Nitrogen (N) is one of the nutrients that have the most significant effect on corn grain productivity increase. In order to evaluate the effect of sources of N topdressing and doses in the grown corn culture, in a conventional till system, it was installed an experiment in the city of Urutaí, Goiás, in the 2012/13 crop, in clayey textured Red Latosol. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications, with the treatments arranged in a factorial 3 x 5, consisting of three sources (coated urea, urea and ammonium sulfate) and five doses (0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 kg ha - 1 ) of N, topdressing, applied in the surface and in a single dose, when the corn plants were in V 4 stage. The hybrid used was the P3646H. We evaluated the following characters: stem diameter, plant height, height of ear insertion, leaf N, number of ears per plant, ear length, number of rows per ear, number of grains per row, 100 grains mass and grain productivity. All characters have a response to nitrogen fertilization and only the height of ear insertion showed no significant difference between sources. The source coated urea showed the best results, indicating that its use may be compensatory, especially in favorable conditions for the NH 3 volatilization, as the application of high doses of N in the surface.

Cupuaçu ( Theobroma grandiflorum Schum.) is an exotic fruit with a promising economic potential, particularly due to its strong aroma and creamy texture. This study aimed to produce sweetened cupuaçu puree and evaluate the effects of packaging corrosion on its sensory properties and shelf - life in tinplated cans. After 240 days of storage, the commercially sterile product had average sensory analysis scores of 5.89 ± 0.21, 5.39 ± 0.30, 5.45 ± 0.21 and 5.49 ± 0.25, for appearance, aroma, flavor and overall appreciation, respectively. Sensory acceptance scores did not change during storage (p>0.05). Corrosion potential and low tin and iron levels in the product, which are parameters used to evaluate food - packaging interaction, demonstrated the product remained food - safe throughout its shelf - life. Tinplate is a promising packaging material for sweetened cupuaçu puree due to its mechanical and protective properties. Furthermore, tin plating is an economically viable food technology to extend the shelf - life of cupuaçu products and expand its domestic and international markets.

As fuel costs increase, it is essential to take measures involving planning and control on any activities with high consumption. Thus, the main aim of this work was modeling the fuel consumption of forest road transportation by truck. We collected data about time, driving distance, average speed, fuel consumption and the load carried by the vehicle for loaded trips, unloaded trips, and the total cycle of forest transport in regions between the municipality of Campo do Tenente (forest site) and Piên (factory) located in Paraná state, Brazil. The Pearson’s correlation was used to determine the relationship between variables, while the Stepwise procedure was used to generate regression equations to estimate fuel consumption. The highest correlations were found between fuel consumption and driving distance, average speed and liquid weight of the load; also, there was a significant correlation between driving distance and average speed. Adjusted equations were statistically adequate to estimate fuel consumption based on driving distance, liquid weight of the load, average speed and duration time for loaded trips, unloaded trips and the total forest road transportation cycle.

The cultivation of Litopenaeus vannamei has increased in inland areas by using low salinity waters. Cultivation techniques in coastal waters are well developed, however, studies for low salinity conditions are needed, especially regarding the ideal ionic composition of water and its effects on the zootechnical indices. Brazil has adopted this strategy and the semiarid region showed great potential due to its favorable climate and water conditions. Thus, experimental cultivations were conducted in Serra Talhada, State of Pernambuco, in order to evaluate the influence of two feeding strategies (with and without feeding) and three cultivation densities (5, 10 and 15 shrimps m-2), on the production variables of this species. Three ponds of 280 m2 were built, in which six nursery nets of 20 m2 were installed. The cultivation was performed with juvenile shrimps of 8.53 g and lasted 50 days. The animals were fed twice a day with commercial feed containing 25% of crude protein. The water quality (salinity ~1.0 g L-1, temperature ~28.09°C, pH ~8.48) and the shrimp growth were monitored with weekly biometry during the cultivation. A significant difference was found only in the treatment without feeding with 15 shrimps m-2, the average final weight of all treatments ranged from 13.16±1.33 g to 15.50±1.66 g. The survival rates were high in the treatments with feeding and its variation between treatments was 60.56±6.76% and 83.00±4.00%.

The Mangalarga Marchador breed accounts for the largest horse herd in Brazil and has been experiencing national and international expansion. Nevertheless, there is little scientific production on the evolution of this breed and there are no studies on the morphometric transformations that took place during its formation. In this context, the present study aimed to assess the evolution in morphometric measures of the Mangalarga Marchador breed between 1970 and 2010. The research used information archived at the Brazilian Association of Mangalarga Marchador Breeders from 23,148 males and 92,980 females in a completely randomized experimental design. The six treatments consisted of the animals measured between 1970 and 1979, 1980 and 1989, 1990 and 1994, 1995 and 1999, 2000 and 2004, and 2005 and 2010, respectively. The measures assessed were: height at withers and croup, length of the head, neck, back, croup, shoulder, and body, width of the head and croup, thoracic circumference, and cannon circumference Over the period analyzed, males and females experienced a reduction in thoracic circumference, in the lengths of the head, back, croup, and shoulder, and in the widths of the head and croup. In the males, neck length and cannon circumference also decreased, while body length increased in females. Over time, breed selection led to smaller head, higher stature, and shorter trunk length. However, important measures for the breed’s functionality, such as shoulder length and thoracic circumference, decreased.

The great diversity of plants in the Brazilian Semiarid environment represents a vital natural resource for the human populations of these areas. Many of these plants have been subject to extractivism and among these, the species of the genus Stylosanthes , which have occurrence in this region, show great potential, however, studies on this topic are limited, and little is known about the existing variability among these plants. Therefore, further study is necessary, to facilitate the development of cultivars. This might reduce the scarcity of fodder supply in this region, but to commence a plant breeding programme, it is essential to identify genetic variability. Therefore, this study evaluated 25 accessions of Stylosanthes spp., to identify the most suitable candidates to be parents in a plant breeding programme for the semiarid region of the state of Bahia. Two experiments were carried out in different sites in an experimental design of randomized blocks with four replicates, with a spacing of 3.0 × 8.0 m. A large amount of genetic diversity was observed among accessions and the genotypes BGF 08 - 007, BGF 08 - 016, BGF 08 - 015 and BGF 08 - 021 were the most divergent in the overall evaluation. For the structuring of segregating populations, it is recommended to combine the genotypes BGF 08 - 016, BGF 08 - 015, BGF 08 - 007 and BGF 08 - 006, and for the interspecific crosses, a hybrid from the accession BGF - 024 with the accessions BGF 08 - 016 or BGF 08 - 015. This might generate superior individuals for mass descriptors, which are the most important for animal forage breeding.

The aim of this study was to evaluate different organic substrates and phosphorus doses on the growth and leaf content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in rootstocks of Tamarindus indica L. The experiment was performed in a greenhouse nursery located on the campus of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA), from March to October 2013. The treatments consisted of three organic sources at a concentration of 40% (v/v) (bovine manure, goat manure and a commercial organic compound) and four doses of simple superphosphate (0, 0 kg m-3, 2.5 kg m-3, 5.0 kg m-3 and 7.5 kg m-3). The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design (RBD), with 12 treatments (substrates), four replications and 10 plants per plot, totaling 480 plants. The goat manure and the organic compound were the most suitable treatments for the production of rootstocks of the tamarind tree. The maximum dose of 7.5 g kg-1 of simple superphosphate caused the highest levels of phosphorus and potassium in the dry mass of shoots. The nutrients in the dry matter of shoots accumulated in the following order: N > K > P.

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.

Three experiments were conducted to determine the nutritional composition of tilapia filleting waste meal (TFWM) for pigs in the initial phase. In the first experiment, the chemical composition and the values of digestible and metabolizable energy of TFWM were determined using 10 pigs (15.10 ± 0.74 kg), distributed in cages for metabolic research (2 treatments X 5 replicates). The TFWM replaced 20% of the reference diet based on corn and soybean meal. In the second experiment, the ileal digestibility coefficients of amino acids present in TFWM were determined, using chromic oxide as a marker, through the method of sacrifice, using 10 pigs (15.00 ± 0.27 kg), distributed in cages for metabolic research (2 treatments X 5 replicates). Treatments consisted of a basal diet and one without protein. In the third experiment, the performance of pigs fed diets containing different concentrations of TFWM (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%) was evaluated. Forty pigs (15.00 ± 0.87 kg), distributed in pairs in nursery pens (5 treatments X 4 replicates) were used. The values of digestible and metabolizable energy corresponded to 3,632 and 3,260 kcal/kg, respectively. Inclusion of up to 10% TFWM in the diet of barrows from 15 to 30 kg did not affect the average daily gain and feed conversion of the animals.

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).