais. Para tanto o extrato foi diluído em sete concentrações: de 25 a 1000µg.mL-1, e avaliado em triplicata. O crescimento bacteriano foi inibido a partir da concentração de 4mg.mL-1 e a ação antioxidante foi verificada a partir de 50µg.mL-1, com valores correspondentes a 4.62%, atingindo platô de 64,90% na concentração de 500µg.mL-1. Na avaliação da atividade captadora de radicais, empregando o radical livre DPPH, o extrato demonstrou atividade antioxidante (IC50%= 378,80µg/mL). Porém, não foi possível correlacionar a atividade antioxidante aos teores de fenóis e flavonoides. Talvez a presença de outras substâncias alcaloides e taninos presentes no extrato, possam ter sido as responsáveis pela atividade antioxidante encontrada. Conclui-se que o extrato hidroalcoólico de Punica granatum Linn. apresenta atividade antimicrobiana contra Staphylococcus spp., demonstrando potencial benefício para o controle da mastite bovina.

Soil monitoring is fundamental to promote sustainability agroecosystems. It is necessary to consider indicators that bring together biological, physical, chemical and inter-relational attributes. Pfeiffer chromatography (PC) represents an important method for soil diagnosis, so the present study aims to analyze it in order to contribute to its validation. The soil samples of 12 production systems were evaluated in quintuplicate. The chromas were elaborated using Whatman no 4 filter paper, and the soil extract was performed by sodium hydroxide solution 1%. The results were obtained using revealing solution (AgNO3 0.5%) ascension by capillarity, and the chrome zones: central, internal, medium and external were correlated to soil penetration, chemical, biological and enzymatic parameters, respectively. Variance analysis was applied to the results that presented normal distribution and the means were compared by Scott-Knott test. T-test for Spearman correlations and principal component analysis were used to evaluate the correlations. There was negative correlation between the central zone and the average penetration resistance within the range 0-40 cm in depth. The internal, medium and external zones presented positive correlation with organic matter, carbon microbial biomass, and enzymatic activities, respectively. Quality standard features such as coloration, size and proportion of zones, presence of enzymatic clouds, peaks and radial lines were also confirmed. Thus, the standardization developed by this study contributed to validation of PC. Since PC is a low-cost and easy-to-perform method, it proves to be a useful tool allowing farmers autonomy to monitoring different agricultural systems, contributing to their production sustainable.

Tanniferous plants have been used for ruminants verminosis control and represent a possibility to minimize the pharmacological resistance against conventional antiparasitics. This study aimed to evaluate the antihelminthic activity of the hydroalcoholic extract of stem bark of guava tree (PgHA). It was performed the hatchability and larval migration inhibition assays to evaluate PgHA at the following concentrations 0.62, 1.25, 2.5 and 5.0 mg mL-1 and the control treatments. The total polyphenol, flavonoid and tannin contents were determined by phytochemical analysis, high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, ferric reducing antioxidant power and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances tests. It was also determinated total protein, intracellular H2O2 and antioxidant activity of enzimes: glutathione S-transferase and superoxide dismutase. PgHA was able to inhibit both hatchability and larval migration, but only hatchability inhibition presented dose-dependent pattern. The antioxidant activity was demonstrated by linear regression with IC50 corresponding to 534.02 μg mL-1. The antiparasitic mechanism occurred through pro-oxidative activity by the increase of total proteins, intracellular H2O2 and the lipid peroxidation products, as well as the increase of the enzymes above related. Thus, the PgHA showed antiparasitic activity in vitro.

Consumers increasingly demand natural food and absent of toxic waste and medicated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the aqueous extract of dried and in natura stem from pomegranate on the larval inhibition of Haemonchus spp. and Cooperia spp. obtained from cattle. Dried and in natura aqueous extract from pomegranate stem (AEPS), negative control (autoclaved distilled water) and positive control (levamisole hydrochloride 0.05 mg / mL) were evaluated. Four mL of each treatment were used, and the results were evaluated in triplicate by egg counts per gram of feces (EPG), faecal culture and counting of the larvae. The mean of the larvae that developed per gram of feces was submitted to logarithimic transformation log. (X + 10). The EPG had an average value of 3.620 eggs, identified in faecal cultures of larvae from Haemonchus spp. and Cooperia spp. Dried AEPS presented, by the reduction of larvae, effectiveness of 92.29% for Haemonchus spp. and 96.97% for Cooperia spp. In natura, this extract showed 80% of efficacy against Cooperia larvae, being considered moderately effective; however, for Haemonchus spp. this extract was not effective. These results are specially important for organic and agroecological systems of production, that not allow the use of chemical parasiticides. In conclusion, the use of dried AEPS showed potential anthelmintic and may represent important natural therapeutic option.