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> ***[Labex News]{.smallcaps}***

### Vehicle of Information from Embrapa / Labex-USA

> August- September, 2004 Year 2 -- Number 3 Bimonthly Publication

# [Introduction]{.smallcaps}

Themes converge in strategic studies conducted out to the year 2020 by
the majority of research and development institutions. Among these
themes, public and private sectors are brought closer together through
the repeated innovation process, which then calls for well-defined roles
of each sector and transparent procedures. Over time, society has come
to understand the importance of science and has developed an
appreciation for it. This makes it necessary to take into consideration
that new accomplishments in science have a societal impact and must
follow the principles of sustainability as well as promotion of regional
development.

Nanotechnology, biotechnology, remote sensing, food safety, and
renewable energy sources are central areas of research efforts of the
future in areas of agricultural production and forestry, both in
developed and developing countries alike. In order to follow the
scientific advances, it is necessary to enhance cooperation and exchange
of knowledge among the centers of excellence throughout the world. Thus,
Labex was designed by Embrapa as an instrument to facilitate this kind
of interaction, promoting improvements to these industries as a whole.

In conclusion, the research units of Embrapa are in the process of
finalizing their strategic plans. This provides an opportunity to
discuss the inclusion of these research areas as part of the mission of
each Embrapa research unit, providing guidance and renewed focus to the
future of their work.

Pedro Arraes -- Coordinator of Labex/USA

[Visits of Labex]{.smallcaps}

*Marcio de Miranda Santos*, Executive Director of the Brazilian Center
of Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE), visited Labex in August and
discussed the possibility of an exchange of information between CGEE and
Labex. Because the two institutions have prioritized several common
strategic areas, this partnership has the potential to be very
productive.

In August, *Antonio Ramalho Filho*, a researcher at Embrapa Soils,
visited the Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, CO, to gather information
about a land classification system for irrigation, which was developed
at the bureau. The trip, funded by an Embrapa project financed by
CODEVASF, also has the goal to explore solutions to soil problems
prevalent in irrigated areas in northeast Brazil, mainly soil drainage
under crop irrigation. The portion of the trip arranged by Labex gave
Dr. Ramalho the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with Dr.
Dale A. Bucks, National Program Leader for Water Quality and Water
Management and with researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Natural Resource and Conservation Service regarding potential technical
cooperation with Embrapa. This cooperation would focus on black soils of
the indigenous Amazon, which has been of great interest among several
countries, including Germany, Holland, and U. S.

*Heitor L. C. Coutinho*, a researcher at Embrapa Soils with a degree in
Agronomy and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, visited ARS in Beltsville,
MD, on August 19, 2004, to present a seminar entitled, "Monitoring Land
Degradation Processes in Brazilian Agricultural Landscapes." He also met
with Dr. Gregory McCarty and Dr. Jeffrey Ritchie to discuss possible
cooperation in field erosion monitoring processes. ARS has developed and
successfully implemented monitoring techniques based on the use of
isotopic markers to study sediment deposition in watersheds. Embrapa
Soils has designed a complimentary multi-scale research framework to
monitor erosion processes in watersheds based on the use of remote
sensing, hydrosedimentologic monitoring, and soil quality indicators.
There are promising possibilities for cooperation in this area. Dr.
Coutinho traveled to the U.S. through an invitation by the American
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to participate in a
review panel for proposals to this year's Canon National Park Science
Scholar Program. He also visited the Environmental Sciences Department
at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, which works in
partnership with Embrapa Soils on an international project studying the
social and biophysical drivers and impacts of land use change in the
Plata River Basin in South America.

From July 31 to August 20, 2004, *Harry Schomberg*, an ARS scientist at
the J. Phil Campbell, Sr. Natural Resource Conservation Center, in
Watkinsville, GA, visited research fellows at the Federal University of
Paraná in Curitiba, PR, the Embrapa-Wheat Research Center in Passo
Fundo, RS, and the Embrapa-Agrobiology Research Center in Seropèdica,
RJ. According to Dr. Schomberg, the combination of animal and crop
production is a viable option to improve profitability in the southern
region of the U.S., similar to production in the south of Brazil.
Sharing of information, research approaches, and expertise among
scientists from these regions could be an enriching strategy. As a
result from the visits and discussions, potential areas were identified
for future technical collaboration. Interactions could be developed in
forage variety evaluations, nutrient cycling, water and air quality,
soil biology, biological control of pests, grazing management, cattle
influences on soil physical, chemical and biological properties, and
system economics. In addition to the cropping and grazing systems
research, potential linkages were identified in the area of organic
agriculture. Dr. Schomberg said he was very impressed "by the research
being conducted at each of the locations and the willingness of everyone
to share their knowledge and vision of the potential benefits of mixed
cropping and grazing systems." Host scientists were Dr. Antonio Motta
and Dr. Anibal de Moraes (Federal University of Paraná), Dr. Sirio
Wiethölter (Embrapa - Wheat), and Drs. Ivo and Vera Baldani (Embrapa -
Agrobiology). Increased opportunities for researchers from both
countries to spend time overseas for 3 to 6 months would be useful to
strengthen these interactions. A more detailed report of the trip was
provided to the Office of International Research Programs at ARS who
funded the trip as part of International Scientific Enhancement Program
(ISEP).

**[Cooperation between ARS and Embrapa on Methods of Soil
Analyses]{.smallcaps}**

*James B. Reeves III* of the Animal Manure and By-Products Laboratory at
ARS' Animal and Natural Resources Institute located in Beltsville, MD,
spent 3 weeks (June 4-25, 2004) at Embrapa Soils, in Rio de Janeiro. He
worked with researcher Beata Madari on calibration methods based on NIR
and MIR (infrared) spectroscopy for soil carbon analysis using soil
samples of the National Soil Collection of Embrapa. During his stay, Dr.
Reeves delivered a seminar entitled, "The potential of spectroscopic
methods for rapid soil analysis - qualitative and quantitative analysis
using infrared spectroscopy (NIR and MIR)." On the same occasion,
Helvécio De-Polli, Embrapa Soils scientist and former Labex participant,
delivered a seminar on \"Global climate changes and research in soil
science.\" *Gregory McCarty*, from the Environmental Quality Laboratory
(Beltsville, MD) also visited Embrapa Soils (June 19-27, 2004) and gave
a seminar on the \"Impact of sedimentation on wetland carbon
sequestration in an agricultural watershed.\" These two scientists
visited Embrapa Soils as part of an ongoing collaboration project
between Embrapa, Labex-USA, and the ARS Beltsville laboratories,
entitled "Adaptation and evaluation of alternative methods for carbon
analysis in tropical soils." They identified several areas for further
collaboration such as testing the use of NIR and MIR spectroscopy for
other soil analysis and the use of chronological markers (137Cs, 210Pb
and 14C) to estimate soil erosion and carbon sequestration rates in
Brazilian agricultural ecosystems.

[Cooperation between ARS and Embrapa on Satellite Image
Processing]{.smallcaps}

*Edson Eyji Sano*, a researcher from Embrapa Cerrados, and *Angelica
Giarolla*, a researcher from the Brazilian Space Research Institute
(INPE), visited the ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory in
Beltsville, MD, in September, under the supervision of Dr. Thomas J.
Jackson. The purpose of this visit was to process radar images acquired
by the Aqua Satellite from central Brazil, as part of the research
project named Soil Moisture Experiment of 2003 in Brazil (SMEX03
Brazil). This research has been developed through technical cooperation
between the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) and NASA, with support of the
Labex/EUA. It aims to calibrate data of the Aqua/AMSR sensor (Advanced
Microwave Sensing Radiometer) to estimate soil moisture over the
Brazilian tropical savanna.

**[Cooperation between ARS and Embrapa on Reproductive
Biotechnologies]{.smallcaps}**

At the Biotechnology & Germplasm Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, Embrapa
Dairy Cattle scientist, Luiz Sergio de Almeida Camargo, under the
supervision of ARS scientist, Dr. Robert J. Wall, evaluated the
expression of several developmentally important genes in bovine embryos
produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) or *in vitro*
fertilization (IVF). In the past, fetus and neonates produced by both
techniques have shown phenotypic anomalies, including abortions and
perinatal death. The reduced viability of embryos produced by these
methods may be associated with alterations in gene expression during
early embryo development. In this research, RNA was amplified in
individual embryos followed by gene expression quantification by Real
Time PCR. Gene expression was measured in single 8-cell and blastocyst
stage bovine embryos. IVF and SCNT gene expression was similar, but
generally reduced in magnitude compared to expression of in vivo derived
embryos.

These results support the notion that gene expression of embryos
produced *in vitro* is altered when compared with the expression of
embryos obtained *in vitro*. The altered pattern of expression might be
a strategy to improve survival in culture. To identify gene expression
differences that may account for developmental differences in IVF and
SCNT produced fetuses and neonates, it is necessary to conduct research
at later developmental stages. The RNA amplification approach adopted in
this experiment can be used to produce cDNA libraries from single
pre-implantation embryos to identify patterns in gene expression, which
may provide new insights for improving *in vitro* embryo conditions,
thus potentially increasing the likelihood of producing healthier
animals.

This interaction between Embrapa and the Biotechnology & Germplasm
Laboratory will foster further collaborations of mutual interest in
reproductive biotechnologies. This research was supported by CAPES
Foundation, ARS, and Embrapa and is part of Luiz Sergio´s PhD thesis
work.

**[Collaboration between ARS and Embrapa in Common Beans]{.smallcaps}**

Soybean rust is caused by two different fungal species. One is
*Phakopsora pachyrhizi*, which is very aggressive and can cause severe
damage and significant yield losses on soybeans. The other species is
*P. meibomiae* that usually causes mild symptoms on soybeans.

Unlike other rust pathogens, *P*. *Pachyrhizi* and *P. meibomiae* infect
a very broad range of plant species, including common beans (*Phaseolus
vulgaris*). It has been reported that this plant species is a natural
host to both of these pathogens. It is known that some common bean
cultivars, such as red kidney beans, are very susceptible to *P.
meibomiae.* Similarly, some dry bean cultivars appear to be very
susceptible to *P. pachyrhizi*, at least under greenhouse conditions.
There is no published data showing the reaction of common bean cultivars
to *P*. *Pachyrhizi* and whether this pathogen could be an economic
threat to common bean production in general or to only some specific
cultivars. The purpose of this research is to determine the reaction of
some important bean cultivars grown in Brazil and the U.S. to *P.
pachyrhizi*, the Asian rust pathogen, under field conditions in Brazil.
This study is being conducted through collaboration between the ARS
Vegetable Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, and Embrapa Rice and Bean Center
in Goiânia, Brazil.

**Highlights**

In order to facilitate the request for Brazilian germplasm from ARS
researchers, Labex-USA can facilitate the process, centralizing all
requests and transferring them to the designated Brazilian authorities.
The objective is to make sure the requesting processes go through the
right channels in both the Brazilian and U.S. governments, increasing
efficiency and also providing the identification of possible research
collaborations, which may provide mutual benefits.

Embrapa is making an effort to integrate research centers, such as ARS
and several Brazilian and U.S. universities (University of Sao Paulo,
Federal University of Viçosa, University of California, and Michigan
State University) to develop, adapt, and integrate mathematical models,
which allow the management of production systems of beef cattle. The
general goal of the project is to provide a better evaluation of beef
cattle production systems and to promote rapid and more precise
interventions in these systems. The mathematical models developed will
provide the necessary tools to improve farm and regional planning. It is
also expected that this initiative will promote the development of
specific software to systematize the methods of evaluation of beef
cattle production.

**[New Labex Researchers]{.smallcaps}**

*José Renaldi Feitosa Brito*, Veterinarian (UFRPE, 1972) MSc (Instituto
de Microbiologia, UFRJ; Rio de Janeiro, 1977) PhD (University of
Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom; 1989). Research activities at Embrapa
since 1974: Embrapa Swine and Poultry (1977-1992); Embrapa Dairy Cattle
from 1993 to date.

In the last 10 years, his research activities have been in the area of
microbiology of mammary glands, with emphasis on human and animal
pathogens. The work at Labex will focus on the study of pathogens linked
to consumption of milk and dairy products and the development of
microbial and molecular tools useful to epidemiological studies.
Surveillance and traceability will also be part of the this research as
well as the comparison of strains isolated from similar products from
several regions of Brazil and U.S. Part of his activities will examine
how animal health issues affect the quality and safety of animal
products.

*Sirio Wietholter* from the Embrapa Wheat Center will spend 6 months at
Southern Piedmont Conservation Research Center in Watkinsville, GA, to
investigate the applicability of nitrogen models in reduced or no
tillage systems applicable to both the U.S. and Brazil. The ARS research
counterpart on this study is Dr. Harry Schomberg.

**Coordinator:**

Pedro Antonio Arraes Pereira

paa[\@nps.ars.usda.gov](mailto:airdem.assis@nps.ars.usda.gov)

**ARS Counterpart:**

Gretchen Flanley (OIRP)

gef[\@ars.usda.gov]{.underline}

Bimonthly Informative of Labex-USA (www.embrapa.br/labex)

Editorial: Pedro Antônio Arraes Pereira

Translation: Noris Regina de Almeida Vieira

Production: Área de Comunicação Empresarial (ACE) -- Embrapa Arroz e
Feijão

Printed: Labex-USA

Circulation: 500 (in Portuguese and English Languages)

Labex mission is to promote opportunities for institutional cooperation
in agricultural research and to monitor advances, trends and activities
of interest for the agribusiness of partner countries

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