Allelopathy Journal 6(2): 187-192 (1999)
0971-4693/94 US $5.00
© International Allelopathy Foundation (1999)
Pioneers of allelopathy. IX. Fernando L. S. de Almeida
T. PASSIM*1 and B. N. RODRIGUES
Agricultural Sciences Department Institute Agronomico do
Parana - IAPAR, C.P. 481, CEP 86001-970, Londrina-PR-Brazil
(Received in Revised Form : March 4,1999)
Key words: Allelopathy, direct drilling, mulch, natural herbicides, no-till system, plant residues, soil biology, weeds.
1. Family and childhood
Fernando L. S. de Almeida was born in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 17th, 1924. His
father, Mr. Antonio Souza de Almeida, was a tailor in Lisbon and his mother, Mrs.
Palmira S. de Almeida, was housewife. Her sister Arlette became an Agronomist at the
Agronomic Institute, Lisbon, Portugal. She got married with Pedro Domingos dos
Santos, Lawyer and Poet. Fernando L. S. de Almeida was married to Ms. Therezinha
and had a son, Manuel J. S. de Almeida, Civil Engineer in Londrina-PR-Brazil and a
daughter Margarida S. de Almeida, Nurse in Portugal. Mrs. Therezinha S. de Almeida
now lives in Londrina-PR, Brazil.
2. Education
Fernando, as he was better known, had his basic education in Lisbon. He studied in a
Government Primary School, Escola Oficial de Sao Mamede and later, in a
Government High School Liceu Passos Manuel. From 1943 to 1948, he studied
Agronomy at Higher Institute of Agronomy (Instituto Superior de Agronomia),
Technical University of Lisbon (Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa). In 1949, he
completed a training course on tobacco crop technology from Duke University,
Durham, NC, USA. In 1950, he published his thesis The Tobacco Crop in the United
States of America. As a student at the university, he wrote apostilles to courses, was
the President of the Students Association and the Organiser of the graduation event's
party. He was also an active sportsman: a rugby player, swimmer and gymnast.
3. Professional life
A scholarship (from 1951-60) at the University for Tropical Crop Husbandry,
Angola, Africa, decided his professional life. He conducted research on tobacco
* Correspondence Author
1
Present Address : R.D. Pedro I, 818-Ap. 2 0 1 . 13400-410. Piracicaba. SP. Brazil
188
F.L.S. Almeida
cropping systems and technology viz., influence of the depth and time of sowing of
tobacco on its productivity, to make and manage tobacco arboretum and to prepare
flue-cured tobacco. From January, 1961 to September, 1974, he worked in
Mozambique, Africa and conducted research on chemical weed control in cotton,
sugarcane, corn, sisal and banana, bush control in pastures and chemical control of
Cyperus rotundus. During this period, he attended training courses at Research
Centres in Rhodesia, South Africa, Portugal, England, Germany and Switzerland. This
was the most productive professional period in his life. He presented results at
Congresses, Symposia and Meetings in Mozambique, Rhodesia, South Africa, Portugal,
England, France and New Zealand and wrote four books and several scientific papers in
professional Journals.
In 1976, he immigrated to Brazil and joined the Instituto Agronomico do
Parana (IAPAR) and became the Head of the Weed Science Department. He actively
participated in Brazilian and foreign Congresses and Symposia as well as in the
activities of Brazilian Weed Science Society. He was a member of the organising
Committee of XII International Plant Protection Congress and the Coordinator of the
Symposia on Allelochemicals for Pest Management. He worked on applied aspects of
allelopathy e.g. effect of direct sowing in crop mulch and developing techniques to
reduce herbicide input in crops. He reduced the use of herbicides by using sequential
spraying and using new spraying techniques.
He started allelopathy studies in 1976 and his most productive period was
from 1982 to 1991. During this period, besides publications, he delivered 63 lectures
on allelopathy to students at high schools and universities, farms and agronomists at
rural associations and technical staff of research institutes and chemical industries. He
was invited to give a two days course to the staff of the Research and Development
Department of Ciba-Geigy in Basel, Switzerland, where he spoke about the influence
of winter crop mulches on weed infestation in maize. He won the first prize for two
papers. The first one, in 1984, for the scientific paper "Contribution for studying
broadleaved weeds herbicides in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]" presented at the
"IC1 Scientific Incentive Course". The second one in 1988, for the paper "The
integration of allelopathy for weed control in direct drilling" presented at the "ANDEF
Prize of Integrated Management-of Pests and Weeds".
4. Contributions to allelopathy
In Southern Brazil, it is possible to'grow summer crops immediately after the
harvest of winter crops. In the winter season, except wheat, other crops are used for
straw mulching to cover the field surface. Thereafter, summer crop is .sown by seed
drill in no-tillage system, in dead mulch material. As time passes, the mulch biomass
start decomposing and start releasing chemical substance? that have allelopathic
F.L.S. Almeida
189
effects on the germination and growth of crops and weeds. Almeida studied (a) the
effects of the main preceding winter crops on the summer crops and weeds and (b) use
of vegetable residues from industry as mulch in crops. He also used aqueous and
alcoholic extracts of crops biomass as herbicides, spaying them on weed seedlings.
In laboratory bioassays, he studied effects of aqueous extracts of different
vegetable biomass on germination of wild and cultivated crop species. He reported that
aqueous extracts of dry straws (10% w/v) of winter crops, inhibited seed germination
and seedling growth of summer weed spp. (1). Wheat (Triticum aestivum) adversely
affected Euphorbia heterophylla weed and extracts of black-oats (Avena strigosa), rye
(Secale cereale), lupin (Lupinus sp), triticale (X Triticosecale Wettmack) and radish
(Raphanus sativus) affected the Brachiaria plantaginea, Cenchrus echinatus and
E. heterophylla weed. He also reported that winter crop extracts also influenced the
summer crops viz., cotton (Gossipium hirsutum), soybean (Glycine max), bean
(Phaseolus vulgaris) and rice {Oryza sativa) (1).
Table 1. Chronology of major events
Date
Event
March 17, 1924
1943-48
1945-48
Birth, Lisbon. Portugal
BSc. Agronomy Course, Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal
Specialisation Colonial Agronomy Course, Technical University of Lisbon,
Portugal
Training Course, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Scientist, Agricultural Research Station, Quelengues, Angola
Scientist, Agricultural Research Station, Malange Angola
Head,Tobacco Research Station,Lourenco Marques.Mozambique
Head,Agronomy Department,Cotton Institue,Mozambique
Head,Weed Control Department,Mozambique Agronomic Institute,
Mozambique
Manager,Chemical Development Department, Sandoz, Lisbon, Portugal
Immigrated to-Brazil
Weed Research, Agronomic Institute of Parana(IAPAR), Parana, Brazil
Head, Weed Science Department, 1APAR, Parana, Brazil
Won the first prize of ICl Scientific Incentive
Won the first prize of ANDEF Prize of Itegrated Management of Pests an
Weeds
Vice-chairman, Organising Committee of XII Intenational Plant Protection
Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Coordinator, Symposia Allelochemicals, Pest Management, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
Expired
1949
1951-53
1953-60
1961-63
1963-67
1967-74
1974-75
1976
1976-1993
1978
1984
1988
1990-91
1990-91
March 8, 1993
Aqueous extracts of leaves and fruits of Eucalyptus saligna and castorbean
(Ricinus communis) residues from oil industry, did not affect the seed germination or
190
F.L.S. Almeida
seedling growth of Cenchrus echinatus weed, while, Bidens pilosa and Galinsoga
parviflora were sensitive (1). In another study, Amaranthus retroflexus and
C. echinatus weed were sown in pots and irrigated with above aqueous extracts.
Castorbean extracts had no effect on weeds, but E. saligna extract adversely affected
both the weed species. Covering the pot soil with chopped leaves and fruits of
E. saligna and bran of castorbean as mulch, had no effect on seed germination of A.
retroflexus, G. parviflora and C. echinatus weeds (1).
Aqueous and ethanol extracts (10% w/v) of coffee peel, totally inhibited the
seed germination of C. echinatus, A retroflexus, Digitaria horizontalis, B. pilosa, Sida
rhombifolia and B. plantaginea weeds (1). He also tested these extracts as postemergence herbicides on several weed spp. seedlings, in the broadleaved weeds at
cotyledonary leaves stage and in the grasses at two leaves stage. The extracts showed
toxicity only in A. retroflexus, which disappeared later on. There was no effect of
coffee peel on weeds, when used as mulch in the field (1).
Aqueous extracts of Artemisia velotorum weed in bioassays reduced the
germ ...ion and the radicle and/or plumule growth of corn, soybean, bean, B. pilosa, G.
parviflora, S. rhombifolia, A. retroflexus, Ipomoea aristolochiaefolia and C.
echinatus. Only the last one was completely inhibited (1). There was no control of A.
retroflexus, Alternanthera tenella and B. pilosa weeds, when their seedlings were
sprayed with aqueous extracts of A. velotorum, Cyperus rotundus, Leonurus sibiricus,
Cynodum dactylon and Datura stramonium (1).
Almeida reported from the greenhouse studies, that growth and nodulation of
soybean watered with B. plantaginea aqueous extracts was adversely affected (2).
However, these results were not observed under field conditions.
The most important contribution of Almeida's research on allelopathy was its
practical application in Parana agriculture in no-till system. These results have been
summarised in the Chapter "Allelopathy in Brazilian Agrosystems" in the book
Allelopathy: International Status Edited by Prof. S.S. Narwal, India.
He worked until his death on March 8th, 1993. 5.
Publications
Except 10 scientific papers and 4 articles published in English, Almeida's all
other publications were in Portuguese language. He published one thesis, five books,
contributed chapters in two books and was co-author of another book. The results of
his research were published in Journals, Technical Bulletins, Proceedings and
Abstracts of scientific meetings. Twenty-one out of 115 articles and' 12 out of 58
summaries deal with allelopatic effects on weeds and/or craps or soil biology. The
articles related to allelopathy are given below.
F.L.S. Almeida
191
5.1. English
i. Almeida, F.S. de, Rodrigues, B.N. and Oliveira, V.F. (1984). Influence of winter crop mulches on weed
infestation in maize. In Proceedings Symposium on Weed Problems in the Mediterranean Area. pp.351-358.
Lisboa, Portugal: European Weed Research Society/Sociedade Portuguesa de Fitiatria e Fitofarmacología.
ii. Almeida, F.S. de. (1985). Effect of some winter crop mulches on the soil weed infestation. In Proceedings
British Crop Protection Conference-Weeds. pp.651-659. Brighton, England. Farham, England: British Crop
Protection Council.
5.2. Portuguese
iii. Almeida, F.S. de. (1975). The Allelopathy and the Weed Management. Londrina, PR, Brazil: Instituto
Agronómico do Paraná. 18p.
iv. Almeida, F.S. de, Rodrigues, B.N. and Oliveira, V.F. (1983). Mulching. Folha de Londrina, Londrina, PR, 05
set. Folha Rural: 10-11.
v. Almeida, F.S. de. (1983). Mulching influence on plant community. In Encontro Nacional de Plantio Direto,
2. Ponta Grossa, PR. Anais. Carambeí, PR-: Cooperativa Central Agropecuária Campos Gerais Ltda. pp.l 1-18.
vi. Almeida, F.S. de. (1984). Mulching performance on direct-drilling. In Curso de Plantio Direto, 1, Maringá,
PR: Trabalhos apresentados ... Maringá, Cooperativa de Cafeicultores de Maringá Ltda. 30p..
vii. Almeida, F.S. de. (1984). Mulching in direct-drilling. In Curso Intensivo Sobre Plantio Direto, 2. Ponta Grossa,
PR: Trabalhos apresentados... Ponta Grossa, Associação dos Engenheiros Agrónomos do Paraná, Núcleo Regional de
Ponta Grossa. 31 p.
viii. Almeida, F.S. de. (1984). The mulching function on direct-drilling. In Simpósio Sobre Sistemas de
Produção Agrícola, Região centro-sul do Brasil, 1, Campinas, SP,: Trabalhos apresentados ... Campinas,
Fundação Cargill. pp.l 15-146.
ix. Almeida, F.S. de. (1985). Mulching as a method of reducing the herbicide use. In Encontro Nacional de
Plantio Direto, 3. Ponta Grossa, PR: Anais. Carambef, PR: Fundação ABC para Assistência e Divulgação
Agropecuária, pp. 118-129.
x. Almeida, F.S. de. (1985). Direct-drilling. In Herbicide Guide (F.S. de Almeida and B.N. Rodrigues), pp.341399. Londrina, Brazil.
xi. Almeida, F.S. de. (1985). The mulching influence on soil biology in direct-drilling. In Simpósio Sobre o
Potencial Agrícola dos Cerrados, 1. Goiânia, GO. Trabalhos apresentados ... Campinas, SP,: Fundação Cargill/
Empresa Goiânia de Pesquisa Agropecuária. pp. 109-149.
xii. Almeida, F.S. de. (1985). The mulching influence on soil biology in direct-drilling crops. In Atualização em
plantio direto. (Eds., A.L. Fancelli; P.V. Torrado and J. Machado), pp.103-144. Campinas, SP,: Fundação
Cargill.
xiii. Almeida, F.S. de. (1985). Allelopatic effects of mulching. Plantio Direto, Ponta Grossa, PR, 3:4-5.
xiv. Almeida, F.S. de. (1985). Mulching influence on the weed flora. Plantio Direto, Ponta Grossa, PR, 3:4-5.
xv. Almeida, F.S. de. (1985). Direct-drilling: allelopatic effects of mulching. Informe Agropecuário, Belo
Horizonte, MG, 11:44-51.
xvi. Almeida, F.S. de. (1986). Microbial changes in direct-drilling. Plantio Direto, Ponta Grossa, PR, 4:4-5.
xvii. Almeida, F.S. de. (1987). Understanding: what is allelopathy? Lavoura arrozeira, Porto Alegre, RS,
40:13-23.
xviii. Almeida, F.S. de. (1987). Allelopatic effects of weeds on crops. Plantio Direto, Ponta Grossa, PR, 5:3.
192
F.L.S. Almeida.
xix. Almeida, F.S. de. (1988). The Allelopathy and the Plants. Londrina, PR: Institute Agronomico do Parana.
60p. (IAPAR: Circular, 53).
xx. Almeida, F.S. de. (1988). The integration of allelopathy on weed control in direct-drilling. Londrina, PR,
Institute Agronomico do Parana, 1988. Paper presented at ANDEF Prize of Integrated Management of Pests and
Weeds-1988, São Paulo, SP. 42pp.
xxi. Almeida, F.S. de. (1990). Allelopathy: the plants defence. Ciência Hoje, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. 11:38-45. xxii.
Almeida, F.S. de. (1991). Weed Control in Direct-drilling. IAPAR. Circular, 67. Londrina:IAPAR. 34p.
xxiii. Almeida. F.S. de. (1991). Allelopatic effects of plant residues. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira,
Brasilia, DF. 26:221-236.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are thankful to Mrs. Therezinha S. Almeida, wife of Fernando L.S. de
Almeida, who gave us details of Almeida's family, childhood and student life. The
authors are also thankful to the Department of Agricultural Sciences, IAPAR, to allow
consultation of Prof. Almeida's Curriculum Vitae .
REFERENCES
1. Almeida, F.S. de. (1991). Allelopatic effects of vegetable residues. Pesquisa Agropecudria Brasileira,
Brasilia 26:221-236. (Portuguese).
2. Almeida, F.S. de. (1988). The Allelopathy and the Plants. IAPAR. Circular, 53. Londrina, PR: Institute
Agronomico do Parana. 60p. (Portuguese).