Foliage Residue Decomposition and Nutrient Release in Peach Palm (Bactris gasipaes
 Kunth) Plantations for Heart-of-Palm Production in Costa Rica

The taltuzas (pocket gopher) (Orthogeomys sp.) are rodents that plague several crops from USA to Panama. Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is a crop in expansion that overlaps in its geographical distribution with the one of Pocket gopher. Three patterns were found by superposing the distribution maps of rodents and palms. In one pattern only one organism was present but not the other whereas in two patterns rodents and palms were coincident. Since peach palm is attacked by the taltuzas, some considerations were discussed for each pattern in relation to future expansion of this crop.

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Physicochemical and antioxidant composition of fresh peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) fruits in Costa Rica

BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY ◽

10.1590/1981-6723.9715 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 19 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carolina Rojas-Garbanzo ◽

Ana Mercedes Pérez ◽

Fabrice Vaillant ◽

María Lourdes Pineda-Castro

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Starch Content ◽

Carotenoid Content ◽

Antioxidant Compounds ◽

Bactris Gasipaes ◽

Palm Fruit ◽

Peach Palm ◽

Total Carotenoid Content ◽

Significant Difference

Summary The variability of the physicochemical composition, carotenoid and polyphenol contents and hydrophilic antioxidant capacity of fresh peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) fruit was studied with a view to its exploitation as a potential source of bioactive compounds. The variability present in five batches of peach palm fruit obtained from two regions in Costa Rica: Tucurrique (T) and Pérez Zeledón (PZ), was studied. Significant differences were found for fruit weight, length and width amongst the batches studied. The moisture, fat and protein contents of the Tucurrique fruit were significantly lower than those from Pérez Zeledón. No significant difference in starch content was found between any of the batches of peach palm fruit studied. In terms of antioxidant compounds, the total carotenoid content ranged between 109 and 202 µg β-carotene equivalents/g dry weight (dw), while the total polyphenol content varied from 54 to 106 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) /100 g (dw). Both these components presented variability amongst the five batches. The antioxidant capacity was determined by the ORAC method and only the PZ 3 sample presented significant differences from the other four batches. The average hydrophilic antioxidant capacity was 37 ± 7 µmol of Trolox equivalents (TE)/g (dw). Overall, the peach palm fruit showed potential to be used in the development of functional foods since the variability of the raw peach-palm fruit, determined by applying a principal component analysis, showed that some characteristics of this fruit were not affected by harvest time and showed no differences between the batches from the two areas.

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Allometric relationships in Bactris gasipaes for heart-of-palm production agroecosystems in Costa Rica

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859602002009 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 138 (3) ◽

pp. 285-292 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

A. ARES ◽

J. P. QUESADA ◽

J. BONICHE ◽

R. S. YOST ◽

E. MOLINA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Seemingly Unrelated Regression ◽

Sustainable Land Use ◽

Shoot Biomass ◽

Bactris Gasipaes ◽

Above Ground Biomass ◽

Nutrient Pools ◽

Basal Diameter ◽

Peach Palm ◽

Ground Biomass

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) agroecosystems for hearts-of-palm constitute a productive and sustainable land use for the humid tropics. Allometric models allow to predict biomass non-destructively at any time, and subsequently, to determine the span of growth phases, biomass and nutrient pools, and economic yields. The overall goals of this study were to obtain and validate predictive functions of above-ground dry biomass of peach palm shoots, and to relate standing biomass with heart-of-palm yields as well. Towards this purpose, peach palm shoots were harvested and separated into components (foliage, petiole and stem) in the Atlantic region of Costa Rica. Basal diameter (BD) was a more effective predictor of biomass than height to the fork between the spear leaf and the first fully expanded leaf, total height and number of leaves. Regression models explained 70–89% of the variance in component (foliage, petiole and stem) or total shoot biomass. Nonlinear regression, which independently calculates equation coefficients for biomass components and total shoot biomass, was compared with a nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression (NSUR) procedure, which simultaneously fits the component equations that predict leaf, petiole and stem in order to assure biomass additivity. Equation coefficients for NSUR fitted-regressions that also model unequal variances, were substantially different from those for individual regressions; e.g. Biomassleaf = 11·4739 BD1·8042, Residual mean square (RMS) = 69·9 for the individual equation, versus Biomassleaf = 6·841 BD2·086, RMS = 72·4 for the NSUR fitted-equation. NSUR equations had slightly less precision in estimating biomass than individual equations but consistently less bias. In separate harvests of peach palm plants within four stands ranging in age from 1·9 to 21 years, estimates of component and total above-ground shoot biomass were similar to observed values except for the youngest stand in which biomass was overestimated. In another harvest, yield of heart-of-palm per plant was linearly related to total above-ground biomass in two peach palm stands of age 5 and 9 years. The non-destructive estimation of above-ground biomass from easily measured plant dimensions will permit any-time, less expensive and reasonable precise biomass estimates in peach palm. Biomass data can be incorporated to decision support aids for nutrient management in heart-of-palm agroecosystems and serve other purposes such as for carbon sequestration calculations.

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Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Cattle Dung and Nutrient Cycling in Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10050672 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 672

Author(s):

Sandoval Carpinelli ◽

Adriel Ferreira da Fonseca ◽

Pedro Henrique Weirich Neto ◽

Santos Henrique Brant Dias ◽

Laíse da Silveira Pontes

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Cycling ◽

Temporal Distribution ◽

Nutrient Release ◽

Cattle Dung ◽

Total N ◽

Light Reduction ◽

Residue Decomposition ◽

Thiessen Polygon ◽

The Impact ◽

Livestock Systems

Residue decomposition from cattle dung is crucial in the nutrient cycling process in Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems (ICLS). It also involves the impact of the presence of trees exerted on excreta distribution, as well as nutrient cycling. The objectives of this research included (i) mapping the distribution of cattle dung in two ICLS, i.e., with and without trees, CLT and CL, respectively, and (ii) quantification of dry matter decomposition and nutrient release (nitrogen—N, phosphorus—P, potassium—K, and sulphur—S) from cattle dung in both systems. The cattle dung excluded boxes were set out from July 2018 to October 2018 (pasture phase), and retrieved after 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 56 and 84 days (during the grazing period). The initial concentrations of N (~19 g kg−1), P (~9 g kg−1), K (~16 g kg−1), and S (~8 g kg−1) in the cattle dung showed no differences. The total N, P, K and S released from the cattle dung residues were less in the CLT system (2.2 kg ha−1 of N; 0.7 kg ha−1 of P; 2.2 kg ha−1 of K and 0.6 kg ha−1 of S), compared to the CL (4.2 kg ha−1 of N; 1.4 kg ha−1 of P; 3.6 kg ha−1 of K and 1.1 kg ha−1 of S). Lesser quantities of cattle dung were observed in the CLT (1810) compared to the CL (2652), caused by the lower stocking rate, on average, in this system (721 in the CL vs. 393 kg ha−1 in the CLT) because of the reduced amount of pasture in the CLT systems (−41%), probably due to light reduction (−42%). The density of the excreta was determined using the Thiessen polygon area. The CL system revealed a higher concentration of faeces at locations near the water points, gate and fences. The CLT affects the spatial distribution of the dung, causing uniformity. Therefore, these results strengthen the need to understand the nutrient release patterns from cattle dung to progress fertilisation management.

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