An experiment was carried out in the Botanical Laboratory of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA), Mossoró-RN, aiming to evaluate the efficiency of dormancy breaking methods on seed germination of scarlet starglory in hypochloride sodium. A completely randomized desing was used with five treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of T1 - Seed immersion in hypochloride sodium for 15 minutes, T2 - Seed immersion in hypochloride sodium for 25 minutes, T3 - Seed immersion in hypochloride sodium for 35 minutes, T4 - Seed immersion in hypochloride sodium for 45 minutes, T5 - No mechanical scarification and no seed immersion in hypochloride sodium. The seeds in all treatments were submitted to the immersion in boiling water for one minute for posterior process of steeping in cold water for 24 hours. All seeds were mechanically scarifield for 30 minutes before the immersion in hypochloride sodium. Evaluations for plant height, root length, shoot fresh and dry mass, seed germination percentage and germination speed index (GSI) were made. It was observed that the increase in immersion time in hypochloride sodium increased the percentage in the first seed couting, seed germination percentage and germination speed index, reaching maximum values of 94.07%, 98.49% and 17.48, respectively.

The aim of this work was to verify the effects of Lithothamnium (Concinal Fertilizador®) in different substrates. The experiment was carried out at plant formation area at Federal University of Lavras orchard, testing the following doses of Lithothamnium: 0; 2; 4; 6; and 8 kg m-3 in two compositions of substrates: A (organic compost + sand + soil at 1:1:3 volume proportion) and B (Plantmax + sand + soil at 1:1:3 volume proportion). The randomized blocks was 5 x 2, with 4 repetititons, and 5 plants for plot. The following characteristics had been evaluated: length of the aerial part (CPA), length of the system to radicular (CR), leaf number (NF), dry substance of the aerial part (MSPA) and dry substance of the root (MSR). For seedling production of passion fruit, Lithothanium was good option for growth of passion fruit seedling, and the substrate B promoted best plants.

This review objective to show the importance of the rural administrator to the perfect development of the familiar agriculture. In this situation, we observed the inclusion of experimented administrative theories in others areas, has the capacity of increase the production of the little cultivators or familiar agriculturalist, maintaining them in yours regions and increasing the lucratively with less degradation ofthe ambient. So we conclude who so important than the agricultural techniques is the rural administrator to promote the development of the familiar agro industry, because he is holder of important knowledge, but he considerate the specific particularity of our region.

Surveys of the intensity of soft rot in plantations of lettuce and Chinese cabbage were performed from January to May 2004 in mesoregions of the Mata and Agreste of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Disease prevalence of 42.9% was observed in lettuce and 100% in Chinese cabbage. The incidence of soft rot ranged from 0 to 22% in lettuce and 1 to 67% in Chinese cabbage. In lettuce higher intensity of soft rot was observed in areas with more than 17 years of cultivation; planted with cultivars "Cacheada", "Elba" and "Tainá"; with clay soil type; irrigated by hosing; and having poor drainage. Lower disease intensity was detected in areas of cultivars "Verdinha" and "Salad Bowl"; when coriander was the previous crop; and when seedlings wereproduced in trays. In Chinese cabbage higher intensity of soft rot was found in areas having more than 10 years of cultivation, and in plantations with more than 50 days of growth. The sole subspecies detected causing soft rot in all areas of lettuce and Chinese cabbage was Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum.

With The effect of replacing conventional corn-soybean based diet by maniçoba hay on the performance and carcass quality of colonial broiler chicken was evaluated. The economical viability of the diet with maniçoba hay was also evaluated. It was used 160 naked-neck chickens with 28 days of age that were distributed according to a completely randomized design, with four treatments, four repetitions and 10 broilres in each experimental unit (five females and five males). The treatments consisted of substituting 0, 5, 10 and 15% of the basal diet for maniçoba hay. It was evaluated feed intake, final weight, weight gain, feed:gain ratio, absolute and relative weigth of the nobles cuts, abdominal fat pad and visceras eatable (heart, gizzard and liver) and relative gross margin (MBR) in relation to the prices of maniçoba hay, prices of others ingredients and those related to chicken live weight. Two males and two females per repetition were slaughtered at 70 days of age. The feed intake with Maniçoba hay diets had no significant effects on the final weight, weight gain, feed:gain ratio, abdominal fat, absolute and relative weight of the noble cuts, while the substitution levels had influenced the feed intake, the absolute and relative weight of gizzard. The MBR reduced when 15% of replacement was used. Utilization of 10% of replacement can be viable, mainly when ingredients prices are elevated or colonial broiler market price is low.

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.

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.

The rational exploration of Tayassu tajacu, popularly known as collared peccaries, may well contribute toward diminishing the predatory hunt for this animal. The object of the present study was to evaluate the effect of sex and castration in relation to amounts of cholesterol and fatty acids found in the meat of animals raised in a captivity. A total of 12 animals was used, 8 being male (of which 4 had been castrated) and 4 female. All of the animals were given the same type of treatment and the same food. After the animals had been slaughtered, the frozen carcasses were carefully packed and sent to the laboratory responsible for examination of meats and fish which is part of the Department of Nutritional Technology of the Federal University of Ceará, in order to determine the quantity of cholesterol and fatty acids present in the meat of these animals. The amount of cholesterol in the meat of the females was less than that found in the meat of the non-castrated males. In relation to the quantity of fatty acids, the meat of the female species presented a smaller percentage of linoleic and arachid acids and a higher percentage of palmitic and palmitoleic acids when compared to both the castrated and non-castrated males. Castration appears to have had no effect on the amount of cholesterol in the meat of the male species, whichpresented an acceptable lipoid profile due to the presence of considerable quantities of linoleic acid and a lower percentage of cholesterol than that found in other domestic or wild species .

Due the necessity to look for alternatives to produce larger amount of quality foods, as well as to develop research that seeks viable solutions for use of waters of the low quality, this work was addressed. The objective was to know the behavior of red earthworm of California when watered with waters of different from salinity for 45 days. The experiment was installed in the earthworm house of UFERSA. The design used was randomized blocks with four treatments and six repetitions. The used treatments were watering waters with four levels of electric conductivities (T1 = 0.5 dS m-1 T2 = 5.0 dS m-1 T3 = 10.0 dS m-1 T4 = 15.0 dS m-1, being T1 originating from local well and the others obtained by the increment of chloride of sodium (NaCl) to the water used in T1. The 24 portions were composed by concrete pitchers containing 1.5 liters of tanned manure and 6 young earthworms of uniform size. The Mass of Head offices Final Average and the Relative Mass of Head offices they didn't suffer significant decrease when the salinity of the watering water increased from 0.5 to 5.0 dS m-1. The watering of earthworms with waters of electric conductivity of up to 5.0 dS m-1 didn't cause any mortality of head offices. The reduction of the Mass of the Final Population went of 1.69 g to each dS m-1 increased in the electric conductivity of the watering water. The Relative Population Growth of earthworms decreased 6,6 times when the electric conductivity of the water increased from 0,5 to 5,0 dS m-1.

A phytosociological comparative study was performed in two "caatinga" areas (A - productive pasture and B - degraded pasture), in the eastern "Cariri" microregion of Paraíba State, Northeast of Brazil. The multiple plots method was used, where 40 plots were established in each area, being measured living trees and shrubs with diameter at base height (DAB) ³ 3 cm and plant height (At) ³ 1 m. Eight botanic families, ten genera, and ten species were identified in area A. The Cactaceae and Mimosaceae were the best-represented families in number of individuals in this area. Six families, eight genera, and nine species were identified in area B, where Cactaceae, Mimosaceae and Euphorbiaceae were the best-represented families. The following parameters, total number of sampled individuals (N), basal area (BA), and total density (TD) had in area A 438 individuals, 12.22 m2.ha-1, and 2737 individuals per hectare, respectively, which were higher than area in B, that had the following values: 308 individuals, 11.31 m2.ha-1 e 1925 individuals per hectare, respectively. These results allow to postulate that the uncontrolled grazing practiced in that microregion of Paraíba State, is leading to an environmental degradation of the "caatinga" phytocenosis (a set of plants with ecological similar preferences, living in the same biotope).