Browsing by Author "Carvalho, Ana"
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- Assessing the Effect of Plant Biostimulants and Nutrient-Rich Foliar Sprays on Walnut Nucleolar Activity and Protein Content (Juglans regia L.)Publication . Roque, João; Carvalho, Ana; Rodrigues, M.A.; Correia, Carlos M.; Lima-Brito, JoséThe cultivation of walnuts (Juglans regia L.) has become increasingly popular worldwide due to the nutritional value of the nuts. Plant biostimulants (PBs) and nutrient-rich products have been increasingly used in agriculture to improve yield, quality, and abiotic stress tolerance. However, farmers need fast laboratory studies to determine the most suitable treatment per crop or ecosystem to take full advantage of these products. Evaluating nucleolar activity and protein content can provide clues about the most appropriate treatment. This study aimed to determine how five commercial products, four PBs based on seaweed extract and/or free amino acids and one boron-enriched fertiliser used as foliar sprays, affect walnut cv's nucleolar activity and protein content. "Franquette" from an orchard located in NE Portugal was compared to untreated (control) plants. All treatments brought a low leaf mitotic index. The control showed the smallest nucleolar area, highest protein content, and highest frequency of nucleolar irregularities. Fitoalgas Green (R), Sprint Plus (R), and Tradebor (R) showed the highest nucleolar area and lowest frequencies of nucleolar irregularities. The recruitment of proteins/enzymes for response against abiotic stresses may explain the high protein content in the control. Hence, the enhanced abiotic stress tolerance of the treated trees explains their lower protein content and frequency of nucleolar anomalies. Globally, the Fitoalgas Green (R), Sprint Plus (R), and Tradebor (R) seem better suited for "Franquette" walnut trees under the edaphoclimatic conditions where trials were conducted.
- Cytogenetic and molecular characterization of almond trees treated with plant biostimulants or boron-based fertilizersPublication . Esteves, Ana; Carvalho, Ana; Roque, J.; Rodrigues, M.A.; Correia, Carlos M.; Lima-Brito, JoséAlmond is highly produced in the NE of Portugal, where late frosts during flowering, low precipitation, and high tempera- ture in summer affect productivity and quality. Despite the use of late-flowering cultivars, plant biostimulants (PBs) and boron-based fertilizers can also be used to improve cell division, vegetative growth, photoassimilates rate, and nutritional status. PBs are widely used in some food crops, but the evaluation of their effects is still scarce. We treated three-year- old almond trees of cv. ‘Vairo,’ growing in a rainfed orchard in the NE of Portugal, with four individual treatments: two PBs (based on seaweed extract and free amino acids) and two boron-based fertilizers (applied on soil and leaves). Three monthly applications of seaweed extract (AN), free amino acids (AA), and boron ethanolamine (BE) were made. A single application of boron on the soil (BS) was made. Leaf samples were collected in treated and untreated (control) trees in cytogenetic and molecular analyses through the summer of 2019. The mitotic cell cycle analysis was performed to prepare mesophyll dividing cells stained with silver nitrate, and the molecular stability was assessed with five marker systems. This work aimed to extrapolate which individual treatment conferred higher mitotic cell cycle regularity and molecular stability. The cytogenetic and molecular data achieved in the cv. ‘Vairo,’ under the edaphoclimatic conditions studied, revealed that the individual treatments AA, BE, or BS induced higher leaf mitotic indexes, regular mitosis, and molecular stability, which might increase the photosynthetic area and production.
- Genomic Template Stability assessed in almond trees of cv. ‘Vairo’ treated with biostimulants and boron-based fertilizersPublication . Carvalho, Ana; Esteves, Ana; Roque, J.; Rodrigues, M.A.; Correia, Carlos M.; Lima-Brito, JoséAlmond is highly produced in the NE of Portugal, where late frosts during flowering, low precipitation, and high temperature in summer affect productivity and quality. In addition to late-flowering cultivars, plant biostimulants (PBs) and boron-based fertilizers have been used to improve cell division, vegetative growth, photoassimilates rate, and nutritional status of almond trees. Despite the wide use of PBs in multiple food crops, the scientific evaluation of their effects is scarce. Our team previously analyzed the effects of PBs and boron-based fertilizers in the mitotic cell cycle of almonds and verified the intensification of cell division without significant anomalies. This work focused on the molecular characterization of three-years-old almond trees of cv. ‘Vairo’ was treated with two PBs (based on seaweed extract and free amino acids) and two boron-based fertilizers (applied on soil and leaves) in a rainfed orchard (NE Portugal) using leaf samples collected through the summer of 2019 in treated trees. Three monthly applications of individual PBs based on seaweed extract (AN), amino acids (AA), and boron ethanolamine (BE) and a unique application of boron on the soil (BS) were made. The molecular stability was assayed by comparing with untreated trees using ISSR, RAPD, IRAP, REMAP, and iPBS markers. The molecular data achieved in ‘Vairo,’ under the edaphoclimatic conditions where it was studied, revealed that AA, BE, or BS treatments induced higher molecular stability, corroborating our previous cytogenetic results.
- Physical activity and dietary habits in portuguese college studentsPublication . Carvalho, Ana; Correia, Carina; Carvalho, Denise Andreia Mota; Carvalho, Helena; Amaral, Sofia; Fernandes, Paula Odete; Ferro-Lebres, VeraThe present study aimed to investigate the association between time spent on the practice of physical activity and dietary habits in college students. This is a transversal and correlational study, which has a sample of 121 students aged between 18 and 28 years old. Data were collected through three questionnaires, socio-demographic, time management and food diary; the latter two were fi lled for 3 days. Subsequently, a descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was used. To investigate the association between time spent on the practice of physical activity and dietary habits in college students we used the test of Spearman correlation and Kendall´s test, assuming a confidence interval of 95%. 81.8% of the sample were female and 18.2% male. About the practice of physical activity it was found that 21% were sedentary/low active and 79% active/very active. From the active/very active students 88,5% revealed a non-recommended intake of fat and all of the sedentary/low active students presented a non-recommended consumption of protein. From the present results it can be concluded that dietary habits are not correlated with time spent on physical activity. Such as this study,Ottevaere et al. (2011) concluded that no statistical differences were found in energy intake between the levels of physical activity but they observed an inverse association between the consumption of cereal and physical activity level. Many studies observed positive associations between the consumption of fi ber and protein and physical activity level. These results are in discrepancy with our findings. So, it is noteworthy that longitudinal studies are necessary to examine the energy balance among these students to obtain more accurate conclusions.
- Programa PéAtivo: promoção da saúde pré-escolar. atividade física e lancheiras saudáveisPublication . Vasques, Catarina; Carvalho, Ana; Magalhães, PedroA Promoção e Educação para a Saúde (PES) em meio escolar é um processo contínuo que visa o desenvolvimento de competências das crianças, permitindo-lhes confrontarem-se positivamente consigo próprios e serem capazes de fazer escolhas individuais, conscientes e responsáveis. A PES tem também, como missão criar ambientes facilitadores dessas escolhas e estimular o espírito crítico para o exercício de uma cidadania ativa. Deste modo, o Programa PéAtivo visa sensibilizar as crianças, os pais/encarregados de educação (EncEd) e demais comunidade educativa para a importância de um estilo de vida promotor de saúde, através da realização de 2 deslocações/semana a pé para o Jardimde-infância (JI), 2 sessões/semana lúdicomotoras e 1 reunião mensal com os EncEd. Este programa está implementado nos JI de todos os agrupamentos de escolas da cidade de Bragança, envolvendo um total de 204 crianças com idades entre os 4 e os 5 anos. Estão a ser avaliados os níveis de atividade física das crianças (pedómetro New-Lifestyles NL-2000) e calculado o valor nutricional dos lanches com recurso ao registo fotográfico (lanches manhã/tarde). Pretende-se assim, estudar o efeito da intervenção nos níveis de atividade física das crianças e no valor nutricional dos lanches que as crianças levam para o JI.