With the purpose of evaluating effects of salinity of irrigation water on initial development of rootstocks of guava (Psidium guajava L), an experiment was conducted in greenhouse at Experimental Station of Pacajus, belonging to Embrapa Tropical Agroindustry in the State of Ceará. The treatments in randomized block design consisted of five levels of electrical conductivity of water (ECw: 0.5; 1.5; 2.5; 3.5 and 4.5 dS m-1) and two cultivars of guava (Rica and Ogawa) with four replications. The irrigation waters were prepared maintaining equivalent proportion of 7:2:1 respectively of Na:Ca:Mg. Seedlings were appraised 80 days after emergence, the effects, on number of leaves, plant height, diameter of stem, phytomass of the root and aerial parts, total phytomass, diameter, leaf area and root to aerial part ratio were studied. The increment of water salinity affected growth of cultivar in terms of number of leaves, stem diameter plant height, the Ogawa cultivar was found to be more affected. In highest level of water salinity (4.5 dS m-1) the relative reduction in total dry phytomass in case of cultivar Rica was 63.5% while the decrease in cultivar Ogawa was higher (77.4%); with regard to leaf area the effect was linear with reduction of 17.2% and 18.4%, respectively, for unit increase of water salinity. In cultivar Rica roots and in cultivar Ogawa the aerial parts were most affected negatively by water salinity.

The objective of this paper was to know the species of the leafminer (Diptera: Agromyzidae) associated with melon plant Cucumis melo L., in the Chapada do Apodi, semi-arid region of the Rio Grande do Norte state, and report losses due to leafminer mining. This way, leaves infested with leafminer larvae were collected in the field and carried to laboratory, in order to obtain pupae. These pupae were placed inside glass containers until adults emergence. All identified adults belonged to Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess). In some farms leafminer caused losts that range from 10 to 15% of the whole area, due to low fruit ºbrix value. From pupae also emerged some Opius sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) individuals, a leafminer natural enemy, endoparasites the larva-pupae of L. trifolii.

The lack of information on seedlings production mainly with respect to the use of residuary water for irrigation and soil subtracts and the sustainability aspect of the production justified the present study. The work was conducted on a greenhouse using the flamboyant (Delonix regia) a forestall specie widely used on reforestation. It was used a randomized block design with four subtracts: soil, soil + NPK, soil + organic compost and soil + biossolid , and two irrigation waters: normal and residuary water, arranged in a factorial form, totalizing fifty six experimental units in seven blocks. At the end of 100 days the plant variables were measured and the data analyzed statistically. Treatments and interactions affected the number of leaves, leaf area, plant height and the aerial plant weight, observing the best results when the residuary water was used for irrigation and when the plant was developed on the soil + organic compost and soil + biossolid subtracts. For the stem diameter and root weight just the subtract nature affected the seedlings, obtaining the best results on the soil + organic compost subtract. The root length was not affected by the treatments.

The present work had for objective to evaluate the quality of the yellow passion fruit marketed in Rio Branco, in the state of the Acre. This research was accomplished the months of April and May of 2006. It was collected fruits of four commercial establishments, being three supermarkets (A,B,C) and a free market (D). The experimental design was in randomized complete blocks with four treatments and seven replications (collection time). The experimental unit was constituted of fifteen fruits. Medium mass of the fruit of 177,62 g, revenue of pulp of 44,44%, thickness of the peel of 6,98 mm, color of the peel varying of 2 (partially it yellows) to 3 (totally it yellows), format index of 1,16, length of 90,26 mm, diameter of 73,83 mm and class varying from 3 to 4. The appearance intern e had index of 3,87 (seeds and pulp stuck to the endocarp and 80% of the juice in the arilos). Fruits with light damages in the of peel were 91,18% and 14,96% with deep damages, classified in the category III. The fruits presented the following composition: 38 mg 100g-1 of vitamin C, 11% of total soluble solids, 5,2% of titlatable total acidity total and ratio of 2,3. The medium price to the consumer was of R$2.55/kg. It was verified by the characteristics analyzed that the establishment A, B and C presented better quality of the fruits in relation to the medium mass, diameter, length and format index. The establishment B markets fruits with larger market price (R$3.68/kg). Therefore, the passion fruit marketed in the municipal district of Rio Branco it is of low quality and prices above the production cost.

An experiment was carried out under greenhouse condition at orchard of Universidade Federal de Lavras, MG with aim studing the effect of different levels of organic matter in the seedling production of papaya Formosa. The experimental design used was of randomized blocks complet with four treatment and four replication. The treatments composited of four percentages of organic compost (0%; 10%; 20% and 40% of the total volume). Each plot 16 seedlings, one for each recipient. After 140 days of sowing, it was evaluated the following characteristics: plant height (cm), number of leaves/plant, shoot dry matter, root and total (g/plant). The presence of organic matter on substrate allawed a higher growth of papaya seedlings. The presence of40% of organic compost on the substrate was the best posibility alternative of organic matter for production of papaya seedlings.

An experiment was carried out in the Botanical Laboratory of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA), Mossoró-RN, aiming to evaluate the efficiency of dormancy breaking methods on seed germination of scarlet starglory in hypochloride sodium. A completely randomized desing was used with five treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of T1 - Seed immersion in hypochloride sodium for 15 minutes, T2 - Seed immersion in hypochloride sodium for 25 minutes, T3 - Seed immersion in hypochloride sodium for 35 minutes, T4 - Seed immersion in hypochloride sodium for 45 minutes, T5 - No mechanical scarification and no seed immersion in hypochloride sodium. The seeds in all treatments were submitted to the immersion in boiling water for one minute for posterior process of steeping in cold water for 24 hours. All seeds were mechanically scarifield for 30 minutes before the immersion in hypochloride sodium. Evaluations for plant height, root length, shoot fresh and dry mass, seed germination percentage and germination speed index (GSI) were made. It was observed that the increase in immersion time in hypochloride sodium increased the percentage in the first seed couting, seed germination percentage and germination speed index, reaching maximum values of 94.07%, 98.49% and 17.48, respectively.

The predatory mite Euseius alatus DeLeon has been reported in several economic crops in Brazil, with certified importance in fruit trees and coffee. In order to establish an integrated pest management program it is important to determine the efficient pesticides in pests control, but presenting low impact to predators. This work had the objective of evaluating the toxicity of acaricides (abamectin, azocyclotin, diafenthiuron, dicofol, sulphur, fenpropathrin, fenpyroximate, propargite, tetradifon) to eggs and adult females of E. alatus. Leaf discs of "feijão de porco" (Canavalia ensiformes L.) containing 10 eggs of E. alatus were immersed into the acaricides dilutions, during five seconds, and dried for 30 minutes under room temperature. Treated eggs were observed up to 72h to determine egg survival. The residual effect of the same acaricides to adult females of E. alatus was studied using arena constituted by treated leaf disc. Ten adult females were confined per arena, 30 minutes, 24h and 72h after immersing the discs into the acaricides dilutions. Mortality was measured 24, 48 and 72h after confining the females on the treated leaf discs. All tested acaricides showed low impact on egg survival, except for fenpropathrin that caused reduction of egg survival at rate of 66%. The acaricides azocyclotin, diafenthiuron, tetradifon and abamectin caused 100% of mortality to adult females. Otherwise, diafenthiuron (500g de a.i./Kg), fenpyroximate (50g de a.i./L), propargite (720g de a.i./L) and tetradifon (80g de a.i./L) caused lower impact to adult females of E. alatus and, therefore, being of potential recommendation into an integrated pest management.

The aim of this work was to examine the effect of different temperatures on germination of the seeds in O. canum. The seeds had been washed in under water and after immersed for 30s in water with environmenttemperature, 25, 30 (control), 50, 75 and 100ºC. After that it was immersed per 5 minutes in fungicidal solution and later washed by 10s with water and placed to germinate in plates of Petri conditioned in germination chamber regulated to provide temperature of 25 ± 1,0ºC and photoperiod of 12 hours. The completely randon design was used in experiment, with 5 treatments and 10 repetitions, resulting in 50 parcels. Each experimental unit wasconstituted of a plate of Petri contends 10 seeds. The averages had been compared by the Scott-Knott test at 5% level of probability. The germination rate was statistically equal in the control and the temperatures of 25, 50 and 75ºC, being superior to that one gotten to 100ºC. The temperature of 30ºC was the one that provided the biggest rate of germination, while that of 100ºC is not indicated for the breaking in dormancy of thisspecies, since it promoted the death of the embryo.

Aiming to evaluate seedling emergence of black sapote (Diospyros ebenaster Retz.) it was developed an experiment with seeds, collected on mature fruits, proceeding from Germoplasm Bank of Horticulture Department, University of São Paulo State, Jaboticabal, Brazil. Immediately after extracted, the seeds were washed, dried in paper and put in plastic box filled with the substrate studied, thus characterizing four treatments, as follows: Plantmaxâ; Coconut fiberâ; Sand; Soil mix [soil + sand + bovine manure (3:3:1)]. It was observed emergence percentage (E%) and rate of emergence speed (RES). The different substrates had statisticalinfluence on variable studied. The highest E% was obtained on soil mix, Plantmaxâ and Coconut fiberâ substrates and the best RES was observed on soil mix and Plantmax? substrates.

This experiment was carried out in the greenhouse of the Departament of Animal Production/ UFRPE, from november of 2002 to may of 2003. The work objective was to evaluate the chemical composition of different Panicum maximum Jacq. cultivars submitted to different levels of nitrogen fertilization. It was used a complete randomized experimental design and the treatments were represented by the factorial arragement of the cultivars Massai, Atlas and Tobiatã and the nitrogen fertilization (0, 80, 160 and 320 kg of N.ha-1.year-1), with four replications. The plants were cut 60 days after-seeding for uniformization and three cuts were carried out with intervals of 35 days and intensity of 10 cm. It was determined concentration of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Massai presented lesser crude CP (12,7%) and greater NDF concentration (60,8%) than the other cultivars. There was significant effect of the nitrogen fertilization for the CP and NDF. The increase in the nitrogen level raised the CP concentration and reduced the FDN concentration of the studied plants. The Atlas may be considered the cultivar that presented the best chemical composition because its satisfactory CP concentration (15,3%) associate to the lesser NDF concentration (58,8%).