Embrapa Researcher optimizes production of transgenic

By Leonel Rocha
Revista Época – The Centers Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and Embrapa Coffee patented the technique called “Compositions and methods for modifying the expression of genes of interest” that promises to enhance the development of transgenic plants. The technique is based on a study of the seedling gene responsible for defining where, when and under conditions the desired characteristics will be expressed in the plant. The goal is to isolate the genes called “promoters” and make them available in a catalog to be used in production.
Currently, to develop a transgenic plant scientists typically use constitutive promoters. This means that the gene was inserted into the transgenic will be manifest in all plant parts, in all stages of development, regardless of environmental conditions. With this technique developed by researchers at Embrapa, the copy takes energy to produce a protein excessively unnecessary in the whole plant and all the time.
The new technology allows the gene that was inserted; it is expressed only when and where needed. In the case of coffee berry borer, for example, a gene for resistance to pests can be controlled by a promoter specific for the bulk product, preventing the reproduction of the beetle transmitter. In five years Embrapa expected to provide a database of promoters.

Source: Revista Época, May 18th, 2012
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The Status of Bioenergy in Brazil

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt

Labex Korea – Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world, with an extensive surface of continuous land, a large supply of fresh water, abundant solar energy, and a rich biodiversity. The wide range of climatic conditions, from temperate to tropical, together with advanced capacity in technology development, allowed considerable diversification of agriculture systems, making Brazil an important producer of food, feed, fibers and renewable fuels …. Read More

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Labex Korea Colletion

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt
Labex Korea – The new format of Labex Korea Collection provide our readers more facilities to identify and read the titles of interest without having to go through the entire page. The PDF document includes the TOP10′s for each month. This version includes the articles published in January, February and March. Enjoy

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Embrapa Soils: chicken’s litter turns granular fertilizer

Avicultura Industrial – The first organ mineral biofertilizer phosphate and granulated produced within the project FertBrasil Network, will be presented in May for Brazilian producers. Embrapa Soils, who coordinates the project, developed the product from the compost waste from poultry litter. The technological solution is an alternative for fertilizers, but also a means of reusing waste animal and vegetable origin. The project coordinator, the researcher from Embrapa Soils Vinicius Benites, says the lab and field evaluations are ready, allowing the technology to be transferred. “The South in general has the potential to produce fertilizer for having large production of poultry and pigs.”
The compound is the result of a mixture of minerals with organic matter that allows the plant better assimilates nutrients, prevent soil contamination and water excess chemical elements and restore the vital conditions of the soil. Besides this, Benites said 22 other technologies are in progress, being analyzed in the laboratory. The results begin to appear four years after the beginning of the network, which was established in 2008 as a result of the international economic crisis fertilizer prices soared. “We decided to develop fertilizers in Brazil we need to end dependence on the outside.” The research seeks best practices for improved efficiency, management and implementation, identification of nutrient sources, and technologies to improve fertilizer.

Source and Photo: Avicultura Industrial, April 9th, 2012
Click here to read the article version in Portuguese
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Translate by Gilberto Silber Schmidt

Brazil opens food and farming lab at German research institute

By Barbara Axt
Europe Research – Brazil’s Agricultural Research Corporation Embrapa and Germany’s government have agreed to establish a food and farming laboratory in Germany.
A Brazilian researcher will lead a team of local scientists at the Labex laboratory, based at Germany’s Jülich Research Centre, near Aachen. Their first task will be to investigate plant phenotyping, including plant‐environment interactions and the adaptation of crops to climate change and sustainable use of resources in ecosystems.
Luciano Lourenço Nass, a knowledge‐exchange coordinator at Embrapa, says the Brazilian Labex coordinator will be a connection between researchers and institutions in both countries. “We want to develop other partnerships with Germany in strategic areas such as functional foods and nanotechnology,” he says.
Embrapa is the largest agricultural research organization in Brazil, with more than 8,000 employees. It already has labs in the United States, Korea, China, France and the UK. The Jülich lab will be a branch of Labex Europe, based in Montpellier in France.
As the host institution, the Jülich Research Centre will provide the infrastructure for the new lab whereas Embrapa offers the researchers and funding. “We also offer opportunities for researchers from partner institutions to come to Brazil and develop work that is mutually interesting,” says Nass. “The Labex is a two‐way project.” For Germany, the attractiveness in the partnership lies in accessing developments in Brazil’s agricultural science. Ulrich Schurr, director of the Jülich Institute for Plant Research, said that Brazil’s work on the production of food and feed crops, biofuels and bioenergy is already significantly advanced. “The country will play a key role in a future bioeconomy,” he said in an email.
The research done at Labex is intended to improve the sustainability of Germany’s and Brazil’s agriculture. Both partners said that, in the future, this kind of collaboration could be broadened out.
Germany’s agriculture minister Ilse Aigner and her Brazilian counterpart Mendes Ribeiro Filho signed an agreement on 20 January in Berlin. The collaboration arose from the German‐Brazilian Year of Science and Technology 2010‐11.

Source: Research Europe, February 9th, 2012
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Embrapa uses microorganisms to produce biofuels

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt

EMBRAPA is investing in research to produce biofuels such as second generation ethanol, biodiesel, biogas and other products agroenergetic from microorganisms. Units throughout the country are participating in the initiative. “Within the projects of Embrapa Agroenergy, we have sought to harness the ability of microorganisms’ wild, genetically modified organisms and products generated by it, such as enzymes, for use on different fronts,” said Deputy Head of Research and Development of Embrapa Agroenergy Brasilia, Guy de Capdeville.
Researchers are studying ways to reach biofuels from micro-organisms. The Embrapa Agri Food, located in Rio, will use ethically improved microorganisms’ strains to produce enzymes. Furthemore, it will also test the efficiency for the production of second generation ethanol.
Already Embrapa Environment, in Jaguariúna, São Paulo, has a germplasm bank of microorganisms isolated from various biomes and is selecting bacteria and fungi capable of degrading cellulose. Embrapa Grape and Wine, in Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, is seeking yeasts for fermentation of pentoses and hexoses (sugars with five or six carbon atoms, respectively) in order to produce ethanol.

Source: Biocombustível, March 30th, 2012
Click here to read the version Portuguese of this article
Translated by Gilberto Silber Schmidt
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Brasilian’s Global Agriculture Strategy for Food and the Environment

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt
Labex Korea – Brazilian’s Global Agriculture Strategy for food and the Environment was the theme addressed by Dr Mauricio Lopes the Director Executive of the Brazilian Research Organization – Embrapa, during the 5th Forum for the Future Agriculture (FFA2012) on March 27th, 2012, Brussels. The focus of the presentation was on the challenges of Brazilian agriculture and what is being done in terms of progress towards a tropical agriculture modern and how these advances are being addressed, considering a conservation agriculture. Finally he told about on the new trends in a sustainable crop intensification and the pathways of Brazilian agriculture in the future.

Click here to watch the full presentation (Session I)
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Embrapa News

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt
Labex Korea prepared three interesting themes from Embrapa’s published in March -  Software evaluates potential of irrigation, Soybean’ tastier reaches the market and Embrapa prioritizes “green agriculture“. Click here to download of these articles in PDF file.

Agroenergy in Spotlight

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt

Labex Korea – Labex Korea prepared a summary of publications on the subject Agroenergy recently published in this Blog, in order to make easier for readers to access informations without having to navigate through the Blog …. Click here  to get up the list  ……enjoy

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Giant rice for silage and ethanol production

By Juliana Royo
Embrapa Temperate Climate – Embrapa is developing a variety of rice that has twice the size of the grains conventionally used in food. The so-called giant rice does not meet the industry standards and the Brazilian consumer; however, it may be optimal for the production of ethanol and for animal feed. The giant rice yield is more than 12 tons per hectare, which is almost double that of traditional cultivars, which are between 7.5 tons. In addition to being very productive, it has good agronomic characteristics such as hardiness and good adaptation for rice production areas of Rio Grande do Sul. According to Ariano Magalhães, a researcher at Embrapa Temperate Climate, it is possible to produce 480 liters of ethanol per ton of rice. Meanwhile, the variety was recorded as AB 11047 and, is in compliance with all regulatory requirements to be registered as a commercial cultivar and should reach the crops of farmers in 2014. This bride cultivar is a mean cycle of 126 days, and for now, is being used only in Rio Grande do Sul.
Advantage for silage: The prospect of using rice in animal feed is because the grain is larger. Thus, we can use the endosperm, which is the inside of the rice, with greater use, without damaging the digestive tract of the animals because the rice husk may cause some injuries. With the grain is larger, the shell itself is not as efficient and provides better efficiency on feed, according Magalhães.

“Portuguese Version”           “Labex Korea Twitter”

Source : Portal Dia de Campo, March 17th, 2012
Photo Credit: Embrapa Temperate Climate