ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to characterize the physical and physicochemical parameters of pequi powders obtained by means of convective drying at different temperatures (50, 60, 70 and 80 °C) and pulp layer thicknesses (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 cm). Initially, the physicochemical characterization of fresh pulp was carried out, followed by convective drying under the conditions mentioned, until the equilibrium moisture content and subsequent disintegration to obtain the powders. Subsequently, the physical and physicochemical properties of the obtained powders were analyzed and the best powder was selected based on reduced moisture content and water activity and lower peroxide index. Pequi pulp showed a high fat content and a yellowish color; with the increase in drying temperature, there were reductions in the moisture content, water activity and protein content of the powders. As for the color parameters, the powder showed a darkening with the increase in drying time; the water adsorption isotherms of the selected pequi powder were classified as Type II, and the GAB model showed the best fits. The pequi powders showed good solubility and low cohesiveness. The powder that showed good flowability was produced at a drying temperature of 60 °C and with pequi pulp layer thickness of 0.5 cm.

ABSTRACT The quality parameters of cassava roots vary between cultivars and depend on abiotic factors, such as plant nutrition. However, the magnitude of how these factors interfere is not yet well defined, especially for phosphorus (P), which is a nutrient directly linked to the synthesis of sugars and starches in plants. Thus, the objective of the research was to evaluate the quality of roots of table cassava cultivars fertilized with doses of P in the Brazilian semiarid. The research was carried out at the Rafael Fernandes experimental farm, Mossoró, RN, Brazil, from June 2018 to April 2019. The experimental design used was in randomized blocks, arranged in subdivided plots and with four replications. Doses of P (0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 kg ha-1 of P2O5) were applied in the plots, and in the subplots, the table cassava cultivars (Água Morna, BRS Gema de Ovo, Recife and Venâncio). Firmness, elasticity, titratable acidity, soluble solids, total soluble sugars, starch and cooking were all evaluated. The quality of table cassava roots varied depending on the cultivar and the dose of P. Doses of P between 120 and 240 kg ha-1 of P2O5 increase the starch content and reduce the cooking time of table cassava roots.

ABSTRACT Green manuring is an important management strategy in tuberous vegetable production systems, since it improves the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil and, consequently, increases in crop productivity and ecosystem balance. The objective of this work was to evaluate the agro-economic efficiency of carrot cultivation as a function of Calotropis procera biomass amounts incorporated into the soil during two growing seasons in a semiarid environment. The experiments were conducted in an experimental design of randomized complete blocks, with four treatments and five replications. The treatments consisted of four C. procera biomass amounts (20, 35, 50 and 65 t ha-1) incorporated into the soil. In each experiment, one plot with carrot without fertilization (control) was planted, for the purpose of comparison. The characteristics evaluated in the carrot were productivities of total and commercial roots, classified productivity of roots and production economic indicators. The maximum productivity of carrot roots of 35.90 t ha-1 was possible with the incorporation of 47.60 t ha-1 of C. procera biomass into the soil. The maximum net income of R$ 33.744,07 ha-1 in the cultivation of this vegetable it was achieved with the addition of the C. procera biomass amount to the soil of 42.81 t ha-1. The return rates obtained for the carrot cultivation in these optimized quantities were 1.53 and 1.28, respectively, of those achieved in the control treatment (without fertilization).

ABSTRACT The common bean exhibits wide genetic variability for technological quality traits, mineral concentrations, and bioactive compounds. For this reason, investigating the correlations between those traits in common bean lines of different gene pools contributes to the progress of biofortification programs. In the present study, two recombinant inbred line populations of Mesoamerican and Andean common bean were evaluated at the F5:7 generation. Technological quality was evaluated based on mass of 100 grains and seed coat color, which was determined using a colorimeter that analyzed the L* (white to black), a* (green to red) and b* (blue to yellow) values. The concentration of six minerals and bioactive compounds (phytates and phenolic compounds) was evaluated and used to characterize the nutritional composition of the lines. The evaluated common bean lines differed (p ≤ 0.05) for all technological quality traits, mineral concentrations, and bioactive compounds, except for the zinc concentration in Andean beans. Seed coat color (L*, a*, and b* values) was highly correlated with most of the evaluated minerals and with the phytates in Mesoamerican beans. In Andean beans, seed coat color (L*, a*, and b* values) was correlated with the concentrations of potassium, magnesium, iron, and phenolic compounds. The nutritional composition of common bean lines of different classes is variable: black beans have higher concentrations of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, and phytates; carioca beans stand out with high magnesium concentration; and cranberry beans have higher concentrations of potassium, magnesium, and iron.

ABSTRACT The objectives of the tests were to evaluate concentrations of indolebutyric acid (IBA) combined with different types of cuttings and grafting methods on the vegetative propagation of cajazeira-dejabuti (S. testudinis). The experiment with stem cuttings was conducted in a greenhouse with an intermittent misting system. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 5 x 6 factorial arrangement consisting of five cutting types: apical, medial, basal, stratified, and tanchan, and six IBA concentrations: 0, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 mg kg-1, with four replications of ten cuttings. The experiment with the root cuttings followed a randomized block design composed of six IBA concentrations (0, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 mg kg-1) with four replications, evaluating after 120 days the percentages of live, sprouted, rooted, and calloused cuttings, and the number and dry mass of roots and sprouts. Five grafting methods (chip budding, shield budding, cleft grafting, wedge grafting, and splice grafting) were tested by evaluating the graft success and sprouting percentages at 30 and 60 days after grafting, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test. The IBA concentrations of 0, 2,000, 3,000, and 5,000 mg kg-1 increased the number of sprouts in tanchan cuttings. The tanchan cuttings showed the highest survival and percentage of sprouts regardless of the IBA concentration. The IBA concentration of 2,200 mg kg-1 promotes higher rooting rates in root cuttings. Splice grafting provides higher graft success and sprouting rates.

ABSTRACT Technologies that use rhizobacteria to promote plant growth are increasing in agriculture, results have shown improvements in soil quality, increases in productivity, and decreases in the use of synthetic inputs, The objective of work was to characterize bacterial isolates regarding their biological activity and growth promotion of soybean plants grown in a controlled environment. Fifteen bacteria were isolated from soils with continuous use of biological fertilizer. They were evaluated for enzymes production (amylase and protease), nitrogen fixation, antagonistic activity to phytopathogenic fungi, and indoleacetic acid (IAA) production, Soybean seeds were inoculated with bacterial isolates in a greenhouse and evaluated for plant development and soil chemical attributes. The results showed that 8 of the 15 isolates presented production of amylase, protease, or both and 4 isolates presented nitrogen-fixing capacity. The percentage of isolates with high or moderate inhibitory action against the fungi Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Macrophomina phaseolina, and Fusarium solani were 73.3%, 66.6%, and 73.3%, respectively. The IAA production varied from 8.56 to 31.33 µg mL-1 (5 isolates had low, 6 had moderate, and 4 had high production). The soybean development was significantly higher in 80% of the treatments with inoculation with bacterial isolates. Five bacterial isolates effectively present all characteristics for use as inoculant (biofertilizer) to promote the development of soybean plants.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to assess the physical, chemical, and sensory attributes of mango varieties grown under the organic farming. Fruits from ten varieties of mango grown under the organic system in the Chapada Diamantina region, BA, Brazil, were assessed. The following physical and chemical characteristics were assessed: fruit mass, pulp yield, pulp color (L*, C*, and h*), soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), total carotenoids, and ascorbic acid. The sensory acceptance test was performed with 50 consumers using the nine-point structured hedonic scale and the attributes acidity, sweetness, and firmness of the pulp were assessed using the just-about-right scale. Differences among the varieties of mango grown under the organic production system were observed for physical, chemical and sensory attributes. The varieties showed a percentage of pulp equal or above 60%, which makes them more suitable for processing. According to the PCA analysis, the characteristics soluble solids, total carotenoids, fruit mass, titratable acidity, h* and L* were considered the most important to differentiate the mango varieties evaluated. Ubá and Beta varieties had the highest levels of SS, while Favo de Mel was characterized by the highest values of TA and L*. The varieties Favo de Mel, Palmer, Surpresa, Juazeiro 2, Imperial and Joa had fruits with higher mass and h* values and the varieties Amrapali and Roxa Embrapa 141 had the highest levels of total carotenoids. Imperial, Palmer, Beta and Joa varieties were the most accepted for all sensory attributes.

ABSTRACT The lack of knowledge of the genetic parameters and the type of gene action results in difficulties to obtain varieties that combine agronomic and functional characteristics. The objective of this study was to determine the type of gene action associated with the contents of chlorophyll and agronomic characteristics in lettuce populations. The research was conducted at the Experimental Station of Vegetables, Monte Carmelo, Brazil. To perform the crosses and obtain the generations P1, P2, F1, F2, Bc1 and Bc2 the genotypes UFU-Albina#2, UFU-Albina#3, UFU-Lisa124#2#1, UFU-Crespa199#1#1 and UFU-Lisa217#5#2 were used as parents. The generations were evaluated for three characteristics: number of leaves, plant diameter and chlorophyll content. The parameters: genetic, phenotypic, environmental and additive variance, the dominance in F2, heritability in the broad and narrow-sense, the average degree of dominance based on averages, number of genes, the measure of the dominance deviations, additive effects and all interactions of ‘additive x additive’, ‘additive x dominant’ and ‘dominant x dominant’ type, were evaluated. Chlorophyll content was the most influenced by the environment. Plant diameter had the highest narrow-sense heritability for the cross UFU-Lisa-124#2#1 x UFU-Albina#3 (82.1%). The number of genes for the number of leaves varied from inconclusive to a minimum of 9 genes. The gene interactions for number of leaves were of overdominance type, while for plant diameter and for chlorophyll content the gene interactions were of partial dominance. The characteristics are suggested as being of polygenic or oligogenic nature.

ABSTRACT Garlic is a vegetable that has a high economic importance for Brazil. However, despite increases in garlic bulb production in the last years, Brazil is still dependent on imported garlic to meet the national demand. Thus, proper management practices and the use of virus-free clove-seeds are promising alternatives to ensure a high productivity and profitability. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate production characteristics and profitability of conventional and virus-free garlic crops as a function of different clove-seed sizes and plant spacings. Two experiments were conducted simultaneously, using virus-free and conventional garlic plants in Portalegre, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, in a randomized block experimental design, with four replications. The treatments were arranged in split-plot, with the clove-seed size (large and small) in the plots, and the spacing between plants (7.5, 10.0, 12.5, and 15.0 cm) in the subplots. The combination between the use of virus-free clove-seeds, large clove-seed size, and spacing of 12.5 cm between plants resulted in the highest commercial bulb yield and net income, R$ (BRL) 85,151.00 ha-1. The use of large clove-seeds and spacing of 7.5 cm between plants are recommended for conventional garlic crops.

ABSTRACT This work aimed to evaluate the physiological and biochemical changes resulting from controlled deterioration in different lots of sunflower seeds. Two sunflower seed lots of the cultivar Hélio 253 were subjected to simulated deterioration, using the accelerated aging test methodology (41 °C and 100% RH) for 0, 48, 72, and 96 h. Then, the seeds were subjected to the tests of germination, first germination count, seedling length and dry matter, emergence, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, and total seedling length. The antioxidant activity was evaluated through the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and peroxidase (POX) at 0, 2, 4, and 6 days after sowing. Deterioration caused a reduction in the germination and vigor of the seeds, mainly in the lot with lower initial vigor and for the longest exposure times (72 and 96 h). For both lots, reductions in SOD activity and increases in POX and APX were observed during seed germination, mainly after 48 h of exposure to aging deterioration. Peroxidase enzymes are activated in deteriorated and non-deteriorated sunflower seeds, mainly after two days of germination.