Search Results (3)

The tropical house cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus) can convert organic diets formulated from weeds and agro by-products into high-quality biomass. This study assessed the potential of diets developed from weeds and agro by-products as a feed source for G. sigillatus. We compared the development and nutritional value of crickets fed these alternative diets with control crickets fed chicken feed. Ten different diets with varying protein contents were used, including chicken feed (Control) with a protein content of 215 g/Kg dry matter (DM) basis), Cassava–Sugar Diet (250 g/Kg DM protein) Desmodium–Bran Diet (245 g/Kg DM protein), Morning Glory–Bean Diet (240 g/Kg DM protein), Morning Glory–Cassava Diet (235 g/Kg DM protein), Morning Glory–Cowpea Diet (225 g/Kg DM protein), Mixed Weed–Bran Diet (Optimal) (215 g/Kg DM protein) Cassava–Gallant Soldier Diet (200 g/Kg DM protein), Wheat–Bran Diet (145 g/Kg DM protein), and Maize–Cassava Diet (135 g/Kg DM protein). The weight and length of the crickets were measured for 9 weeks from day 1 after hatching to day 56. Then, the crickets were harvested and analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, fat, ash, fiber, minerals, and fatty acid composition. Cricket developmental time, survival rate, weight and length, yield, proximate components, and mineral and fatty acids differed depending on the diet provided. The Mixed Weed–Bran Diet (Optimal) resulted in the crickets developing faster (48.8 days), with a higher survival rate (88.1%), greater adult length (19.2 cm) and weight (0.44 g), and a nutrition content richer in minerals and unsaturated fatty acids when compared to other treatments. Oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids were the major fatty acids. The highest protein content (64.4 g/100 g) was observed in the Mixed Weed–Bran Diet (Optimal) and Morning Glory–Cassava Diet treatments, while the Maize–Cassava Diet treatment crickets possessed the highest quantities of fats (19.1 g/100 g) and ash (15.4 g/100 g). The fatty acid profile of G. sigillatus revealed the cricket to have high unsaturated fatty acids except in crickets fed Morning Glory–Cowpea Diet and Wheat–Bran Diet. Generally, G. sigillatus grew best and had the most nutritious body composition on the Mixed Weed–Bran Diet (Optimal). The findings indicate that diets developed from weeds and agro by-products have great potential to be used as an alternative feed source for crickets and are capable of replacing expensive chicken feed, enhancing the circular farming potential of insect farming. Full article

Herbicides applied in PRE-emergence enables sustainable weed control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the control of gallant soldier (Galinsoga parviflora) with the residual herbicides oxyfluorfen, flumioxazin, and linuron in soils cultivated with garlic from two regions of Brazil: Rio Paranaíba-MG (Oxisol) and Curitibanos-SC (Ultisol). The efficiency of the herbicides was evaluated at the following doses: oxyfluorfen (0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, 192, 384, and 768 g a.i. ha⁻¹), flumioxazin (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 15, 30, 40, 60, and 120 g a.i. ha⁻¹), and linuron (0, 30, 40, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 2430 g a.i. ha⁻¹). The degree of damage on the 7th, 14th, and 21st day after emergence (DAE) and dry matter on the 21st day after emergence (DAE) were determined to evaluate the control (C₈₀) and the growth reduction (GR₈₀) of 80% of the plant, respectively, compared to the treatment without herbicide. Three herbicides were effective at the control of G. parviflora, with the C₈₀ at 21 DAE on Ultisol being 81.82, 4.59, and 141.26 g a.i. ha⁻¹, and a GR₈₀ of 61, 8.3, and 151.3 g a.i. ha⁻¹ for oxyfluorfen, flumioxazin, and linuron, respectively. On the other hand, on Oxisol (lower clay content and soil organic matter), the doses were lower, with the C₈₀ at 21 DAE at 20.85, 3.50, and 118 g a.i. ha⁻¹, and a GR₈₀ of 54, 4.03, and 101.23 g a.i. ha⁻¹, respectively. This weed showed higher control under flumioxazin compared to the other herbicides in both soils. The use of low doses of residual herbicides contributes to sustainable weed control in garlic growing in the field. Full article

The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a hydroalcoholic extract from Galinsoga parviflora herb (GP) in some aspects of the endothelial cell function necessary for anti-inflammatory activity and wound healing and relate these to the GP phytochemical profile. This study demonstrated that the GP extract caused a dose-dependent reduction of IL-6 secretion on IL-1β-stimulated endothelial cells. The IL-6 release was decreased to 33% ± 9% while this did not influence the IL-6 secretion without stimulation. Additionally, the GP extract exhibited an anti-hyaluronidase activity (IC₅₀ = 0.47 mg/mL), which was evidently stronger than the positive control kaempferol (IC₅₀ = 0.78 mg/mL) as well as a moderate and concentration-dependent, antioxidant activity. The results of the scratch assay showed that exposure of the endothelial cells to GP induced complete healing of the damage after 12 h of the study. The phytochemical profile of the extract was studied by using spectrophotometric (total amount of polyphenols and flavonoids) and UPLC (phenolic acids) methods. The main compound in the GP extract was a chlorogenic acid (2.00 ± 0.01 mg/g by UPLC). The total content of polyphenols was 98.30 ± 0.14 mg of chlorogenic acid equivalent/g of the dry herb and content of flavonoids amounted to 6.15 ± 0.41 mg quercetin equivalent/g of the dry herb. Moreover, the presence of flavonoids in G. parviflora was provided after their isolation and identification by spectroscopic methods. In conclusion, it demonstrated that application of GP in the treatment of skin lesions gives possibility of wound healing based on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hyaluronidase-inhibiting activities of G. parviflora herb extract. Full article