The objective of this work was to assess the agronomic performance and plant morphological traits of eight lima-bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) accessions in the edafoclimatic conditions of Mossoró, RN, Brazil. A randomized complete blocks design with eight treatments and four replications was used. The treatments consisted of the BSF 01, BSF 02, BSF 04, BSF 07, BSF 08, BSF 08A, BSF 12 and BSF 15 lima-bean accessions. The following traits were evaluated: growth habit, mean time of blooming, pod length and width, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, weight of 100 seeds and seed yield. It was observed that all lima-bean accessions were of indeterminate growth habit, except for BSF 07B and BSF 12 that show determinate growth habit. BSF 12 and BSF 15 accessions were, respectively, the earliest and the largest seed size. They was not distinction between the lima-bean accessions for pod length, but significant differences were observed on pod width, with BSF 12 and BSF 02 accessions showing the highest and the less width. The accession BSF 01 can be the best alternative for Mossoró country growers because this material had higher number of pods per plant and higher seed yield. The accessions BSF 04, BSF 07B and BSF08 are potentially useful for lima-bean because these materials had higher number of pods per plant, higher seed yield and characteristics of pods satisfactory.

The cladodes size is an important feature when selecting cuttings for red pitaya (Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton & Rose) seedling production. The paper was carried out with the aim of evaluating different sizes of cladodes in the production of dragon fruit seedlings. The experimental design was randomized blocks with five treatments, which were the cladodes sizes: 5; 10; 15; 20 and 25 cm, with four replicates and four cladodes per plot. After 80 days of the experiment, there were evaluated: number of shoots per plant, percentage of rooting, length of greater root and dry weight of roots. The size of cladodes directly influences the production of seedlings. The lengths of cladodes from 15 to 25 cm are the most suitable for the dragon fruit seedlings.

In order to evaluated the impact of the high salinity reject brine from reverse osmosis desalination on hydroponics lettuce cultivated in greenhouse an investigation was carried out in Mossoro, Northeast of Brazil (5º11'S, 37º20'O and 18m above sea). Two lettuce cultivars ('Verônica' and 'Babá de verão') were cultivated with a basic nutrient solution with 1.1 dS m-1 (control) during the crop cycle (1-28 days after transplanting - DAT) - T0 and with basic nutrient solution containing 50% of the reject water from desalinization with 4.8 dS m-1 exposed during 1-7, 21-28, 7-14 e 1-28 DAT (T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively). The addition of 50% of brine reject from desalination into the hydroponic nutrient solution allows grow only 'Verônica' lettuce with no reduction in fresh biomass. This lettuce cultivar shows to be more tolerant to salinity for all exposure time with reject brine in the nutrition solution, despite the fact that 'Babá de Verão' cultivar is more productive.

Atrazine is a herbicide applied to a number of important crops, but litle has been done to study the susceptibility of species like Digitaria horizontalis to such herbicide. This work was carried out to evaluate the effect of the stage of development of Digitaria horizontalis at spraying on the suppression imposed by atrazine. The experiment was conducted in 10 dm-3 pots, under greenhouse conditions, and the experimental units were disposed in a completely randomized design, in a factorial scheme 5x3, with four replicates. Treatments were composed by Five rates of atrazine (0; 0.5; 1.5; 2.5 and 4.0 kg ha-1), applied in three stages of D. horizontalis development (two leaves, four leaves and one-two tillers). Applications accomplished in later stages of development were inefficient in controlling this species, despite causing significant reductions of weed shoot and root dry mass and plant height. For applications at two leaves stage, a maximum of 60% control was achieved by using 4.0 kg ha-1 of atrazine, indicating the lack of efficiency of this herbicide in controlling this species.

The preliminary investigation of chemical constituents of a plant allows the prior knowledge of the extract and indicates the nature of the present substances. The aim of this paper was to detect the absence or presence of appreciable amounts of various chemical constituents in extracts of jurubeba [Solanum paniculatum Linnaeus (1762)], capim santo [Cymbopogon citratus Stapf (1906)], batata de purga [Operculina hamiltonii (G. DON) D.F. Austin & Staples (1983)] and melão de são caetano [Momordica charantia Linnaeus (1763)], which has been indicated as alternative treatment against gastrintestinal helmintiasis of small ruminants. The jurubeba was collected in the city of Teixeira - PB. The capim santo, the batata de purga and the melão de são caetano were collected at the Centro de Saúde e Tecnologia Rural/UFCG, Patos - PB, in august and september of 2008. After, was realized the identification of the indicated shares to the ethnopharmacology study, deposited in the Herbário Caririense Dárdano de Andrade - Lima of the Universidade Regional do Cariri-URCA. The acquisition of the extract and phytochemical study followed the methodology described by Matos (1997). To obtain the extract was used the dust of the shares collected from each plant and as solvent ethanol PA. Four tests (phenols and tannins; anthocyanins, anthocyanidins and flavonoids; leucoanthocyanidins, catechins and flavanones; and alkaloids.) were conducted for the exploration of hydroalcoholical constituents. In the chemical assay were concluded that the ethanol extracts of the four plants with compounds such as tannins and catechins, and absence of phenols, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins.

The bit of cane sugar, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius, 1794), (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is the main plague of sugar cane in Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intensity of infestation in five varieties of commercially sugar cane. The experiment was conducted at Parnaíba Valley Company (COMVAP), that belongs to the Olho D'água Group, located in the city of União - Pi (latitude 04° 51' 08" S; longitude 42° 52' 59" W). Gallo methodology was used to evaluate the the intensity of infestation. It is calculated by: II% = 100 x blocked internodes / total number of internodes. The intensity of infestation of all sorts was considered very low. The varieties SP73-2577, SP83-2847, SP81-3250, SP79-1011 and RB92-579 did not present infestation, using the no-parametric test of Kruskal - Wallis, meaningful statistic differences among them. All varieties showed similar intensity of infestation and may be recommended respecting other desired characteristics.

This paper aimed to evaluated the effect of the use of potassium nitrate on the reduction of stress on the melon plants exposed to excess salt in the irrigation water. The experiment was carried out at the Centro de Ciências e Tecnologia Agroalimentar (CCTA/UFCG) Pombal-PB, from 19/09/2009 to 20/10/2009, using the hybrid melon 'Hales Best Jumbo'. The treatments consisted of two levels of of salinity of the irrigation water (0.3 and 5.0 dS m-1) and rates of N in the form of potassium nitrate (5.5; 6.25; 7.0 and 8.5g per plant). The experimental design was randomized blocks, on the factorial scheme 2x4, with four replications. The highest rates of photosynthesis, stomatic conductivity, transpiration, leaf area, total dry mass and the fruit yield per plant were observed on melon plants irrigated with low salinity water (0.3 dS m-1) compared to the ones with the high saline water (5.0 dS m-1), and on rates of N between 6.10 and 7.8g of N per plant for both levels of salinity. The supply of N in the form of potassium nitrate was effective on reducing the melon plant the stressing effect caused by the salinity of the irrigation water up to the rate of 6.85g of N per plant. On absolute terms we can affirm that the best performance of the melon plant was achieved with the rate of 7.0g of N per plan when irrigated with normal water and 6.25 of N per plant when irrigated with saline water.

Basil is a medicinal aromatic plant of the Lamiaceae family, it is rich in essential oils with high industrial interest. The present work to verify the production of basil plants, from different sources and combinations of substrates. The study was conducted in greenhouse Sector, Department of Soil Environmental Science, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid (UFERSA) in May 2010. Basil seedlings were grown from seeds from plants on the campus of UFERSA. The experimental design was randomized blocks representing five treatments and four replicates of 10 seedlings per plot. The treatments employed arisco, sand, cattle manure and earthworm castings in different combinations. Features diameter, leaf number, shoot length and root dry mass of shoots and roots were evaluated thirty days after sowing. It was found that adding cattle manure in the compositions of the substrates was increased growth and development of seedlings. In the production of seedlings of basil is recommended mixture of substrates containing cattle manure, sand and arisco in the ratio 1:1:1.

This work aimed to evaluate the influence of daily supplementation with 10 g of polyethyleneglycol (PEG) associated with Sabiá shrub hay (Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth.) on the intake and digestibility of in goats and sheep. Twenty animals, ten sheep and ten goats were allocated in a randomized block design, with two treatments and two species: PEG group (supplemented with 10 g of PEG) and control group (without supplementation). Significant differences were not observed between treatments and species regarding the intake and digestibility of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber. Nevertheless, PEG supplementation enhanced the crude protein digestibility of Sabiá shrub hay from 33.96% to 38.74% in sheep and from 43.29% to 54.41% in goats, showing that the supplementation with PEG could become a good feeding strategy against the antinutritional effects of tannin of the forage plants.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the wood natural resistance of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth. of phenotypes (plants) with and without prickles to subterranean termite (Nasutitermes corniger Motsch.) in forced feeding and feeding preference assays, under laboratory conditions. Wood test samples measuring 2.54 x 1.50 x 0.64 cm (forced feeding) and 10.00 x 1.50 x 0.64 cm (feeding preference), with the largest measurement in the fiber direction, were obtained from three positions from pith to bark direction. The samples were exposed for 28 days (forced feeding) and 45 days (feeding preference) to Nasutitermes corniger Motsch. termites. In forced feeding assay the termites caused superficial attack in wood and lived during 8 to 10 days, thus the wood was classified as resistant. In forced feeding assay more mass loss and attack in wood of external positions to both phenotypes was observed. To the waste and survival time of termites were similar to both types. In feeding preference a larger mass loss and waste to inner position in both phenotypes was observed. In general, the plants with prickles lost more mass than the one without prickles. Therefore, the wood of plants without prickles is more suitable to be use in construction of fences, sheepfolds and other similar uses where the wood shall be subject to attack by termites.