Psidium guineense Sw , popularly known as araçá, is a fruit tree there is widely distributed in Brazil and belongs to the Myrtaceae family. In northeastern Brazil, araçá occurs along coast and in the Zona da Mata; its fruit looks like guava but is more acidic and has a stronger smell. There is a little information about this species, which increases the difficulty of conserving its genetic resources and exploiting araçá as an economic resource. The objective of this research was the evaluation of the genetic diversity and genetic structure of P. guineense from Pernambuco’s Zona da Mata. One hundred and fourteen individuals and 18 isozyme loci were evaluated, showing 28 alleles. The percentage of polymorphic loci ( ) and the average number of alleles per locus ( ) were 0.5 and 1.5, respectively, in this population. The expected heterozygosity , which corresponds to the genetic diversity, ranged from 0.22 to 0.23, a high value when considering that isozymes mark access from the functional genome. The differentiation index among the population was ( ) = 0.015; therefore, the populations were not different among the sampled places. The inbreeding values ( ) ranged from - 0.549 to - 0.794, indicating an absence of inbreeding and a greater - than - expected heterozygosity in all the studied populations. The estimated gene flow ( N m ) for a pair of this population ranged from 3.23 to 20.77, sufficient to avoid genetic differentiation among the population and in accordance with the values of genetic divergence found in this study.

Tomatoes are an important component of the human diet because they are rich in minerals and antioxidants that sequester free radicals in cells, preventing various disorders that affect human health. Here, we aimed to evaluate the effects of different nitrogen sources and concentrations on antioxidant capacity and physical and chemical quality of tomato fruit. The experiment was conducted in Vitória da Conquista, state of Bahia, Brazil, in the experimental field of Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia. The experimental setup included a randomized block design with four replicates in a factorial layout of 3 × 3 + 1 (control), for a total of 40 plots. The three treatments comprised different nitrogen sources (calcium nitrate, urea, and ammonium sulfate), applied in three doses (140, 280, and 420 kg ha - 1 ). We evaluated firmness, pH, titratable acidity - TA, soluble solid - SS, SS/TA ratio, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds and DPPH inhibition, were evaluated after samples were harvested. However, increasing concentrations of N adversely affected the acidity and led to an increase in the SS/TA ratio. Increasing the N concentration also reduced the content of bioactive compounds. excluding carotenoids, which consequently impaired antioxidant activity.

This work studied the physical, chemical and bio chemical alterations in minimally processed yam stored at two different temperatures, as well a s the incidence of bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas . The experimental design was completely randomised in a 2x8 factorial design, with two storage temperature s (5 and 10°C) and eight storage times (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 1 0, 12 and 14 days). Experiments were in triplicate. Yam was selected, peeled and cut into slices of approximate ly 3 cm thickness. The slices were rinsed with wate r, sanitised and then drained in kitchen strainers. Ap proximately 300 g of the processed product were pac ked in nylon multilayers 15 μ m thick, 15 cm wide and 20 cm long. The packs were sealed, weighed and kept at 5 and 10 ± 2°C for 14 days. Fresh weight loss, baking tim e, enzymatic activity of polyphenol oxidases, perox idases and catalases, total soluble phenol content, and an tioxidant capacity were evaluated, as well as visua l analysis and incidence of Pseudomonas sp. Means of temperatures were compared by Tukey ́s test at 5% significance. Yam storage at 5°C reduced weight loss and kept vis ual quality for longer; it also reduced cooking tim e and the activity of the enzymes polyphenol oxidase and pero xidase. In contrast, it promoted higher content of total soluble phenols, as well as a higher catalase activ ity and antioxidant capacity. During the storage ti me, there was no incidence of Pseudomonas sp. Minimally processed yam stored at 10°C may be sold for up to six days, and yam stored at 5ºC for up to 14 days.

Studies on feeding and nutrition of shrimp are still quite scarce; little is known about the use of agribusiness byproducts in shrimp diets. Therefore, this study aimed to perform nutritional and energy assessments of protein-based ingredients for feed of shrimp of the Litopenaeus vannamei species. The design was completely randomized, with six treatments and four replications: a standard diet and five test diets composed of 70% standard diet and 30% test ingredients (poultry viscera flour - PVF, cassava leaf hay - CLH, shrimp head flour - SHF, sugarcane yeast - SCY and castor bean meal - CBM). We used a total of 720 shrimps with mean weight of 8 g each. The parameters of quality showed no significant change by the Tukey’s test (p > 0.05). The apparent digestibility coefficients of PVF, CLH, SHF, SCY and CBM were respectively 27.44, 76.26, 77.78 and 90.10% for dry matter; 76.61, 70.44, 97.67 and 78.29% for protein; and 33.10, 51.19, 90.70 and 78.05% for gross energy. The digestible energy of the ingredients was 1749, 2457, 3914, 3030 and 2130 kcal/ kg; and digestible protein was 42.4, 16.09, 54.62, 23.71 and 14.31%. The SHF reached the highest coefficients of apparent digestibility, crude protein, gross energy and digestible energy. The SCY had the largest apparent digestibility of dry matter. Both SHF and SCY presented improved availability of nutrients and energy for L. vannamei.

This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of methanol extract and fractions of leaves of Randia nitida (Kunth) DC on Colletotrichum truncatum (Schw.) Andrus & Moore, Rhizoctonia solani Kühn and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) De Bary and perform chemical and antioxidant activity tests. Crude methanol extract (EBM) and fractions (hexane = FHX, dichloromethane = FDM and ethyl acetate = FAE) underwent classical phytochemical analysis and determination of total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity. Samples were individually incorporated into PDA culture mediums (potato-dextrose-agar) at concentrations of 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 μg mL - 1 of extract or fraction. Mycelial growth was evaluated when control reached the edge of the plate. Phytochemical results indicated that flavonoids, steroids and triterpenoids are the major chemical constituents in both EBM and fractions. Total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity were higher for FAE and EBM, followed by FDM and FHX; however, the latter showed higher content of steroids and triterpenoids compared to the other fractions. For C. truncatum , R. solani and S. sclerotiorum , the most efficient fractions were respectively FAE, FDM and FHX, all of them in the highest concentration (160 μg mL - 1 ). The highest inhibition rate was observed against S. sclerotiorum , reaching 93.75%. We concluded that all fractions have antifungal activity on the plant pathogens, being FHX the most active against S. sclerotiorum , which might have been due to the presence of steroids and triterpenes.

The Rafael Fernandes experimental farm is located in the Alagoinha district, northwest of Mossoró, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, over two pedogenic formations of different edaphic characteristics, thus needing a more detailed description of its soil types, since this area hosts several experimental fields for researches on agriculture. The objective of this work was to characterize the morphological, physical, chemical and mineralogical features of the most representative soils of this farm, in order to understand its pedogenesis and define its classifications. The whole area was surveyed in order to assess its more representative pedogenic formations. Three soil profiles were classified and described, from which samples were collected in all horizons for physical, chemical and mineralogical analysis. The parent materials and the relief were the determining factors for pedogenic processes of desilication, podzolization and laterization, generating the three main soil types of the area, which were classified up to the 4 th categorical level and described as: Typic Rhodustults (P1), Rhodic Haplustox (P2) and Typic Plinthustalfs (P3).

Herbicides with high persistence in soil can cause problems for crops sown in succession to their application. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate, in greenhouse conditions, the safe period of time after application of preemergent herbicides used on cotton crops (isolated or in mixtures) for the crops grown in succession (bean, corn, and soybean). The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme (5 x 11) + 1, with five repetitions. For each experiment, treatments combined different time periods between herbicide application and sowing of crops (280, 210, 140, 70, and 0 days before sowing of crops) with eleven herbicide treatments: fomesafen (625 g ha - 1 ) prometryne (1250 g ha - 1 ), diuron (1250 g ha - 1 ), S - metolachlor (768 g ha - 1 ), clomazone (1000 g ha - 1 ), fomesafen + prometryne (625 + 1250 g ha - 1 ), fomesafen + diuron (625 + 1250 g ha - 1 ), fomesafen + S - metolachlor (625 + 768 g ha - 1 ), fomesafen + clomazone (625 + 1000 g ha - 1 ), fomesafen + clomazone + diuron (625 + 1000 + 1250 g ha - 1 ), and fomesafen + clomazone + prometryne (625 + 1000 + 1250 g ha - 1 ), plus an untreated control. Applications of diuron showed the greatest persistence, causing the largest carryover effects for the three crops evaluated. The other treatments showed residual effects or affected crop development when sowings were performed up to 70 days after application. At later periods no significant damage was observed.

Soil is an important water compartment into a watershed scale, mainly due to its role in providing water to plants and to the influence of antecedent moisture on the runoff initiation. The aim of this research is to assess the permanence of water effectiveness in the soil under preserved-vegetation constraints in the Caatinga biome, in the semiarid northeastern Brazil. For this purpose, hourly soil moisture measurements were collected with TDR and analyzed between 2003 and 2010 for three soil-vegetation associations in the Aiuaba Experimental Basin. The results showed that in nine months per year soil moisture was below wilting point for two associations, whose soils are Chromic Luvisol and Haplic Lixisol (Abruptic). In the third association, where the shallow soil Lithic Leptosol prevails, water was found non-effective four months per year. A possible reason for the high water permanence in the shallowest soil is the percolation process, generating sub-surface flow, which barely occurs in the deeper soils. In situ observations indicates that the long period of soil moisture below the wilting point was not enough to avoid the blooming season of the Caatinga vegetation during the rainy periods. Indeed, after the beginning of each rainy season, there is a growth of dense green vegetation, regardless of the long period under water shortage.

RESUMO: O uso de bactérias fixadoras de nitrogênio do gênero Azospirillum brasilense tem sido recomendado para gramíneas como milho, trigo e arroz, porém seus benefícios necessitam ser melhor estudados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da bactéria fixadora de nitrogênio A. brasilense na produtividade de arroz irrigado por inundação. O experimento foi conduzido em viveiro agrícola revestido com sombrite, utilizando um Plintossolo Háplico. No primeiro conjunto de experimentos utilizaram-se as cultivares de arroz irrigado por inundação INIA Olimar, Puitá Inta-CL, Br Irga 409 e Irga 424, constituindo 4 experimentos em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 5 x 4, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram constituídos por 5 doses de nitrogênio (0, 40, 80, 120 e 160 kg ha-1 de N), e 4 doses de inoculante líquido composto por bactérias A. brasilense cepas Ab-V5 e Ab-V6 (0, 1, 2 e 4 vezes a recomendação). No segundo conjunto de experimentos, com as cultivares Puitá Inta-CL e Br Irga 409, utilizou-se o esquema fatorial 4 x 2. Quatro doses de A. brasilense cepas Ab-V5 e Ab-V6 (0, 1, 2 e 4 vezes a recomendação de 100 mL ha-1), sem e com tratamento das sementes do arroz com inseticidas e fungicidas. Foram avaliados a massa da matéria seca da parte aérea, número de panículas e produtividade de grãos de arroz/vaso. A inoculação das sementes de arroz irrigado por inundação, cultivares INIA Olimar, Puitá Inta-CL, Br Irga 409 e Irga 424, com A. brasilense cepas Ab-V5 e Ab-V6 não aumenta a produtividade de grãos de arroz. | ABSTRACT: This study aimed at evaluating the effect of Azospirillum brasilense, a nitrogen-fixing bacterium, on flooded irrigated rice yield. Evaluations were carried out in a shaded nursery, with seedlings grown on an Alfisol. Were performed two sets of experiments. In the first, were carried out four experiments using the flooded rice cultivars INIA Olimar, Puitá Inta-CL, Br Irga 409 and Irga 424; these trials were set up as completely randomized design in a 5x4 factorial scheme, with four replications. Treatments consisted of five nitrogen rates (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg ha-1) and four levels of liquid inoculant Ab-V5 and Ab-V6 - A. brasilense (0, 1, 2 and 4 times the manufacturer's recommendation) without seed treatment. In second set, were performed two experiments using the cultivars Puitá Inta-CL and Br Irga 409, arranged in the same design, but using a 4x2 factorial. In this set, treatments were composed of four levels of Ab-V5 and Ab-V6 - A. brasilense liquid inoculant (0, 1, 2 and 4 times the recommendation of 100 mL ha-1), using rice seeds with and without insecticide and fungicide treatment. Shoot dry matter, number of panicles, and rice grain yield per pot were the assessed variables. The results showed that rice seed inoculation with A. brasilense had no effects on rice grain yield of the cultivars INIA Olimar, Puitá Inta-CL, Br Irga 409 and Irga 424.

The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse located at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiaba - MT, from March to May 2012. The objective was to assess the effects of different rates of nickel application with and without liming on maize growth and micronutrient levels. The study was a randomized block design in a 2 x 5 factorial arrangement with four replicates, for a total of 40 plots, including with and without liming and five rates of nickel application, on a clayey Red Yellow Latosol (Oxisol, USDA classification and Ferralsol, FAO classification). Both lime and nickel applications influenced plant growth, reducing plant development with increased nickel application without liming. It was also observed that both lime and nickel applications altered micronutrient levels in the maize plants, independent of which part of the plant was evaluated. Nickel played an antagonistic role with manganese and zinc and a synergistic role with copper and iron.