This paper aimed to evaluate the initial growth of castor bean (Ricinus cummunis L.) in response to fertilization with sewage sludge and calcium and magnesium silicate. The experiment was conducted from July to August 2010 at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (ICA) in Montes Claros, UFMG - MG. The cultivation was carried out on a Cambisol, using as indicator plant castor bean (Ricinus communis) variety BRS Energy. The treatments, in factorial 2 x 4, in randomized block design with three replicates, were: two doses of calcium and magnesium silicate (0 and 1 t ha-1) and four doses of sewage sludge compost (0; 23,81; 47,62 and 71,43 t ha-1, in dry basis). In the experiment, plant height, crown diameter, stem diameter and leaf number were measurement. Calcium and magnesium silicate did not influence the growth characteristics of plant. On the other hand, the castor bean showed response to sewage sludge compost, expressing the maximum value of the growth characteristics at a dosage of 71.43 t ha-1, except for the number of leaves, which did not respond to any treatment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the precision of the Original Geometric Method and Modified Geometric Method, to estimate the individual volume of 100 trees of Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake, coming from a plantation with high variability of shape, with five years of age, located in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. For this, the trees were rigorously cubed and separated into five diameter classes with an amplitude of 3 cm, and their actual volumes were compared with volumes estimated by the respective methods, in an analysis of variance in factorial with two factors (diameter classes and methods). The results showed that, in general, the methods produced good estimates of volume, however, there was loss of precision in estimates related to a greater taper of the trees belonging to the largest diameter classes (DBH > 12 cm), with shape factors smaller than 0.46, as well as the presence of deformations on the stem.

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of five nitrogen doses (50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 kg ha-1) on yield components and yield of watermelon cv. Crimson Sweet. The experiment was carried out under field conditions at Boa Vista, RR, on January to April 2010, under yellow oxisol. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications. The length of the stems and leaf number were significantly affected by treatments at, 45 days after emergence (DAE), affecting also the dry matter total in the end of cycle. The estimated maximum yield of watermelon (40.428 kg ha-1) was obtained with 144.7 kg N ha-1, while for fruit fresh mass was 9.45 kg with the application of 248,5 kg ha-1 N. The pH of the fruits were not affected by treatments, while the sugar content of the watermelon, measured in degrees Brix, was affected by the depths of nitrogen.

Waste brine from water desalination is a highly salty residue that can be used to grow crops if carefully managed. The aim of this research was to examine the response of two species of the Caatinga (Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth and Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.)Poir) to five salinity levels [0.46 (control), 3.2, 3.78, 5.02 and 5.96 dS m-1] of irrigation water obtained by dilution of the waste brine from water desalination. The 2 x 5 factorial treatments were arranged according to a completely randomized design with three replications. At 81 days of cultivation, plants of sabiá and jurema preta were sensitive to salinity increase with the addition of waste water in irrigation, especially the sabiá, which decreases more intensely its dry weight of roots and leaves and leaf area. This decrease however, does not rule out the possibility of production of forest tree seedlings using reject water desalination.

This work aimed to evaluate the alimentary behavior of grazing lamps. Twenty-seven Santa Ines males, weighting 21.5 kg and 120 days old, were distributed in three different groups: no shade (NS), under shade (S) and under artificial shade (AS), receiving increasing levels of concentrate (0.0; 1.0 and 1.5% of corporal weight). It was observed no interaction between the studied factors. The variance analysis showed significant effect of supplementation in time for grazing by the animals which received 1.5% of corporal weight for supplementation. The resting time at AS was different (P<0.05) of the others p groups NS and S, which were similar between each other. Animals from NS looked for shade 2.3 times, differing (P<0.05) from AS group that looked for shade only 1.29 times. In conclusion, supplementation and use of shade systems affect the alimentary behavior and the performance of Santa Ines sheep grazing in the semiarid. The animals looked for more natural shade than for artificial shade, although, the total time that animals stayed under natural or artificial shade was the same, indicating the possible use of artificial shade systems to improve animals¿ thermal comfort in pastures with no shades.

In Brazil, postharvest diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms are a major problem that causes damage to around 80% of the total fruit production. In the lower middle São Francisco river valley numerous studies on identification and control of fungal diseases during postharvest of grapes are needed, in order to minimize losses in this step. In this context, bunches of seedless varieties 'Crimson', 'Sonaka'; 'Superior' and 'Thompson' were collected from July to November 2009, in order to identify and quantify the incidence of pathogenic fungi. The grapes were collected on five farms which specialize in the production of table grapes for export, all located in Juazeiro - BA and Petrolina - PE. During this period, 10 samples were taken. In the fruit farm five plants were used for sampling, and removal of two bunches of grapes per plant, totaling 10 bunches per variety. Subsequently, they were sent to the laboratory of Plant Pathology at UNEB/DTCS where they were placed separately in a moist chamber for 48 hours at an average temperature of 23 ºC. After this period, isolations of berries and stems in Petri plates containing PDA - potato-dextrose-agar were carried out with 10 repetitions, which were placed on benches under laboratory conditions. From the 8th day on, the presence of Aspergillus niger, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium herbarum, Lasiodiploidia theobromae was observed, which presented the highest incidence, as well as Rhizopus stolonifer, Penicillium expansum.

O objetivo geral deste trabalho foi avaliar e propor a ferramenta da análise de imagem de alta resolução, para os gestores públicos, no monitoramento e observação do sucesso de recuperação de áreas degradadas. Os objetivos específicos foram: i) obter os dados de índice de área foliar (IAF) e abertura de dossel em campo, ii) calcular a relação entre o IAF e a abertura de dossel mensurados em campo, iii) estimar a abertura de dossel através de imagem de alta resolução QuickBird, iv) aplicar a relação dos dados mensurados em campo para se obter os valores de IAF através da imagem, e v) realizar a análise de resíduos dos dados obtidos em campo com os obtidos na imagem, de doze espécies monitoradas no Parque Olhos Ecológico e de Uso Múltiplo D´água. As estimativas da abertura de dossel e do índice de área foliar em doze espécies de Cerrado, utilizando imagens de alta resolução mostraram-se eficazes, tanto pelo erro tolerável obtido (6,9%) a partir dos modelos, quanto pela praticidade que a imagem fornece: atende uma área maior e em uma escala temporal, sendo eficientes para avaliação da execução de projetos de revegetação.

A identificação das similaridades na qualidade das águas subterrâneas pode ajudar a reduzir o número de postos de monitoramento utilizados nos corpos hídricos. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi identificar similaridades na qualidade da água subterrânea usando a técnica de estatística multivariada conhecida como análise de agrupamento, no Distrito de Irrigação do Baixo Acaraú (DIBAU), no estado do Ceará. Dez poços rasos distribuídos aleatoriamente no DIBAU foram monitorados regularmente por um período de 27 meses (dez/2003 a nov/2005, nov/2006, mar e abr/2007). Para cada amostra foram analisados pH, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, CO3 2-, HCO3 -, SO4 2-, PO4 3-, NH4 +, NO3 -, condutividade elétrica (CE) e razão de adsorção de sódio (RAS). A estatística descritiva, a análise de agrupamento hierárquica e o t-test (1%) foram avaliados utilizando o software SPSS 16.0. No geral, com exceção de dois poços, a água foi classificada como ácida e o pH médio foi menor do que cinco. A concentração de fósforo foi sempre acima do limite recomendado para o consume humano (0,1 mg L-1). Além disso, a qualidade da água subterrânea foi utilizada para definir quatro agrupamentos que foram independentes da posição geográfica dos poços. Os valores de CE e as concentrações de sódio e cloreto distinguiram dois poços (P1 e P7) dos demais, e o pH, o Mg2+ e a RAS determinaram a dissimilaridade dos dois poços entre si.

The bromeliads are hardy plants with exotic beauty, appreciated by consumers worldwide. The species Ananas porteanus Hort ex C. Veitch Koch, in particular, shows great potential for floriculture. These plants acclimate easily to adverse environmental conditions like those found in semi-arid areas. To assess the salinity tolerance of A. porteanus there were two treatments, one without the addition of NaCl (control) and the other with 80 mmol L-1 NaCl. The experiment lasted 90 days and were evaluated in the shoot: shoot dry matter, chloride, sodium and potassium contents, Na + / K + rate, proline content, total soluble carbohydrates, total soluble proteins, total phenols, peroxidase activity, levels of chlorophyll "a" and "b" and membrane damage. Plants of A. porteanus treated with sodium chloride were able to maintain the integrity of the membrane at levels similar to those found in control plants and the maintenance of membrane integrity result in part from increased activity of peroxidase. The increase in proline and protein content also appears to be one of the strategies of this species to cope with damage caused by the excess of NaCl as well as the increase in levels of chlorophyll. Soluble carbohydrates are not used to adjust the osmotic potential in plants subjected to 80 mmol L-1 NaCl. The metabolic changes occurring in plants of A. porteanus treated with sodium chloride led to a new homeostasis that resulted in the plant tolerance to salt stress imposed.

The aim of this paper was to study the decomposition velocity of the sugar cane leaf in the own plantation in the Chã de Jardim Farm, belonging to Agrarian Sciences Center/UFPB-Areia, PB. It was used 10 g of dry leaves in litter bags measuring 30 cm x 20 cm, being these deposited in the soil superficial and in the depth of 15 cm, with biweekly collections during three months. A subplot design was used with 2 depths, 5 collection times and 3 repetitions. The largest decomposition rates happened in the subsuperficial treatment, mainly in the first 15 days, when it was lost 24.5% of the material, happening a stabilization soon after in the rate of disappearance of the biomass starting from the 30 days. The decomposition in the superficial and subsuperficial treatment followed a standard logarithmic with high correlation coefficient. In the surface, the decomposition rate was slower, having a decomposition peak to the 45 days with 24% of material loss and showing stability starting from 60 days. The superficial decomposition at the end of the experiment was the same percentile reached in the subsuperficial treatment before the 30 days, evidencing, therefore slower decomposition process and nutrients liberation for the soil in larger period.