The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the urban waste compost on the yield and heavy metals concentrations in red beet plants (Beta vulgaris L.) in soils with different textures. The experiment was carried out in greenhouse in polyethylene recipients of 9 dm3. The experimental treatments resulted from a 3 x 4 factorial arrangement of a Red Yellow Latosol, sandy clay loam, (LVAfaa), a Red Yellow Latosol, loamy sand, (LVAfa) and a Quartzarenic Neosol, sand loam, (RQ), combined with the urban waste compost doses of 0, 30, 60 and 90 t/ha, in dry base. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with three replications of the treatments. Soil pH, fresh and dry matter weight and Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb and Ni concentrations in the soil and the leaf tissue were determined. Amongst heavy metals determined, Zn and Cu had been only influenced by the soil texture, being biggest concentrations in the soil with bigger amount of clay. The dry and fresh weights of the red beet root had increased with the increment of the doses of compost, having reached maximum values, inside of the experimental interval, with the 90 t.ha-1. Otherwise, the heavy metal content in red beet root decreased with the increase of the doses of compost. As much the Ni how much the Pb had presented content level in root above of the allowed maximum limits for the consumption, as values established for the Brazilian legislation.

The objective of the work was to evaluate the effect of the osmotic and hydric conditioning on the physiological quality of seeds of herbaceous cotton. The practices were carried out in the Laboratory of Phytotecny of the Polytechnical University of Madrid, Spain, in 2006. Used seeds of cotton chemically deslinted of cultivar Panton. Was realized two practices of osmotic conditioning: seeds submitted to osmotic solutions of PEG 6000 (-0,25 MPa) and of potassium nitrate (3 M) in the seven times of osmotic conditioning (0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 h) to temperature of 20 °C. As the hydric conditioning, the seeds were imbibitions with and without water renewal, in function of the times of immersion: 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 hours. The variable analyzed were percentage of germination and length of seedlings. The experimental design was entirely randomized with four repetitions. The osmotics solutions of PEG and potassium nitrate were not favorable for germination of the seeds, however the vigor of the seeds was increased by both osmotics solutions in some conditions studied. The hydric conditioning was more effective to increased the vigor of the cotton seeds, but were not efficient to increased its germinative potential.

The research had the objective to determinate the ideal substrate for the germination of pitaya seeds in laboratorial conditions. The experiment was carried out in the Unesp - São Paulo State University - Campus of Jaboticabal - Brazil, using seeds that were extracted of a ripe fruit and testing the substrates: filter paper; vermiculite; sand; commercial substrate with pinus (Plantmax); coconut fiber (Amafibra); soil, sand and manure in the proportion of 3:1:1, being that the filter paper provided the largest values to percentage of germination among them, showing be the more appropriate.

Objectified in this study to determine the composition of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in the perennial soy (Neonotonia wightii), leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) and guandu (Cajanus cajan). The samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after the acid hydrolyses or preoxidation. The higher and lower levels of soluble crude protein (A fraction) were obtained with leucaena and guandu (33.92 and 16.87%, respectively) and the higher and lower levels of acid detergent insoluble protein (ADIP) were obtained with guandu and rami (26.68 e 2.83%). It were registered higher concentration of essential amino acids in rami (48.06%) and lower concentration in cassava (42.20%), being verified with it the higher level in lysine and methionine to the rami (6.41e 2.66%, respectively), and lower level to the cassava (5.49%) and to the guandu (2.02%) respectively. It were registered too higher concentration of non-essential amino acids to the rami (47.11%) and the lower level to the perennial soy (42.20%). Therefore, it can be concluded to the correct evaluation of these foods, should be considered the amino acid composition and fractionation of the crude protein, because the simply analysis of crude protein don't represent precisely and don't propitiate the correct estimative of the profile and biodisponibility of amino acids that them escape and flow to the intestinal tract of the animal and your metabolism.

A Caatinga vegetation was submitted to various grazing intensities (GI) by steers (1981-84) to verify their effect on ligneous stratum degradation. The study involved four GI: Heavy (1 steer/6.7 ha); Moderate (1 steer/10.0 ha); Light (1 steer/13.3 ha); Exclosure (no grazing). Areas under grazing varied from 40 to 80 ha, whereas exclosure had 20 ha. The research had two replications, occupying a total area of 400 ha. Data of woody species new plants density (NP) were determined annually in 1 m2 plots, and data of shrubs and trees density were determined by Point-Centered Quarter Method in 1982 and in 1984. NP density (Mean = 3.38 plants/m2) was neither affected by GI, nor by years, although it was highest in 1984 (3.83 plants/m2), the rainiest year. Taking into account the eight areas, there was linear relation (P<0.01) between 1982 and 1984 tree densities. There was linear relation between tree density and density of tree species in shrub stages in 1982, but not in 1984, because the drought probably affected shrubs but not trees. There was, for some tree and shrub species, linear relation between adult plant and NP densities. This fact occurred more in 1982. There was in 1983 a very high germination of the tree Tabebuia spongiosa (22.14 seedlings/m2), there being a linear relation (P<0.01) between NP and tree density.

Hydroponics is a method of culture which offers producers a larger number of cycles throughout the year, and value aggregated to vegetables. Empiricism, however, in the use of nutritive solutions, and the non-adoption of harvest times at which lower nitrate content can be achieved, may lead to a drop in produce quality due to the accumulation of nitrate. An experiment using a hydroponic method, the NFT, was conducted in the spring of 2003, in Jaboticabal, SP, aimed at evaluating nitrogen concentration in the nutritive solution (60,8; 121,6; 182,5; 243,5 mg L-1), rocket cultivars (Cultivada, Folha Larga and Selvática) and harvest time factors (7 a.m., noon and 5 p.m.) in nitrate content of rocket. The experiment was carried out in a randomized blocks design and a 4 x 3 x 3 factorial design, with four replications. For nitrogen concentration in the nutritive solution of 93 mg L-1, which showed higher MFPA, nitrate content was 598,4 mg kg-1 NO3 - fresh matter for rocket harvested at 7 a.m.

This work was carried out under greenhouse conditions to evaluate the growth and the mineral nutrition of the stylosanthes in response to levels of sugar-cane bagasse used as substrate for multiplication of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and tested as inoculant. Randomized blocks design was used in a 4 x 3 factorial, being four levels of the sugar-cane bagasse (5, 10, 15 and 20% of the volume of the pot of 6 L) and three microbiology treatments (Control; Native Inoculum and Glomus clarum), with four repetitions. The shoot were harvested 60 days after seeding and it was analyzed the dry matter yield (DM) and root (DMR), the accumulations of crude protein (CP), P, K, Ca, Mg and S; the mycorrhizal colonization, density of spores and number of nodules. The sugar-cane bagasse promote lineal increment in the production of DM independent of the mycorrhizal inoculation. In of DMR, there is interaction between levels of sugar-cane bagasse and microbiology treatments. The inoculation with the native inoculum increases the accumulated amounts of P, K, Ca, Mg and S; the density of spores and number of nodules, the same not happening for the Glomus clarum. Crude protein and mycorrhizal colonization were not influenced by the treatments.

The effect of tannery sludge on the cellulose decomposition was studied in the laboratory as a dose-response experiment. Cellulose decomposition rates were determined by the weight loss from cellulose filter disks buried in soil samples. The amount of tannery sludge used were 0, 11, 22, 44, 88 and 172 Mg ha-1, and, corresponded, respectively, to incorporation of 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 mg Cr3+ kg-1 of soil. The cellulose filter disks presented different degrees of decomposition with application of tannery sludge. After 30 days of incubation the cellulose decomposition rate, corresponding to application of 11, 22 and 44 Mg ha-1 were higher than soil untreated (control), respectively 5%, 20% and 10%, but the difference was only significant for the 22 Mg ha-1. There was a significant decrease of 50% in the cellulose decomposition, compared to untreated soil (control), with application of 172 Mg ha-1 of tannery sludge. This study has demonstrated that cellulolytic activities are susceptible to be inhibited by high rates of tannery sludge. When applied to low amounts, tannery sludge did not affect cellulose decomposition by the soil microflora.

The present work, Brachiária decumbens Stapf., to the application of lime, nitrogen and zinc in the quality of dry matter to evaluate residual the reply of the during four cuts. For this, an experiment was installed in the UNESP/FEIS, Selvíria-MS, a distrofic Red Latosol (october/1996 may/1997). The experimental design was blocks randomized, in factorial project 3x3x2, with 4 repetitions. The treatments had been composites for three rates of nitrogen: 0; 50 and 100kg ha-1, three rates of lime: 0; 267 and 556 kg ha-1 and two rates of zinc (0 and 5 kg ha-1), applied in the first year and reapplied in as the year, except the lime. In as the year of experimentation, one became fullfilled three cuts in the grass to the 10 cm of the soil, with intervals of 49 days, for the evaluation of the text of crude protein, coefficient of digestibility "in situ" of the dry matter and content neutral detergent fiber. The crude protein, increased with the fertilization nitrogen in all the cuts of the grass, however, the effect of the application of Zn and limestone, in the increment of the crude protein, was restricted only in as the cut. In as the cut it had positive interaction of N and Zn. The digestibility coefficient was increased with the application of the limestone only in the third cut, while in as cut had this increase occurred only with use of the biggest dose of N. The nitrogen fertilization diminished the neutral detergent fiber in the first cut of the grass, and increased in excessively the cuts. While, the zinc and lime application did not affect the neutral detergent fiber in the three cuts of the grass.

In environmental studies is important to know the adsorption process of heavy metals in clay minerals, since they are able to immobilize these metals. Knowing the cations adsorption is influenced for several factors, the objective of this research was to study the copper adsorption process by bentonite clay and to evaluate the electrolyte type and pH influence on this process. In order to quantify the adsorbed copper, 2 g of bentonite clay were equilibrated for 24 hours with 20 mL of a NaNO3 (0,01 mol L-1) solution and with 20 mL of water containing different quantities of copper (5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100,120 mg L-1) as background solutions of pH values 4 and 6. Langmuir's adsorption equation in its linearized form was applied and the values of the maximum capacity and those of the constant related to the bonding energy were obtained. Langmuir isotherms presented two distinct adsorption regions at both pH 4 and pH 6, showing that the adsorptive phenomenon occurs in two distinct stages. The adsorption of copper depends on pH and ionic strength and it increased with an increase in pH and decreased slightly with an increase in ionic strength. The maximum capacity of adsorption and the bonding energy varied with the pH, with electrolyte used and with the adsorption regions.