Pensa Rio Project and Team

Summary and Research Plan:

Since 2008, Brazil became the largest worldwide consumer of pesticides. This fact has a dramatic impact when considering economic, social, and environmental aspects and also human and animals health. In Rio de Janeiro state, agriculture is concentrated on small farms (2-20 hectares), and is based on three segments: vegetables and fruit production, and cattle. All these activities are characterized for pesticides misuse as common practice among farmers, which have the expectation of control plant and animal pests using chemicals products that do not even have registration for use on certain crops and livestock.  Reversing this situation will only be possible when providing safe and sustainable alternatives to farmers. To address this complex issue and generate products and processes compatible with modern, efficient and environmentally “clean” agriculture, an interdisciplinary approach is strongly recommended. This proposal establish an institutional and multidisciplinary research network, covering the areas of genetics and plant breeding, crop science, natural products chemistry and veterinary medicine focusing in the construction of scientific knowledge and develop products and technological innovations that allow the creation of a “green area” in the agricultural state of Rio de Janeiro. The research objectives are: to make the molecular characterization and release new cultivars, which are resistant to bacterial and viral diseases; to use these resistant plants and also plants from medicinal flora to extract bioactive compounds that have the potential to control fungal and bacterial diseases in plants and livestock; to characterize chemically and to evaluate, using in vitro conditions, the potential of these bioactive extracts, to control plants pathogens and cattle ticks and also to inhibit the growth of micro-organisms of veterinary importance.

The team:

Dra. Rosana Rodrigues (LMGV, Cientista do Nosso Estado – Faperj; Bolsista PQ do CNPq)

Dr. Antônio Teixeira do Amaral Jr. (LMGV, Cientista do Nosso Estado – Faperj; Bolsista PQ do CNPq)

Dr. Alexandre Pio Viana (LMGV, Jovem Cientista do Nosso Estado – Faperj; Bolsista PQ do CNPq)

Dra. Daniela Barros de Oliveira (LTA, Bolsista PQ do CNPq)

Dr. Olney Vieira da Motta (LSA, Jovem Cientista do Nosso Estado – Faperj)

Dr. Ivo José Curcino Vieira (LCQUI, Bolsista PQ do CNPq)

Dra. Katherina Coumendouros (DPA, IV/UFRRJ)

Dr. Marco André Alves de Souza (DQUIM, UFRRJ)

Dr. Douglas Siqueira de Almeida Alves (DQUIM, Pesquisador UFRRJ)

Dr. Pedro Correa Damasceno Jr. (DFITO, UFRRJ)