This study evaluated the effects of capsaicin (CAP) supplementation on the intake, nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation, nitrogen balance, microbial protein synthesis and health traits of bulls managed on pasture. Eight crossbred (Holstein x Zebu) cattle averaging 313 ± 31 kg of body weight (BW) were arranged in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design (one square of four bulls, rumen fistulated with 4-inch silicone cannulas and one square of four non-fistulated bulls), which were kept on Pangola grass pasture (Digitaria decumbens). Each experimental period consisted of 21 days, with 7 days for data collection (no washout between periods). Bulls were randomly assigned to the following treatments: CON (control): concentrate supplementation at 0.5% live weight (BW) and no additive (CAPCIN®), or concentrate supplementation at 0.5% BW in association with CAPCIN® (NutriQuest, Campinas, Brazil) fed at the inclusion rates of 150 (CAP150), 300 (CAP300) and 450 (CAP450) mg/animal/day. Digestibilities of dry matter, organic matter and neutral detergent fibre showed quadratic responses to CAP supplementation. Rumen pH linearly increased with CAP supplementation. The numbers of lymphocytes and eosinophils were linearly increased with CAP supplementation. The use of encapsulated pepper in supplements of crossbred (Holstein x Zebu) bulls managed on D. decumbens pasture up to 450 mg/animal/day improves nutrients digestibility and ruminal fermentation and can positively influence the health status of beef cattle managed under tropical conditions.

Sucrose yield in sugarcane is a complex process regulated by both environmental and endogenous factors. However, the metabolic balance driving vegetative growth and sucrose accumulation remains poorly understood. Herein, we carried out a comprehensive assessment of carbohydrate dynamics throughout the crop cycle in two sugarcane varieties varying in biomass production, evaluating the carbon metabolism in both leaves and stalks. Our data revealed that the decline in photosynthetic rates during sugarcane maturation is associated not only to accumulation of sugars in leaves but also due to stomatal and non-stomatal limitations. We found that metabolic processes in leaves and stalks were intrinsically linked. While IACSP94-2094 had higher stalk sucrose concentration than IACSP95-5000, this latter produced more biomass. Compared to IACSP95-5000, IACSP94-2094 showed higher sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activity in leaves and stalks, along with lower soluble acid invertase (SAI) activity in leaves during the maximum growth stage. Interestingly, IACSP94-2094 also exhibited higher stalk SPS activity and lower stalk SAI activity than IACSP95-5000 during maturation. High biomass production by IACSP95-5000 was associated with higher sucrose synthase (SuSy) and SAI activity in leaves and higher SuSy and soluble neutral invertase (SNI) activity in stalks when compared to IACSP94-2094 during the maximum growth. Despite the contrasting strategies, both varieties displayed similar total sucrose yield, a balance between sucrose concentration and biomass production. This phenomenon implies the presence of a compensatory mechanism in sugarcane, with high biomass production compensating low sucrose accumulation and vice versa.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) were at increased risk for mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, with prior data suggesting women may be particularly vulnerable. Our global mental health study aimed to examine factors associated with gender differences in psychological distress and depressive symptoms among HCWs during COVID-19. Across 22 countries in South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, 32,410 HCWs participated in the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study between March 2020 and February 2021. They completed the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and questions about pandemic-relevant exposures. Consistently across countries, women reported elevated mental health problems compared to men. Women also reported increased COVID-19-relevant stressors, including insufficient personal protective equipment and less support from colleagues, while men reported increased contact with COVID-19 patients. At the country level, HCWs in countries with higher gender inequality reported less mental health problems. Higher COVID-19 mortality rates were associated with increased psychological distress merely among women. Our findings suggest that among HCWs, women may have been disproportionately exposed to COVID-19-relevant stressors at the individual and country level. This highlights the importance of considering gender in emergency response efforts to safeguard women’s well-being and ensure healthcare system preparedness during future public health crises.

Different fertilization strategies can be adopted to optimize the productive components of an integrated crop–livestock systems. The current research evaluated how the application of P and K to soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) or Urochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) R. D. Webster cv. BRS Piatã associated with nitrogen or without nitrogen in the pasture phase affects the accumulation and chemical composition of forage and animal productivity. The treatments were distributed in randomized blocks with three replications. Four fertilization strategies were tested: (1) conventional fertilization with P and K in the crop phase (CF–N); (2) conventional fertilization with nitrogen in the pasture phase (CF + N); (3) system fertilization with P and K in the pasture phase (SF–N); (4) system fertilization with nitrogen in the pasture phase (SF + N). System fertilization increased forage accumulation from 15 710 to 20 920 kg DM ha/year compared to conventional without nitrogen. Stocking rate (3.1 vs. 2.8 AU/ha; SEM = 0.12) and gain per area (458 vs. 413 kg BW/ha; SEM = 27.9) were higher in the SF–N than CF–N, although the average daily gain was lower (0.754 vs. 0.792 kg LW/day; SEM = 0.071). N application in the pasture phase, both, conventional and system fertilization resulted in higher crude protein, stocking rate and gain per area. Applying nitrogen and relocate P and K from crop to pasture phase increase animal productivity and improve forage chemical composition in integrated crop–livestock system.

In tropical regions, water stress is one of the main causes of the reduction in forage productivity, and irrigation strategies can mitigate the problem, especially for highly productive species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of irrigation, genotype and plant size on productive responses and water use efficiency (WUE) of elephant grass (Cenchrus purpureus [Schumach.] Morrone), in the rainy and dry season. The experimental design was randomized in blocks, arranged in split plots, the main plots were established based on the use of irrigation and the subplots were the tall-sized genotypes (IRI 381 and Elephant B) and dwarfs (Taiwan A-146 2.37 and Mott). The genotypes were evaluated for two years and harvested every 60 days. Water use efficiency, total forage accumulation per year and harvest, forage accumulation rate and forage density were evaluated. There was a significant difference between the genotypes in terms of total forage accumulated (P < 0.05). The most productive genotype was IRI 381, which showed the greatest total forage accumulation (42 168 kg of DM/ha in two years) in the irrigated plots. During the rainy seasons, IRI 381 stood out in terms of forage accumulated (24 667 kg of DM/ha). Irrigation favoured increases in forage accumulation around 60%, in both years of evaluation. Irrigation and plant size influenced the productivity and WUE of elephant grass harvested in 60-day intervals. Tall genotypes and Taiwan A-146 2.37 (dwarf size) stood out in most of the productive traits analysed, while Mott was highlighted by its forage density.

Preantral to early antral follicles transition is a complex process regulated by endocrine and paracrine factors, as well as by a precise interaction among oocyte, granulosa cells and theca cells. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate this step of folliculogenesis is important to improve in vitro culture systems, and opens new perspectives to use oocytes from preantral follicles for assisted reproductive technologies. Therefore, this review aims to discuss the endocrine and paracrine mechanisms that control granulosa cell proliferation and differentiation, formation of the antral cavity, estradiol production, atresia, and follicular fluid production during the transition from preantral to early antral follicles. The strategies that promote in vitro growth of preantral follicles are also discussed.

Soybean production contributes to ca. 60% of global plant-based protein used for food and feed. Brazil is the largest soybean producer and exporter, with 60% from tropical and 40% from subtropical environments. Nitrogen (N) can play an essential role in the storage of proteins in seeds; thus, it could be a key factor in increasing the quantity and quality of seeds in high-yielding soybean crops. Unlike in temperate environments, there is a gap of knowledge on whether soybean grown under tropical and subtropical climates are limited by N-fertilization to sustain the seed yield increase without detriments in seed protein concentration. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of N-fertilization on soybean seed yield, protein and oil concentrations in tropical and subtropical environments in Brazil, thus contributing to agricultural intensification procedures and food security studies. Two levels of N-fertilization (0 and 1000 ka/ha) were tested across 11 tropical or subtropical environments. The range of latitudes explored here was from 12°S to 29°S, representing the major soybean-producing regions in Brazil either under rainfed or irrigated conditions. We found that seed yield responses to N-fertilization were significant (in some environments under rainfed with an average increase of 7%) or not significant (in irrigated). Seed protein increases due to improved N-fertilization (on average 4% for irrigated and 12% for rainfed conditions) were much higher than previous reports from temperate environments. Regardless of N supply and water deficit, there was a trend of seed protein and oil concentration increasing toward lower latitudes.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the radiation use efficiency (RUE) and canopy structure of elephant grass varieties (Cenchrus purpureus Schum.) of contrasting statures, under monocropping or intercropped with butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) in cut-and-carry systems. Two tall varieties (elephant B and IRI-381), and two dwarf ones (Mott and Taiwan A-146 2.37), were evaluated as monocrops or binary intercrops with the legume in a 2-year trial with eight harvests. Greater annual leaf biomass accumulation was observed in the monocrops of the tall variety elephant B (7.76 t/ha per year) and dwarf Mott (8.08 t/ha per year). Greater herbage bulk density (59 kg/ha per cm) and leaf area index (3.83) were recorded in canopies of dwarf Mott than in those composed of IRI-381 (37 kg/ha per cm and 3.48, respectively). In the first year, dwarf varieties Mott and Taiwan A-146 2.37 showed less RUE (0.89 and 0.84 g dry matter (DM)/MJ, respectively) than the elephant B (1.46 g DM/MJ). Higher non-fibre carbohydrate (NFC) contents were found in dwarf Mott under monocrop (180 g/kg) and in the intercrop systems. Tall varieties elephant B and IRI-381 showed greater efficiency in intercepting the radiation to accumulate herbage via stem accumulation. Dwarf Mott variety exhibited short stems and great leaf biomass accumulation that favoured denser canopies with higher content of NFCs in vegetal tissue. Planting butterfly pea into rows of elephant grass varieties can be adopted with no significant losses in RUE caused by light extinction, regardless of the grass stature.

The home-field advantage (HFA) hypothesis establishes that plant litter decomposes faster at ‘home’ sites than in ‘away’ sites due to more specialized decomposers acting at home sites. This hypothesis has predominantly been tested through ‘yes or no’ transplanting experiments, where the litter decomposition of a focal species is quantified near and away from their conspecifics. Herein, we evaluated the occurrence and magnitude of home-field effects on the leaf litter decomposition of Myrcia ramuliflora (O.Berg) N. Silveira (Myrtaceae) along a natural gradient of conspecific litterfall input and also if home-field effects are affected by litter and soil traits. Litter decomposition of M. ramuliflora was assessed through litterbags placed in 39 plots in a tropical heath vegetation over a period of 12 months. We also characterized abiotic factors, litter layer traits, and litter diversity. Our results indicated the occurrence of positive (i.e. Home-field advantage) and negative (i.e. Home-field disadvantage) effects in more than half of the plots. Positive and negative effects occurred in a similar frequency and magnitude. Among all predictors tested, only the community weighted mean C/N ratio of the litterfall input was associated with home-field effects. Our results reinforce the lack of generality for home-field effects found in the literature and thus challenge the understanding of litter-decomposer interaction in tropical ecosystems.

The objective of this study was to describe and explain the effect of adding corn meal (CM) on losses, fermentation characteristics and nutritional value of silages from two elephant grass [Cenchrus purpureus (Schumach.) Morrone] genotypes (Taiwan A-146 2.37 and IRI-381) mixed with butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) legume. The forage was harvested at 75 days of regrowth from elephant grass plots intercropped with butterfly pea legume and ensiled with or without CM at 5% of dry matter (DM) content. Greater gas losses (12 g/kg) and pH (4.2) were observed in the Taiwan A-146 2.37 + butterfly pea silages. The greatest crude protein content was observed in the ‘Taiwan A-146 2.37’ + butterfly pea silage added with CM (116 g/kg). Silages with additive and those containing IRI-381 had a greater acid detergent fibre content (367 and 366 g/kg, respectively). CM increased the silage DM (221 g/kg), remaining water-soluble carbohydrates contents (26 g/kg) and in vitro digestibility of DM. The aerobic stability was maintained until 45 h after opening the silos. All silages presented a good fermentative profile and were not affected by the relatively large proportion of butterfly pea (>34%) in the ensiled mass as indicated by the reduced contents of butyric acid and ammonia nitrogen. CM reduces total losses, increases DM recovery and improves the nutritional value of silages from mixed elephant grass–butterfly pea legume.

This study aims to determine the effects of dietary crude protein (CP) content of early-weaned calves; and the influence of flint maize processing methods on intake, total tract nutrient digestibilities and performance of Nellore heifer calves. Fifteen early-weaned Nellore female calves (4 ± 0.5 months; 108 ± 13.1 kg) were used. In phase 1, animals were fed one of the following diets for 112 days: 130, 145 or 160 g CP/kg dry matter (DM). In phase 2, animals received one of the two diets for 84 days: 0.60 dry ground maize grain, 0.30 whole-plant maize silage plus 0.10 mineral-protein supplement or 0.90 snaplage plus 0.10 mineral-protein supplement. In phase 1, intake and digestibility of dietary components were not affected (P > 0.05) by increasing dietary CP content. Daily total urinary nitrogen (N) and urinary urea N increased (P < 0.05) in response to increasing dietary CP content. Animal performance was not affected (P > 0.05) by dietary CP content. In phase 2, maize processing methods did not affect (P > 0.05) intake and digestibility of dietary components as well as animal performance, carcase characteristics and carcase composition. Therefore, based on the current experimental condition, we conclude that dietary CP concentrations of 130 g/kg DM can be indicated for early-weaned Nellore calves. However, more studies are recommended to validate this result and to evaluate concentrations below 130 g CP/kg DM for early-weaned Nellore calves. Moreover, snaplage could be used as an exclusive fibre and energy source for finishing cattle in feedlot.