Stachytarpheta coccinea Schauer (Verbenaceae) is recorded for the first time to the Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazilian Northeast. This species was found in Caatinga vegetation especially at the region Western of the State. Description, geographic distribution and illustrations to the species are presented.

This research focused on to test the reaction of cultivars and introductions of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) and varieties of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) to Rotylenchulus reniformis. Two experiments were carried out independently with treatments arranged in a completely randomized design. In the first one 4 cultivars ('Crimson Sweet', 'Charleston Gray', 'Sugar Baby' and 'Omaru Yamato') and 4 introductions ('MO-1 to MO-4') of watermelon were tested and in the second one 9 varieties of cotton ('BRS Ipê', 'BRS Rubi', 'BRS Safira', 'BRS 200 Marrom', 'IAC 23', 'Auburn 2', 'Deltapine 16', 'BRS 187-8H' and 'Deltapine 61'). Each treatment consisted of one genotype with 4 replicates witch consisted of one plant grown in a mixture of sterilized and naturally infested soil by 2.784 and 3.016 vermiform specimens in the first and second experiment, respectively. Cultivars and introductions of watermelon reacted as poor hosts while varieties of cotton reacted as good hosts of R. reniformis.

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the biological and chemical soil quality of a degraded area of clay extraction, after it has been re-vegetate with Eucalyptus spp. and Mimosa caesalpiniifolia, cultivated in single or inter-cropping systems. It was used as soil biological quality indicators the total microbial activity, evaluated by enzymatic method of the hydrolize of the fluoresceína diacetato (FDA) and soil total respiration; and, the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). To evaluate the chemical quality it was used some chemical characteristics of the soil. The random blocks experimental design was used, with nine treatments + control. The treatments were constituted of single plantings of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia (sabiá) and of four species of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus pellita, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Eucalyptus robusta) and intercropping plantings of sábia with the four eucalyptus species, with four repetitions. The control treatment (degraded soil without any re-vegetation) was an area inside of the digging of clay extraction, with four replicates. The experimental unit was composed by 36 plants. After 36 months, the soils with single plantings of E. pellita and sabiá presented, in relation to the control treatment (without vegetation), larger microbial activity, evaluated by both the method of FDA and by total respiration, larger diversity of AMF and larger concentrations of nitrogen. The microbial soil activity, as much for the method of FDA as for the breathing, it was larger in intercropping plantings of E. pellita with sabiá, when compared with the control treatment. The AMF Glomus and Acaulospora were largest genus found in all treatments, however, in the control treatment it was found only the AMF species Glomus macrocarpum.

In many areas irrigated of the world, water supply of good quality not be enough for the maintenance of the irrigated agriculture, or your cost be elevated, seeking itself alternative with water use of the underground or even of drainage. Generally, these waters are not of good quality and they need to be well managed to avoid the degradation of the soils and damages to the plants. This work objectified evaluate the composition of lixiviate in four soils of Rio Grande do Norte, irrigated with waters of increasing levels of electric conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption relation (SAR). This work aims to evaluate Assu/Mossoró, RN, agricultural production center soil degradation under irrigation with increasing electrical conductivity (EC) levels, and sodium adsorption rates (RAS), when cultivated with cantaloupe. The work was conducted in a greenhouse at the Environmental Sciences Department of Semi-Arid Rural Federal University. Four soil types, traditionally used for cantaloupe production, were used and irrigated with solutions corresponding to eight EC (EC = 100, 250, 500, 750, 1.250, 1.750, 2.250 and 3.000 ¿S/cm) and two SAR (SAR = 4 and 12) levels, as salinity treatments, corresponding to the irrigation waters used in the Northeast, with low sodification risk, especially in the studied area. So the experiment was a factorial arrangement of 4 x 8 x 2 (four soils, eight EC and two SAR), with three replicates, on a randomized block design. They were evaluated pH and EC, as well as cations and anions soluble of each lixiviate collected of the 10 days after transplanted of the dumb. The use of leaching solutions promoted salt leaching in four studied soils, mainly at Cambissolo and Neossolo.The increase in the concentration of the percolates solutions promoted larger losses of salts, which were crescent with the time of leachate.

This paper reports the first occurrence of insect-pest Carpophilus hemipterus L. (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) infesting dog food collected in Viçosa, Minas Gerais in the period may 2008.

Studied biology of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) in four constants temperatures (20º, 25º, 30º, 32ºC) and with fotofase of twelve hours. With to determinate and goal termic constant of differents fases with the biologic cycle and avaliate the behavior in differents temperatures, viewing the zoneament ecologic in Piauí State. The temperature effected markedly the biologic cycle of the insect the graving and less termic. The bases temperature of the period of the egg, larva, pupa and the cycle total were 13,28; 13,07; 15,29; 13,84ºC, respectively and the constantly termics 35,56; 251,76; 96,57; 381,01 degree-days, respectively. Through the totally the degrees days the probably numbers annually of the insect for the Piauí State that various of 10,7 the 12,6.

For proposition of the better recovery practice is necessary to identify the main characteristics of index fingers soil of environmental degradation. For so much, it should seize upon chemical, physical and biological analyses. Thus, the goal of this work was to study some chemical indicators of environmental degradation in soils terms of semiarid. The soils were collected in the pilot's area JICA Project located in the municipal district of Pedro Avelino-RN, the choice of the area was due to your desertification degree. The analyses were accomplished in Soil, Plant and Water Analyses Laboratory of the University Semi-arid Rural Federal. The samples were collected in the layers of 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50 cm. The accomplished chemical analyses were: pH in water (1:2,5); Electric Conductivity (CE) in the extract 1:5; Ca+2,Mg+2, Na+ and K+ exchangeable, and P available. By the results, it verified that pH and CE increased with the depth, with regard to the contents of In the Na+ in the soil there was variation with the increase of the depth. To the thwart of the majority of the analyzed elements the K+ tended to decrease your content in the soil with the increase of the depth, The sodium elevated contents should be carried in consideration for the implantation of the recovery project, using itself preferentially resistant plants of sodicity.

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 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 objectives of this work were to determine the genetic correlation and define the strategies for obtain maize cultivars for traditional production system. For that, the white maize landrace population was rescued in Barbacena, MG and two experiments were installed with 100 half sib progenies using lattice triple in Barbacena and Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ. The estimates of correlations were different for each local requiring different strategy for trait selection due to contrast edaphoclimatic condition. The additive genetic correlationswere significant among primary production components and the productivity. On the other hand, the additive genetic correlations among primary and secondary production components were non significant. The traits related with flowering showed genetic correlation with productivity and primary production components, but not for secondary production components. Concluded that the increasing of productivity can be reached with direct or indirect selection for all environments; the indirect selection for number of plants/ area and number of plants with ears with kernels can be viability strategy in experiments in the small producers or by themselves instead of to select directly the productivity; the selection for increasing productivity without change the plant architecture is possible and adequate for traditional production system.