Manihot pseudoglasiovii is considered an excellent forage, as for its nutritional value as for the high degree of palatability. Like as other native plants of the semiarid regions it, can be considered a resource of important strategical use. It is an alternative not only for the dry period the entire year, in a conservation system. This work had as objective of study the growthof maniçoba in relation is density (1,5 x 1,5 and 2 x 2) and fertilization (manure of bovine, goat/sheep and without fertilization). It was used an experimental desing of blocks casualizaed with treatments distributed in 2 x 3 factorial. The experiment was out through in the Department of Zootecnia of Center of Agrarian Sciences of the UFPB, in Campus II in Areia-PB. There had been evaluated morphologic characteristic (Height of plant, diameter of caule, area of the pantry, leaf number and number of bifurcations) and productive characteristic (leaf production, production of branches, production of total fitomass substance and total dry substance)The analyses of variance were made employng the SAEG program. The and analyses of regression of the morfological characteristics on the time. Were mande visig SAEG program too. In accordance with the results obtaimed in this study, the different densities had not presented significant difference. However by total production for area the results were favorable to the higher density (1.5 x 1.5). Already the fertilizations with bovine and goat/sheep manures, although had shown no between them difference, had present statistical difference from treatment without fertilization, shoung higher pr.

The quality of irrigation water is one of the environmental factors that can affect the initial growth of the culture of gherkin. Therefore, the aim of this work to evaluate germination in different levels of salinity of irrigation water. The study was carried out at the Seed Analysis Laboratory of the Department of Crop Science of the UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, between September and October 2007. The treatments were organized in a completely randomized design whit six levels of water salinity (0.00; -0.04 MPa; -0.08 MPa; -0.12 MPa; -0.16 MPa and -0.20 MPa) and four replications. Percentage of germination, speed of germination index and dry weight were evaluated. Results showed that the gradual reduction of the osmotic potential of substrate is harmful to seed germination of gherkin seeds. Osmotic potentials lower than -0.04 MPa were considered as critical.

The sweet potato stands out as one of the most important vegetables for Northeastern cookery, being source of energy and mineral salts. This work was driven with the objective of evaluating the propagation in vitro of you cultivars of sweet potato under different concentrations of BAP (6_Benzilaminopurina). The adopted statistical design was it entirely randomized, in factorial scheme 5 x 5, with 10 repetitions. The first factor consisted of 5 sweet potato cultivars (ESAM 1, ESAM 2, ESAM 3, California and Branca RJ) and the second of 5 concentrations of BAP (0.0; 1.25; 2.50; 3.75 and 5.0 ¿Mol L-1). You cultivate them appraised they answered the concentrations of the growth regulator distinctly. In all of the studied cultivars the presence of calluses was influenced by the concentrations of BAP.

This research was conducted to evaluate the physiological and sanity quality of melon (Cucumis melo L.) seeds used in agricultural region Assu-Baraúna-Mosssó in the Rio Grande do Norte. For seed lots each from the hybrids Goldex and Vereda were used. Research was conducted at the Seed Analysis Laboratory and Irrigation Agricultural of the Department of Crop Science of the UFERSA from August 2006 to July 2007. The physiological quality was evaluated by the germination, first count germination, accelerated aging, emergence speed index, electrical conductivity and seedling emergence, beyond the seed moisture content. The sanity was determinated by the method of filter paper with freezer, in four replications with 100 seeds per lot and completly randomized design. From the results obtained, it was concluded that first count germination, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity and seedling emergence tests only identified low and high seed lot from the hybrids Goldex and Vereda. The electrical conductivity test is most indicated to estimation of melon seed physiological potential, it was also possible to reduce the imbibition period of seeds prior this test. The pathogens associated with melon seeds were Aspergillus spp., Fusarium sp. and Macrophomina sp. and the physiological quality of seeds was not affected with the microrganisms presence.

The weed control procedures are known to affect the soil physical attributes and the nutrient amount taken up by weed roots. This work hypothesis is that weed control methods might also affect soil chemical attributes. Four experiments were carried out, three with maize (E-1, E-2 and E-3) and one with cotton (E-4), in randomized complete blocks design arranged in split-plots, with five replications. In E-1 experiment, the plots consisted of two weed control treatments: no-weed control and weed shovel-digging at 20 and 40 days after sowing; and the subplots consisted of six maize cultivars. In the three other experiments, the plots consisted of plant cultivars: four maize cultivars (E-2 and E-3) and four cotton cultivars (E-4). And, the subplots consisted of three weed control treatments: (1) no-weed control; (2) weed shovel-digging at 20 and 40 days after sowing; and (3) intercropping with cowpea (E-2) or Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp. (E-3 and E-4). In all experiments, after harvest, eight soil samples were collected from each subplot (0-20 cm depth) and composed in one sample. Soil chemical analysis results indicated that the weed control by shovel-digging or intercropping may increase or decrease some soil element concentrations and the alterations depend on the element and experiment considered. In E-2, the weed shovel-dug plots showed intermediate soil pH, lower S (sum of bases) values and higher soil P concentrations than the other plots. In E-4, soil K and Na concentrations in plots without weed control did not differ from plots with intercropping, and in both, K and Na values were higher than in weed shovel-dug plots. Maize and cotton cultivars did not affect soil chemical characteristics.

The present research describes the defensive behavior of Haplostegus nigricrus Conde (Hymenoptera: Pergidae) larvae exposed to the stink bug predators Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas), Supputius cincticeps (Stal) e Brontocoris tabidus (Signoret) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). The main defensive strategy of H. nigricrus seems to be the regurgitation of toxic compounds and the continuous exhibition by the mouth, because all predators died until 24 hours after the direct contact. Only B. tabidus reached the adult phase with H. nigricus larvae as diet what suggests the higher tolerance and hability for detoxication of chemical compounds from that Symphyta.

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the genetic divergence of a melon population of the Plant Breeding Program from the Federal University of Alagoas. The following quantitative characteristics were evaluated: the fruit weight (FW), the longitudinal fruit (LFL) and transversal fruit (TFL) lengths; the skin (SFT) and the pulp¿s (SPF) thicknesses; and number of seeds (NSF). For the evaluation of the genetic divergence, a multi varied analysis was used by means of the main component method, which graphical dispersion was done from the two first components and from the euclidean distance average standardized, being that the grouping among the similar families done by the Tocher Method. The results suggest genetic divergence among the families, indicated by the two techniques used. The two first main components were able to explain 72.36% of the existing variability, being the TFL and FW variables which contributed more to the divergence. Considerable genetic divergence among the families was verified and that some of these are promises for use in genetic improvement programs.

This study aimed at knowing the diversity of fruit fly species (Diptera: Tephritidae) and discussing the influence of abiotic factors on the population fluctuation of these species on a guava (Psidium guajava L.) orchard in Russas, CE. Two McPhail traps baited with protein hydrolisate at 5% were set up on the orchard. The traps were serviced weekly and all the insects captured were transported to the laboratory where the fruit flies were separated from other insects, counted and preserved in alcohol (70%). The survey was carried out from January to December 2003. Tephritids were identified at the Laboratório de Moscas-das-Frutas at UFERSA, in Mossoró (RN). Population fluctuation was calculated based on the number of flies/trap/day, considering the total number of males and females of Anastrepha and Ceratitis. Climate data used in this study were obtained from CENTEC weather station. The correlation between population fluctuation and abiotic factors was analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficient at the 5% level. A total of 1,164 fruit flies belonging to four species were captured - Anastrepha zenildae Zucchi (77.45%), A. sororcula Zucchi (18.69%), A. obliqua (Macquart) (0.15%) and Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) (3.71%). Among the abiotic factors, temperature and relative humidity were the ones that most indirectly influenced the population fluctuation of fruit flies. However, the availability of host fruits is the preponderant factor that determines the populational peaks of fruit fly species throughout the year on this guava orchard in Russas (CE).

The water and soil natural resources in the semi-arid tropics are under pressure and are inclined to degradation due to the severe environment and shallow soils, in ecologically sensitive regions to anthropic actions. In view of the above, this work aimed to characterize the structure and the hydraulic evaluation of the surface water typical of interrill erosion, in a caatinga area of Serra Talhada country in Brazil. For this the quadrant point method was used in the structural characterization of the vegetation of caatinga for trees and shrubby species. Laminar surface regime was generated from a rain simulator in 2 m2 plots with caatinga in the humid and dry seasons. The differentiations of the flow rates, average surface water speed and the Reynolds number, had demonstrated the significant effect of seasonality on the characteristic laminar surface water of the interrill erosion. The observed tree-shrub structure of caatinga contributed to the low values of runoff coefficient of the interrill areas, demonstrating the efficiency of caatinga, and its resulting vegetated cover in the interception of rain and, in the delay of the surface water. The low values runoff also observed also contributed to the high rates of infiltration of water.

Corn yield losses caused by weeds may reach up to 80%. Reducing the use of herbicides is one of agriculture's major goals and several alternatives are currently being investigated, including intercropping. In the Brazilian Northeast, corn intercropping with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is extensively practiced, and there is interest in evaluating weed control under this type of intercropping. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of different cowpea planting times, intercropped with corn, on green ear yield of two corn cultivars. The experiment was carried out under randomized design blocks with four replications. AG 1051 and AG 2060 corn cultivars were submitted to the following treatments: no hoeing, two hoeings (20 and 40 days after planting), and cowpea planting (BR 4 - Mulato cultivar, with indeterminate growth) at corn planting and at 5, 10, and 15 days later. Twenty-eight weed species were found in the experiment area. In all characteristics evaluated, except for plant height, ear height, and total number of green ears, where no difference occurred between treatments, the lack of weeding determined the smallest means, while weed control determined the highest. In plots where cowpea was sown, intermediate means were obtained for number and weight of marketable unhusked green ears and for number and weight of marketable husked ears. This suggests that cowpea controlled weeds to a certain extent, especially when it is planted earlier, which was, however, insufficient to avoid green ears yield loss. The corn cultivars evaluated were not different among themselves, except with regard to ear height. The cowpea grain yields were practically null in all plots.