Organic fertilizing promotes changes in the physical, chemical and biological attributes of soil making it more productive. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different amounts of hairy woodrose (Merremia aegyptia L.) and their times of incorporation on the chemical attributes of an Alfissol Eutrophic cultivated with lettuce. The experiment was conducted from April to June 2006 at the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA) in Mossoró-RN. The experimental design was complete randomized blocks with treatments arranged in a 4 x 4 factorial with 3 replications. The first factor consisted of four amounts of hairy woodrose incorporated into the soil (2.2, 4.4, 6.6 and 8.8 t ha-1 dry matter) and the second factor was the four times of their incorporations (0, 10, 20 and 30 days before transplanting lettuce). The soil pH remained alkali, decreasing with the amounts of hairy woodrose incorporated into the soil and with the times of incorporation. The contents of N, Ca and Mg in the soil increased with increasing amounts of hairy woodrose and with the times of incorporation in soil. The levels of available P and K increased with increasing amounts of hairy woodrose incorporated into the soil. However, in relation to the incorporation times, they were optimized at 16 and 14 days, respectively, after the manure incorporation. The utilization of hairy woodrose as organic fertilizer, generally, indicated improvement in soil chemical attributes in relation to the original values evaluated before its incorporation.

Aiming to evaluate the sorghum intercropping on the line in two seeding dephts of brachiaria species, a trial was conducted on the field in february 2009 in Rio Verde, GO. The experimental design used was randomized blocks in factorial scheme 2x3+1+3, with four replications, being made up two brachiaria sowing depths (2 and 10 cm), three brachiaria species (Brachiaria decumbens, B. brizantha cv. Marandu and B. ruziziensis) intercropped with the sorghum DKB 599, plus four additional treatments of sorghum and brachiaria monocultures. At 52 days after to harvest the sorghum grains, it was made up the cutting on brachiaria at 30 cm from the soil to explore the regrowth of plants in off-season cultivation, and further evaluation of forage yield at 36 days after the cutting. The intercropping in the line with B. brizantha, at 2 or 10 cm sowing depth, and with B. decumbens, sown at 2cm, appeared as the most promising for sorghum grain production. The brachiaria and sorghum intercropping in the line increased the total dry matter and crude protein yields. The regrowth of brachiaria plants in the intercropping showed to be a technique viable for forage production and soil cover in dry season at Brazil cerrado.

The aim of this study was to analyze the physical characteristics of the fruits of cocoa and co- coa producing clonal CCN - 51 submitted to irrigation and nitrogen fertigation applied in semi - arid of Bahia in an experiment conducted in the field on the property in Vale do Sol, Jequié, BA. The statistical experimental design was randomized blocks in a 4x4 factorial with treatments consisting of the sheets of water (L1 = 1146.35 mm, L2 = 1335.66 mm 1525.58 mm = L3, L4 = 1717.58 mm) and the nitrogen (N1 = 249.3 kg ha - 1 , N2 = 307.2 kg ha - 1 , N3 = 365.0 kg ha - 1 , N4 = 422.9 kg ha - 1 ), with four replications. Nitrogen doses and the in- teraction between them with water slides positively influenced the number of seeds per fruit, number of fruits per plant and weight of almonds per fruit; water slides influenced the number of fruits per plant clonal cacao CCN - 51. The water slides, nitrogen and the interaction between these positively influenced the production of dry almonds of cocoa clonal CCN - 51. Treatment L3 N3 showed higher productivity of cocoa almonds for sale with 1025.69 kg ha - 1 .

Culturas de cobertura são usadas para cobrir o solo e também podem liberar nitrogênio para o solo durante a mineralização. No entanto, é necessário identificar espécies que combinem liberação rápida de nutri- entes com maior persistência da palhada na superfície do solo. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a degrada- ção da palha e a liberação de nitrogênio por culturas de cobertura sob plantio direto. O experimento de campo foi conduzido durante dois anos no verão (2008/2009 e 2009/2010) na região do Cerrado do Brasil. O delinea- mento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso no esquema fatorial. Os tratamentos foram a combinação de cinco plantas (quatro espécies de plantas de cobertura 1- Panicum maximum, 2- Brachiaria ruziziensis, 3- Brachiaria brizantha e 4- Pennisetum glaucum [milheto] e pousio como controle) com seis épocas de avaliação (seis pri- meiras semanas após a aplicação de glifosato nessas plantas de cobertura). Entre as espécies avaliadas, Penise- tum glaucum e pousio tiveram rápida degradação da palhada e liberação de nitrogênio. As culturas de cobertura Panicum maximum, Brachiaria brizantha e Brachiaria ruziziensis se destacaram na produção de biomassa e na quantidade de nitrogênio nas suas palhadas, mas apresentaram baixos coeficientes de degradação e persistiram por mais tempo na superfície do solo em relação a Pennisetum glaucum e pousio.

The Ceara State has a variety of species of non-traditional fruits that are consumed in natura and/or processed by local population, with economic potential for agro-industrial processing, however, still poorly studied. In this context, the aim of this research was to evaluate the genetic variability of puçazeiro ‘Coroa de Frade’, native tree from coastal vegetation of Beberibe, Ceará, Brazil, by physico-chemical and chemical characteristics of their fruits. Fifteen genotypes were evaluated. The traits analyzed were: soluble solids (SS), titrable acidity (TA) (% of citric acid), pH, SS/TA ratio, total sugars, reducing sugars, starch and, total and soluble pectin. The genotypes were characterized as a good alternative to the market of exotic fruits, showing high values of SS (20,40 a 31,00 °Brix) and low mean values of titrable acidity (0,27 a 0,58 % of citric acid), producing SS/TA ratio ranged between 37,5 and 102,43, with emphasis on the genotype '8', which pre- sented SS/TA ratio of 95.05. The genotypes showed fruit netting with high starch (> 1%). The values of total pectin (0.35 to 0.98%) and soluble pectin (0.13 to 0.74%) reinforcing the use of this fruits in the industry, with low cost to manufacture of candy and jellies. The repeatability analysis showed that most of the observed varia- tion among genotypes is associated with the genetic component. Therefore, it can be concluded that the studied genotypes of puçazeiro 'Coroa de Frade' showed wide genetic variability and have fruits indicated even for fresh consumption as well as for processing.

The objective of this research was to characterize the spineless forage cactus production in the semi-arid region of Paraiba State in the Northeast of Brazil. Information from 199 interviews carried out in the rural area of municipal districts in the Paraiban Cariri region was used. The interviews were conducted from February 2008 through August 2009. The data were tabulated in a spreadsheet, where a matrix with the ques- tions and answers of each interviewee was established. The production systems were defined using principal component analysis, followed by cluster grouping of quantitative variables. The first three principal compo- nents explained 61.60% of total variation. The application of cluster analysis, based on scores of the three main components, identified four cactus forage groups of producers. The livestock activity prevails on the ag- riculture and it is imposed as an appropriate activity in the production systems of the agriculture sector in the Paraiban Cariri region. The cultivation of forage cactus predominates over other cultivated forage plants, being fully incorporated into the local productive process of Paraiban Cariri region.

The undesirable effects of agrotoxics have aroused the interest of society to use alternative tactics of pest control, as plants with insecticidal activity, which can be used as powders, aqueous and organic extracts, essential oils and emulsifiable. This way, the toxicity, population growth and repellence of aqueous extracts of plants were evaluated on the cassava green mite, Mononychellus tanajoa . Aqueous extracts of Cro- ton blanchetianus , Myracrodruon urundeuva and Ziziphus joazeiro were used, in which were immersed in cas- sava leaf discs (3.5 cm diameter). The extracts at all concentrations (1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25%) resulted in a de- cline in the pest population. The concentrations of 20 and 25% of the extracts resulted in the highest percentage mortality of the pest. All extracts in concentrations of 15, 20 and 25% for adult females were repellents M. ta- najoa .

The relative toxicity of the mustard (Brassica rapa L.) essential oil (MEO) on young and old larvae, pupae, and adults of Sitophilus zeamais and Callosobruchus maculatus was determined using concen- tration-response bioassays. The respiration rate of adults was measured to determine its influence on its toxic- ity. Different developmental stages of both species differed significantly in their response to MEO, with the adults being much more susceptible than the immature stages. Although adult mortality did not differ between species, the adult respiration rate of C. maculatus was significantly higher than that of S. zeamais. Thus, the toxicity oil for adults was not influenced by natural respiration rate of species investigated.

This study was developed with the purpose of evaluating the protein fractionation and in vitro di- gestibility of the dry matter (IVDMD) of millet genotypes for grazing, managed at different heights and sub- jected to several cuts. The experiment had a randomized complete block design, with repeated measures over time, four replications in a 3x3 factorial arrangement, with three cultivars of millet (ADR 500, LAB 1542 and LAB 1838) and three average cutting heights (60; 80 and 100 cm). Evaluations were undertaken through cuts in the same plots during four months. Results showed that millet genotypes were similar as for the values of pro- tein fractionation and IVDMD. The forage quality is affected by the management of cutting height, thereby it is not recommended to manage millet genotypes at 100 cm height for providing lower fraction A, B1, B2 and digestibility and higher fraction B3 and C of the forage.

In massal rearing of natural enemies with the goal of biological control, the procedures adopted for establishment and maintenance of the individual founders of the colonies may have undesirable effects on population genetic structure of laboratory. This situation influences the success of rearing and effectiveness in the field. The objective of this study was to evaluate, along of generations two laboratory populations (Jaboticabal and Piracicaba) of Chrysoperla externa (Hagen) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), founded with different numbers of adults (1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 couples), the frequency of morphological variants, size of wings and eye color, such as parameters for inferences about the homozygosity degrees. For eye color were assessed the frequency, while for the size of wings was measured the width and the length of the right mesothoracic wings. The eye color variants for C. externa populations may be monitored in the laboratory aiming at detecting inbreeding, whereas the measurements of length and width of wings should not be adopted for this purpose.