Yellow passion fruit crop (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Deg.) and natural insume use on agriculture are increasing in Remígio county Paraíba State, Brazil. In this direction was carried out an experiment, during July 2005 to December 2006 in randomized blocks in order to evaluate the effects of absence and presence of biofertilizers comum (bovine manure fertilizer fresh and water) and supermagro (bovine manure, water, macronutrients and micronutrients), applied to soil on liquid form, in level of 2.4 L plant-1, 30 days before and two months after transplanting, in the absence and presence of mineral fertilizer with NPK, with three repetition and six plantas per set using a factorial designs 3x2. The biofertilizers show more reliable to growth than fruit production of yellow passion fruit. Biggest production corresponded to treatments with the use of mineral fertilizer, specially in the first production. Comum and supermagro biofertilizer gave significative effects on vegetative growth of plants of yellow passion fruit plant but had no influence on fruits production.

This work aimed to estimate the phenotypic correlation coefficients and to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of these correlations (path analysis). It was studied the effect of the explanatory independent variables tiller number, stem diameter, and stem length on the main dependent variable leaf number of "Capparis flexuosa" plants during two evaluation periods in the Cariri region of Paraiba State, Brazil. There were significant differences between the evaluated periods for the studied variables. Tiller number during the dry season and stem length during the rainy season explained best the leaf number, acting respectively in a direct and inversely proportional way on the main variable, changing according to the environmental conditions during the growth period. The results allowed the conclusion that tiller number exerts great influence on leaf number in both evaluation periods.

Silk flower [Calotropis procera (Aiton) R. Br.] is a very common plant in the north-eastern Brazil, used in the animal ration in the period of food scarcity, beyond presenting phytotherapic properties and effect presented against nematoid when incorporated to the ground. The work was considered to evaluate the influence of the substrate and the temperature on the germination of seeds and the development of the seedlings. The knowledge on the germination and the more adjusted substrate can propitiate an increment in the production of seedling of silk flower. The temperature can cause changes in the germination percentage, in the speed and relative frequency of germination. In laboratory experiment using the entirely randomized delineation in array factorial 3 x 3, with 4 repetitions, whose plots had been constituted by 25 seeds. The treatments had been to the combinations of three substrate (paper towel, sand and vermiculite) with three temperatures, 25 ºC (bookshelf coated with plastic canvas), 27 ºC (laboratory environment), 30º C (chamber of controlled temperature). The analyzed variable had been the percentage of germination, VIG, SDM and height dry of the seedlings. Paper towel, under temperatures 27 and 30 °C, showed it more appropriate for the germination five days after the sowing. Sand and vermiculite under temperatures 25 and 27 ºC, showed it more appropriate for the germination and the index of speed of germination twelve days after the sowing. The dry matter of the seedlings, on sand and vermiculite was superior under temperature 30 ºC.

The purpose of this work was to verify soil respiration kinetics in two sites in the semi-arid region of Paraíba, Northeast of Brazil. The first was a Mimosa hostilis Benth (jurema preta) colonized site, and the other was a degraded area without vegetation. Soil respiration was estimated every hour during a period of 12 hrs. Absorption of the liberated soil CO2 was obtained using a KOH 0.5 N solution. The amount of absorbed CO2 was determined through titration with a HCl 0.1 N solution. Temperature was measured at the surface and 10 cm deep in the soil in both areas. It was observed that the highest level of microbial activity, at the jurema preta site, occurred from 10:00 to 12:00 o¿clock AM. The lowest level of microbial activity was observed when temperature reached 50 oC. In the degraded area, microbial activity reached a maximum at 14:00 o¿clock PM due to the reduction of soil temperature.

Objetivou nesta pesquisa testar o efeito da poda de topo no rebaixamento da copa e poda da saia na recuperação da tangerineira 'Ponkan' com 12 anos de idade, altura de 4 metros, espaçadas de 6 x 4 m e enxertadas sobre limoeiro 'Cravo'. O experimento foi conduzido na Fazenda Vito Crincoli localizada no município de Perdões, MG. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos ao acaso, em esquema fatorial 4 x 2, sendo poda do topo (sem poda, poda a 3,0; 2,5 e 2,0m) e poda da saia (sem e com a poda) com quatro repetições. A parcelaútil foi constituída de três plantas. As podas drásticas de topo prejudicaram a primeira produção, contudo a partir do segundo ano da poda, as plantas apresentaram boa recuperação. Essa afirmativa foi confirmada na terceira colheita, quando os diferentes tipos de podas do topo não se diferenciaram na produtividade, sendo que o tratamento com poda da saia foi superior ao sem poda. Os diferentes tipos de poda não prejudicaram a qualidade de frutos de tangerineira 'Ponkan' nas três safras subsequente as podas. Após o terceiro ano as plantas que sofreram podas mais severas produziram frutos com peso superiores, demonstrando a viabilidade da poda na recuperação da qualidade dos frutos.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the postharvest quality of the Tommy Atkins mango commercialized in the city of Mossoró-RN. The fruits had been collected, randomized, in three commercial establishments (Market of great port, free Fair and market of small port). In each establishment 6 collections had been carried through, distributed during the months of August, September and October. The experimental design was blocks randomized with three treatments and six repetitions, two fruits for experimental unit for physicist-chemistries analyses and five fruits for phytopathology analyses. The days of collection had been considered as blocks and the markets as treatments. The variables analyzed were: mass, longitudinal and ventral lengths, price, internal appearance, external appearance, firmness, solubles solids, titratable acidity, solubles solids and titratable acidity relation, pH, incidence and frequency of fungus isolation. The fruits commercialized in the three establishments had presented physical and chemical characteristics that fit in the standard considered reasonable for consumption in natura of 'Tommy Atkins' fruits. It was found high incidence of spots and/or podrition, mainly in market C. The fungus found in the isolation frequency had been of the Colletotrichum, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Lasiodiplodia and Rhizopus.

A survey was made of the plant species used in popular medicine in the coastal city of Natal, and the rural city of Santa Cruz, both in the northeastern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte. Information on the medicinal properties of the plants was obtained from interviews with local residents performed between February and August, 2005 and between September and December, 2007. In each area, 100 inhabitants filled out standard forms, for a total of 300 interviews. Data was collected on the plant (popular name, part of the plant used, form of use and function) and on the population (age group, sex and schooling). We recorded 57 species distributed into 54 genuses and 34 botanical families. Regardless of schooling level, more than 50% of the respondents reported using plant species for curing a wide assortment of ailments. The most used families in terms of number of species were: Lamiaceae (seven), Euphorbiaceae (four), Myrtaceae (four), Zingiberaceae (three) and Lauraceae (three). Around 49% of the species were common to the three areas studied. The most used plant parts for preparing remedies, which are used mainly for treating respiratory diseases, were the leaves, fruits and roots. Teas are the most common form of dispensing the medicine. A table is presented containing information, especially on the use and function of the species, as described in the interviews.

The agriculture soil in the semi-arid Brazilian Northeast, it finds, in many areas, degraded by the utilization of not sustainable practice. This work proposed to evaluate the effect of increasing NaCl levels in the soils under Spondias tuberosa plants colonized with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Under greenhouse conditions, Spondias seeds were going placed to germinate in trays with mycorrhizal soil and in trays with soil autoclavado. The germination occurred 15 days after the planting and in the 30th cultivation day, the plants were going transferred to plastic vases with capacity for 2 L of nutritious solution with the next NaCl doses: 0, 100 and 150 mM. They were monitored the transpiration rate and stomatal conductance until the plants introduced toxicity symptoms to the Na+. After the saline stress suspending, they were evaluated the N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Na and Cl contents in the drought matter of the aerial part (stem + leaves) and root. It was going observed the reduction in radicular phytomass and aerial in NaCl first-level regarding the control. Stomatal conductance in plants not micorrizadas was equally reduced. In the root, it was observed significant reductions in Ca, K and Mg contents for the mycorrhizal plants and not mycorrhizal. In the leaves, the increase of NaCl dose induced a substantial reduction in the Ca, Mg and N contents and probably it was caused the reduction in the mass drought production.

The Calotropis procera has been an alternative feed for the ruminants in the brasilian semiarid region, presenting fast establishment and constant availability of fitomassa, until 3.0 t of DM/cut, in the dry season. On the aspect biochemical studies have detected various active substances as cardiac glycosides, non enzymatic proteins and enzimatics proteins, that can cause toxicity in animals when inserted in their diet. In nutritional terms, this species provides important nutrients with emphasis on protein, average value of 20%, and in vitro digestibility above 70%. It researches they showed that the intake of C. procera by goats and sheep in the form in nature can cause deaths, however, to make the process of hay and silage the toxicological effects are reduced. The utilization of C. procera is promissing, needing studies for maximize of the productivity; biochemical evaluation for identification of active substances, their mechanisms and local action in the animal, as well as testing to obtain the safe levels for inclusion in various forms of supply (in natura, hay and silage).

This study aims to identify the diversity of mimercofauna sabiá in an area of the municipality of Rio Largo, Alagoas. There were 17 species of ants belonging to six subfamilies. Atta opaciceps (Borgmeier, 1939) was the most abundant species. Camponotus blandus (Fr. Smith, 1858), Camponotus atriceps (Fr. Smith, 1858) and Pheidole sp.2 gp. aberrans.