Considering soil acidity importance under tropical conditions and the existence of several limingrequirement evaluation methods, this work aimed to evaluate liming requirement methods in use in Brazil. Experimental units were plastic cups with 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 t ha-1 of CaCO3, in a factorial arrangement with three soil classes, under a block design with five replicates. pH readings were obtained each seven days for eight weeks. Regression analysis and model selection was done for pH, Al3+ and Ca2++Mg2+, considering CaCO3 levels as independent variables, for each soil. Obtained equations were used to estimate pH, Al3+ and Ca2++Mg2+ which would be obtained if liming was conducted according to the liming requirement methods. Data estimated for each soil was submitted to analysis of variance, with each soil being a replicate. Base saturation, exchangeable aluminum neutralization, or exchangeable calcium and magnesium content increase had the best results for pH. These methods achieved liming goals, while the remaining resulted in pH below desirable.

An experiment was carried out at Caatinga Experimental Field of Embrapa Tropical Semi-Arid, Petrolina-PE, Brazil, in the first semester of 1998, with the objective of evaluating the effect of different levels of salinity of irrigation water with and without the soil conditioner on the yield of carrot, cv. Brasília. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design with six treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of water with electrical conductivity of 0.1 dS/m (control - from the São Francisco river), 4.0 and 8.0 dS/ m, and the same levels of electrical conductivity plus soil conditioner. The carrot yields varied from 33.1 to 82.3 t/ ha, for the treatments irrigated with saline water plus soil conditioner and for the control, respectively. Also, there was no significant difference between the yield obtained using water from the São Francisco river (0.1 dS/m) and that obtained using water with 4.0 dS/m electrical conductivity and that obtained with the application of soil conditioner.

The objective of this work was to evaluate substrates compost by organic residues for production of papaya tree seedlings. This research was led greenhouse in the campus of the Federal University of Acre in the period of September to December of 2006. The experiment was installed in design completely randomized with eight treatments and four repetitions, and each experimental unit was constituted of 3 plants. The substrates evaluated were: T1 = plantimax (treatment controls), T2 = compost organic + coconut peel, T3 = compost organic + bed-of-chicken + peel-of-rice carbonized, T4 = compost organic + I manure bovine + peel-of-rice carbonized, T5 = compost organic + earthworm casting + peel-of-rice carbonized, T6 = compost organic + earthworm casting + pit of triturated açaí, T7 = compost organic + earthworm casting + peel of triturated coconut, T8 = compost organic + I manure bovine + peel of triturated coconut. In all the substrates, the representatives were used in same proportions, being still added, 10% of triturated vegetable coal, 1,0 kg.m-3 limestone and 1,5 kg.m-3 of termphosphate, except in the treatment T1 (commercial substratum). The evaluations were accomplished to the 70 days after the planting, being evaluated height of plants, mass of the fresh matter of the aerial part, mass of the dry matter of the aerial part, of the root e total. It was observed that the substrata 4 and 5 presented better acting in relation to the characteristics of the mass of the fresh and dry matter of the aerial part, dry matter of the root and dry matter total, but it didn't differ of the substrate 1 (treatment control), 2 and 8, when the seedling's height was analyzed.

The experiment was carried for 12 months in the Rabbit Unit of Departamento de Zootecnia at the Universidade Federal do Ceará. The aim of this work was to evaluate the rabbit reproductive parameters and ponderable performance of the races New Zealand (NZ) and Califórnia(CA) , in Ceará, Northeast Brazil. Animals were fed with a commercial feed of 2500 kcal DE/kg for rabbit in reproduction. Thirty does (50% of each race) were distributed at random in experimental cages, such that each ¿treatment¿ (race) had 15 replications. Data were analyzed in a complete randomized design. Does were selected by weight and age, being included in the expeiment with 3,0 kg and 4,5 months of age, approximately. The male/female ratio was 1:10. Pregnancy check was done by palpation 15 days after mating. Reproductive management adopted was mating 10 days after delivery and weaning at 30 days of age (semi-intensive). Productivity in maternity was similar between races. Numeric productivity for both races was 31.3 rabbits weaned/cage/year. Does CA showed greatest maternal ability as compared with NZ does, with heavier offspring at birth, at 21 days, and at weaning. Finally, it is suggested that to produce a rabbit for slaughtering, it should use females CA with males NZ, in single or industrial mating.

Aluminium contents in soils from the sugar cane plantation áreas of Pernambuco estate Brazil, are often phytotoxic, specially em subsurfeces. Mineral gypsum has gained growing interest for supplying Ca and demosshing Al saturation, therefore enchancing the root system development. The work was carried out to evaluate the efectts of mineral gypsum applied to on oxisol. The treatments compused five doses of gypsum of two granulometice fraction. For both fractions, gypsum reduced the Al saturation in all the soil. On the other hand, the coarse gypsum was more effective than the fine gypsum one the Al saturation.

With the objective of evaluating the effectiveness, in natura, of the plants: melon of São Caetano (Momordica charantia), purgative potato (Operculina hamiltonii) and pumpkin seeds (Curcubita pepo L) on helmints infections in naturally infected goats, submitted to an original therapeutic protocol, were used 40 goats males, of Moxotó race with age varying of six and twelve months, divided in four groups and distributed in the following way: three corresponding to each treatment and a group control, where placebo was used. The administered doses were from 45g/10kg of corporal weight to the leaves of melon of São Caetano, 4,5g/10kg for crumb of the purgative potato and 19g/10kg for crumb of the pumpkin seed, for three consecutive days. In intervals of 30 days feces parasitological exams were accomplished (Gordon & Whitlock, 1938). After 30 and 60 days of treatment, a mean reduction of 63.06% and 2,70% was observed for melon of São Caetano treaty group, 63,9% and 72,32% for purgative potato treaty group and 87,31% and 24,00% for the pumpkin seed treaty group, respectively.

It were determined serum levels of phosphorus and magnesium in 90 cattle grazed at Almino Afonso, Martins, Olho D´Água dos Borges, Patu, Rafael Godeiro and Umarizal cities, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. Serum phosphorus levels lower than reference values were found in 23 of 90 cattle (25.6%), from all evaluated cities. Serum levels of magnesium were lower than reference values in 15 of 90 cattle (16.7%), from five of six cities. Further works are needed aiming the reasons for reduced serum levels of evaluated minerals.

The aim of this research paper was to make a comparison between the reference values of crop evapotraspiration acquired through the FAO-modified Penman-Monteith and Thornthwaite, Hargreaves-Samani, Blaney-Criddle, the Class A pan and Makkink. Data was obtained from the meteorological station at Boa Vista, in the State of Roraima, Brazil. Results have shown that the methods of Blaney-Criddle tend to be well adjusted to the reference values of the crop evapotranspiration as to those obtained through the FAO-modified Penman-Monteith. The Class A pan showed good adjustments that can be a good alternative for irrigation management in this region.

The germplasm bank of cucurbitaceae, sited at Semi-Arid Embrapa in Petrolina-PE comprises different species of cucurbitaceae family, out of which 600 accessions of Citrullus spp. Forty two accessions from the germplasm bank plus the Crimson Sweet cultivar were submitted to morphological evaluation in order to study the genetic variability of accessions collected in three different regions from the State of Bahia (Chapada Diamantina; Irecê e Vitória da Conquista). The field trial was set in a randomized block design with three replications. Thirteen phenotypic descriptors to evaluate plant and fruit characteristics were used. The data were submitted to a variance analysis and the means were compared using Scott-Knott at 5% probability. The analysis of variance among accessions from different regions showed significant differences for eleven characters except number of stems per plant and rind thickness in the peduncle region. The accessions formed two different groups for most of the descriptions, but, fruit mean weight and sugar content presented four and three groups, respectively showing higher genetic variability, the variation among accessions within each region was significant. Irecê and Vitória da Conquista presented the higher and the smaller variation among the accessions, respectively. Therefore, the genetic variability of watermelon accessions in the tree regions of the State of Bahia and some accessions presented useful characters to be incorporated in watermelon breeding programs.

Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia Benth., (Mimosaceae) it´s a Northeast native species from Brazil and cause its multiple utilities, it has been intensively used. Is conventionally propagated through seeds, but this process isn't easy and plant with a wide range of genetic variability. For this reason, the micropropagation assumes importance. Two experiments had been lead, being that in the first, different combination of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and benzilaminopurine (BAP) were evaluated and in the second, two ways of culture. In the first experiment the explants had been gotter from three years old plants and inoculated with MS medium (Murashige & Skoog, 1962) substance in different concentrations of 2,4-D and BAP. The observed variables were number of shoots for explants, number sprouted explants and percentile of contamination. In the second experiment explants from sprouted in vitro plantlets inoculated with a complementary formularization substances called MC1 (25 mL of medium with next composition: 20% water coconut (v/v), myo-inositol (0,1 g.L-1), ascorbic acid (0,09g.L-1)) and MC2 (20% water coconut (v/v), myo-inositol (0,1 g.L-1), ascorbic acid (0,1 g.L-1), (0,0155 g.L-1), tiamin (0,02 g.L-1), boron (0,0015 g.L-1), extract of malt (0,3 g.L-1)), both solidificed with agar (7g.L-1). In these experiments the observed variables were number of shoots per treatment and number of callus per treatment. In the combination of 2,4-D and BAP, none morphogenetic reply in the inoculeted tissues was identified. The substances MC1 and MC2 had induced in average callus sprouted in 85,8% of the inoculeted explants. In the first experiment, 34% were infested by fungus.