The experiment was carried out at Plant Health Department of the Escola Superior de Agricultura de Mossoró, ESAM during the period of October to November of 2003, with the objective of evaluating the effect of different saline solution leveis on seed germination and development of seediings of song-thrush (Mimosa caesalpiniiflolia Benth.). A completely randomized experimental design was used with four treatments and four replicatíons of fifty seeds. The treatments consísted ofthree saline solutions (of 10, 20 and 30 dS/m) pius a control (0.614 dS/m). The seeds were incubated in sterilized sand into wood packing-case. The evaluated traits were emergency percentage, Índex of emergency speed, seediing height, number of leaves and seedlings fresh and dry mass. The increase of the leveis of solution salinity decreased the seediing height and Índex of emergency speed, besides of influencing on seed emergency percentage.

Nematodes are abundant metazoans in all ecosystems with some species surviving in extreme conditions. The sand dunes are dynamic systems and are always in a state of successional change in terms of succession and only recently has the distribution and succession of soil animals in coastal dunes been given wider attention. This research focused on to describe the trophic structure of nematode community associated with two stages of a vegetation succession in a coastal moving sand dunes ecosystem in the north shore of the Rio Grande do Norte State. Five sites were classified in two stages of an ecological succession defined as "beach" and "deflation hollows among dunes" where samples of soil, roots and shoots were collected. Nematodes were extracted from the soil by centrifugal flotation procedure and from the roots by this method associated to blender trituration and classified in families and trophic groups according to feeding habits. The structure of nematode fauna was described by maturity index, plant parasite index and modified maturity index and fungal feeders/bacterial feeders and omnivores+predators/bacterial feeders+fungal feeders+plant parasites rates. The ecosystem was characterized by low diversity of families which composed trophic groups, low values of maturity indexes and omnivores+predators/bacterial feeders+fungal feeders+plant parasites ratio and low abundance of dorylaimids. These datas reflected high level of disturbance which this habitat faces.

To have high yields it is necessary that seed of good quality be sowing and, to produce them, mother plants should receive appropriate treatment, like fertilization. Aiming evaluate how copper and zinc fertilization, in three types of soil, and its influence in physiological quality of sorghum seeds, in an experiment in randomized blocks with tree replicates. The treatments were a combination of five levels of Cu (0,0; 0,26; 0,90; 1,54; 1,80 mg kg-1 of soil) and five levels of Zn (0,0; 0,32; 1,10; 1,88; 2,20 mg kg-1 of soil), resulting in nine treatments in experimental matrix Central Box. Seeds produced were analyzed of hundred seed weight, germination and vigor (germination first count, IVG, emergence, emergence first count, IVE and seedlings dry matter). The levels of copper and zinc increased hundred seed weight and vigor tests. Plants cultivated in Haplustalf produced seed with the best quality.

The experiment was carried out to determine the effect of intermittently drain tilapia ponds for vegetable irrigation. A completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement 2X3, with three replications was used in this experiment. The first factor was kind of feed: feed 1 - without animal ingredients; feed 2 - with the inclusion of shrimp meal; and feed 3 - with the inclusion of fish meal. The second factor was pond drainage scheme, where in the scheme 1, ponds were intermittently drained for irrigation and subsequently refilled; and in the scheme 2, ponds were not drained. Sexually reversed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with average weight of 1.66 g were randomly stocked at the experimental ponds, with thirty five fish per tank, in a stock density of 1.25 fish per m2. Fish were fed two times a day in a proportion of 5% of body weight. There was a significant effect for tank drainage scheme for the variables feed conversion ratio and survival (P<0.05) where tilapias cultured on ponds intermittently drained for irrigation had higher survival and better feed conversion ratio. There was no significant effect (P>0.05) on the interaction between kind of feed and tank drainage scheme for any of the studied variables. Feed type and pond drainage scheme had no effect on weight gain (P>0.05). Therefore, it can conclude that intermittently drained fish ponds, for irrigation, results in the best tilapia's performance in terms of feed convertion and survival.

The quality of irrigation water is one of the environmental factors that can affect the initial growth of the culture of melon. This study aimed to evaluate the emergence of seedlings of melon, hybrids Goldex and Vereda 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 February and April 2007. The treatments were organized in a completely randomized design in factorial scheme 2 x 6 (two hybrids of melon plant Goldex and Vereda, and six levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water: 0,45; 1,30; 2,15; 3,00; 3,85; 4,70 dS m-1), with four replications. Evaluation of speed of emergence-index, height of the aerial part of the seedling, dry mass of the aerial part of the seedling and seedling emergence. The salinity interfered in all parameters measured, and that as of 2.5 dS m-1 were more harmful to the hybrid Goldex that Vereda.

This assay was conducted at the Departamento Ciências Vegetais of Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, with the objective to evaluate the tolerance of the jitirana (aegyptia Merremia L.), in saline solution. The used experimental delineation was the inteiramento casualizado with four treatments and four repetitions. The treatments had evidenced of four levels of salinity: testemunha (0,614ds/m) and the three saline solutions the 10, 20 and 30ds/m. The seeds had been incubadas in the sand esterilizada in caixotes wooden with capacity of 100 sementes.O parameter germination percentage were used as identification character of resistance. Ahead of the displayed one one concludes that the jitirana is tolerant the salinity since the same dS/m came to present reduction in the germination only in the C.E=30.

Moringa oleifera Lam is a leguminous species well adapted to arid and semi arid conditions and is largely used as ornamental for parks and gardens in the animal feeding and human diet and as medicinal. Since research informations on this plant species are scarce, the current work aimed to evaluate the production of leaves, stems and roots dry matter in Moringa oleifera Lam seedlings hidroponicaly grown under physiological conditions or not. The treatments used were the following: (1) nutrient solution containing all required macronutrients (experimental control) or lacking (2) N; (3) P; (4) K; (5) Ca; (6) Mg and (7) S. The Moringa oleifera Lam showed different responses to the imposed treatments. Nutrient solution free of N, P and Mg decreased whole dry matter production (WDM) and increased root to shoot ratios (R/S), however both parameters were not affected in plants grown under absence of K, Ca and S in the nutrient solution.

The slag represent an alternative recommended to replace the traditional source of corrective or fertilizers. This study evaluated different base saturation levels, comparing basic slag to dolomitic limestone as soil acidity corrective agents and in the availability of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Thus, one experiment involving soil incubation was conducted in laboratory, during 60 days. The treatments consisted of two corrective agents: dolomitic limestone and basic slag, evaluated by the base saturation method, with eight correction levels (V%) (56, 58, 60, 62, 65, 67, 69 e 71 %) and two replicates. After the incubation period the soil samples was analyzed chemically. The application of the corrective agents promoted efficient neutralization of acidity in soil, especially when basic slag was used. The Ca + Mg level increased depending on the increasing amounts of correctives, reducing the K (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-0,5 ratio. The neutralization of acidity in soil reaction was fast when the slag was used. The soil available P did not increase with increasing levels of soil acidity correctives.

Solanum paludosum, vulgarly known as purple Jurubeba is a species of the found in the Brazilian Northeast and rich solanácea family in molecules of farmacológico interest. Among these molecules it is distinguished solasodina that it is an esteroidal alkali that if presents in nature in the glicosídica form and consists in substance cousin for the half-synthesis of adrenocorticais and glicocorticais, used hormones as contraceptive and anti-inflamatorios agents. In this work they show if the cultivated results of regeneration from explantes of leaves, fragments of hypocotyls and root in half MS increased of different regulators of growth. Most efficient that one had been gotten plants in ways of culture contends different combinations in growth regulators being the combination that contained the ácidoindlicoacetico (AIA 10-6) and benzilaminapurina (BAP 10-5M).

The experiment was conducted at "sitio cantos" of UFERSA, to evaluate the green mass production and the effect of the cut age (42, 56, 70, 84 and 98 days) on chemical-composition of the canarana erecta hay, cultivated in semi-arid climate area. The DM, CP, OM and ashes levels were affected by treatments. The age of 42 days presented production of green matter (45,88 ton/ha/year), and the CP (6,64%), EE (2,15%) and ash (14,08%) levels superior to the other ages, being therefore the more indicated for haymaking.