The study area covers all the territory of the municipality of Boa Vista, located in the Microrregião Homogênia dos Cariris Velhos, semi-arid region of the State of Paraíba. The main objective of this study was to elaborate space-temporal thematic maps of the land degradation expansion in the municipality of Boa Vista for the period 1987/2004, based on TM/Landsat-5 image analysis and field work data. The Landsat images digital processing was carried on the SPRING, v.4.2. The results had shown that in the study area are presented degradation levels varying from low to the very serious. The degradation levels very low, low, moderate and serious had their occurrence diminished in 2.59%, 11.80%, 12.86% and 0.88%, respectively during the period since 1987 to 2004. In opposing way, the areas of moderate serious and very serious degradation levels had increased in the period, with increments of 20.14% and 7.65%, respectively. The process of land degradation is more present in the neighborhoods of the rural houses and along the rivers, where the humidity of the ustifluvents soils guarantees better security for dry land agriculture and for the fodder plants for feeding live stocks in dry period. In the municipality the land degradation is resultant of a lack of conservation practical in the use of agricultural soils by the farmers, of a lack of an infrastructure for mitigating the drought effects and of a lack of public polices for a sustainable life in the semi-arid region.

Physiognomic parameters and floristic composition of woody plants were compared in four areas located in three different physiognomies of caatinga (sensu stricto): two shrub-arboreal caatingas, one in Fasa farm (FA), and the other in Poço do Ferro farm (PF), Floresta municipality, and one arboreal (BE) and one open arboreal (BD) caatinga, both in Boa Vista farm, at Custódia municipality, Pernambuco state. All alive and standing dead plants with total height ¿ 1 m and stem diameter at soil level ¿ 3 cm present in twenty-five 10 x 10 m plots, in each area, were sampled. Lianas and bromeliads were excluded. Sixty one species, belonging to 41 genera and 21 families, were found in the four areas, being 27, 27, 26 and 30 species in FA, PF, BE and BD, respectively. They had densities of 1876, 2172, 1076 and 1872 plant/ ha and basal areas of 16.51, 14.62, 34.29 and 20.28 m2/ ha, respectively. The patterns individualize tree physiognomies: arboreal, open arboreal and shrub-arboreal. Independent of the physiognomy, the woody floras of the four areas were similar to those of other areas of caatinga sensu stricto, located in the large sertaneja depression region, with some particularitities defined for each specific habitat.

The use and inadequate management of the soils under caatinga vegetation are pointed as one of the main causes of the degradation and desertation of that environment. The compacting of the soil, that it depends on several intrinsic and extrinsic factors, it is considered as a good indicator of degradation of the soil.This study had as objective evaluates the susceptibility to the compacting and resistance to the penetration and their correlation with physical attributes of a Neossolo Litólico (Brazilian system of classification of soils) under caatinga vegetation. The study was developed in the area of Serra Talhada - PE and it considered as variables the tenor of organic carbon (CO), resistance the penetration (RP), clay tenor (Clay), silte (Silte) and sand (Sand), medium diameter of the cluster (DMP), density of the initial soil (Dsi), particle density (DP), total porosity (PT) and compactability (density of the soil after being submitted to four compacting energies - DsE1, DsE2, DsE3 and DsE4), in three depths, with eight repetitions. The RP and compactability increased significantly with the increase of the depth of the soil, presenting extreme values for 2,47 at 5,81 kgf/cm2 and 1,50 at 1,84 g/cm3, respectively. RP and the compactability presented significant correlation amongst themselves, and they presented significant correlation with the tenor of CO, clay and silte, not presenting significant correlation with the other studied attributes.

The alfavacão (Ocimum gratissimum L.) is a perennial forb used in the popular medicine and wide found in domestic yards and gardens. In the period of May the June of 2005, investigated aspects of floral biology (anthesis determination, osmophores presence, stigma receptiveness and pollen viability) and the visiting insects of the O. gratissimum in the Horto de Medicinal Plantas of the Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, in Dourados-MS. It analyzed, also, the reproductive mechanisms and ambient factors in the visits of the insects. It was verified that the flowers of the alfavacão present climax of budding in the period that coincides with the period of higher temperatures, with average percentages of the viable grains of pollen in the daily pay-anthesis, anthesis and after anthesis phases, varied of 94% 98%. The species presented indications of being preferential autogamous, a time that had greater efficiency in the natural auto-pollinization. With relation to the visiting insects visits of eleven different species with predominance of the species of the Apidae family had been observed.

With the objective of analyzing the impact of the nutritional and sanitary manages bioeconomically in properties of the South of the State of Tocantins, through productivity indices, it accomplished a survey, through questionnaire, in 12 properties, of the which, it was selected intentionally six, that it were divided in two groups: group "A", containing three properties that accomplish appropriate nutritional and sanitarium manages; and group "B", also with three properties whose nutritional and sanitarium manages are deficient. After completion of the questionnaire, for gauging of the productivity indices of each group, it can be glimpsed the magnitude of the impact of the nutritional and sanitary manages on the systems of creation of animals sheep, demonstrating that the properties of the group "A", in spite of the expenses with feeding and medicines, it possess more competitive and lucrative profile in relation to the group "B". Of ownership of the data of the indexes productivity, it took place an evolution of a flock, containing 100 ewes and three reproductive, where the group "A" presented a larger number of animals to be sloughtered, proving the profitability of the systems that use an appropriate nutritional and sanitarium manages rationally.

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.

The objective of the present experiment was evaluate the effect inter cropping systems with the culture of the maize on the production components, aiming at to maximize the grain production and to increase availability of pastures for animal feeding. The treatments had consisted of the culture of DKB-950 maize (Hybrid Simple Modified), on three grassy species of (Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria brizantha and Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania) inter cropping systems and conventional tillege of soil. In foundation one applied 0, 35, 50 and 4 kg ha-1 of N, P, K and Zn respectively in the sulphate form of ammonium, simple superphosphate, potassium sulphate and zinc Sulphate. In covering it applied if 120 kg ha-1 of N. the used espaçamento was of 0,80 x 0,20 m, The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design, with four repetitions. The components of the production of the maize had not been affected by the studied systems of inter cropping, except for the number of spikes and production of grains, where the maize cultivated inter cropping systems with Brachiaria decumbens (4.787 kg ha-1) was better that the Tanzania (3.683 kg ha-1). The accumulation of dry mater presented significant difference between the treatments, in the which Tanzânia presented greater accumulates of dry mater.

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.

The work was conducted in Acauã site, in Caucaia - Ceará State, in a "semi-árida" coast region. The objective was to evaluate thermal stress occurrence and his possible impact on ovulation induction treatment efficiency, onset of estrous behavior of dairy Goats from different breeds. Twenty two adult goats were utilized: 10 Saanen, 4 American Alpines and 8 ½ Murciana x undefined breed, raised in installations with high floor, side windows and sunny areas. The estrous induction treatment was conducted using vaginal sponges with MAP, intramuscularly Cloprostenol and eCG. In the environment were registered air temperature and humidity, Radiant Heat Load and Black-Globe Humidity Index. Rectal temperature was similar between breeds and partum order. Respiratory rate was higher in Alpine goats. The induction treatment and estrous behavior interval was similar in ½ Murciana x undefined breed goats and Saanen goats and higher in Alpines and multiparous goats. The fertility rate at 1st AI was lower in ½ Murciana x undefined breed goats and multiparous goats.

The sweet potato stands out as one of the most important vegetables for Northeastern cookery, being source of energy and mineral salts. This work was driven with the objective of evaluating the propagation in vitro of you cultivars of sweet potato under different concentrations of BAP (6_Benzilaminopurina). The adopted statistical design was it entirely randomized, in factorial scheme 5 x 5, with 10 repetitions. The first factor consisted of 5 sweet potato cultivars (ESAM 1, ESAM 2, ESAM 3, California and Branca RJ) and the second of 5 concentrations of BAP (0.0; 1.25; 2.50; 3.75 and 5.0 ¿Mol L-1). You cultivate them appraised they answered the concentrations of the growth regulator distinctly. In all of the studied cultivars the presence of calluses was influenced by the concentrations of BAP.