The population density is one of the factors that affect the final yield of crops, being easily ma-nipulated by man. The objective was to evaluate the growth of castor bean plants cv BRS Energia in dense pop-ulations through primary data and non-destructive analysis of growth and identify which period greater vegeta-tive growth occurs. We adopted a randomized block design with five treatments and four replications, totaling 20 experimental units. Each experimental unit contained 4 m wide and 6 m in length, representing 24 m². Treatments involving five populations of plants 10.000; 16.666; 25.000; 50.000; 100.000 plants ha-1, with a spacing of 1 m between rows and 1; 0.6; 0.4; 0.2 and 0.1 m between plants, respectively. It was determined: stem diameter, plant height, leaf area, leaf area index and rates absolute and relative leaf growth, of stem diam-eter, of plant height and of fresh biomass epigeal. The castor bean BRS Energia has the highest rates of vegeta-tive increase between 15 and 45 days after emergence. Therefore, it is of great importance, in this period, pro-vide the plant water and nutrient conditions appropriate so that does not compromise on plant development.

This study aimed at determining the best irrigation frequency and main cultivar associated with the production of strawberry according to the irrigation management used. The experiment was carried out at the FEMO, linked to the URENM of the EPAMIG. The experiment was installed in split plots, with cultivars Camarosa, Dover, Oso Grande and Tudla on subplot and frequencies FR1, FR2 and FR3 in the plots in ran-domized block with four replications, totaling 48 experimental units. The fruits were harvested, quantified and classified as fruits commercial and non-commercial. Higher commercial fruit yield was observed in cultivar Oso Grande, mainly associated with characteristic fruit that fruit weight is equal or superior to 10g. The culti-var Dover was sole with a higher yield of commercial fruit when subjected to FR2. Regarding the number of commercial fruits, the cultivar Oso Grande showed yield higher than the 'Tudla'. The FR2 showed a better per-formance for all variables compared to FR3. Therefore, the cultivar Oso Grande showed better productive per-formance. Taking into consideration the irrigation’s frequency, and for higher strawberry yields, the frequen-cies FR1 and FR2 can be used.

The scarcity of the water resources has been becoming an aggravating factor in irrigation of agricultural crops, with that the utilization of treated wastewater arises as a viable alternative to meeting that demand. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of the use of wastewater, on growth vari-ables and yield of cotton plants. The research was conducted at Experimental Station of Biological Treatments Sanitary Sewage – EXTRABES, in the city of Campina Grande – PB, in completely randomized design with five treatments and four repetitions. When the treatment 1 (T1) – consisted of irrigation with water refueling coming from CAGEPA; the treatment 2 (T2) – irrigation with effluent coming from the UASB reactor; the treatment 3 (T3) – irrigated with effluent coming from the series of filter; the treatment 4 (T4) – irrigated with effluent coming from the anaerobic filter; the treatment 5 (T5) – irrigated with effluent coming from the ponds of macrophytes. The incremented sodium content in soil at the end of the experiment was 812.9% afforded by irrigation with wastewater coming from the UASB reactor. The application of wastewater through irrigation in cotton culture coming from the UASB reactor and filter in series have increased the concentrations of phospho-rus, potash and organic matter in surface soil layer.

The goal of this paper was to select among the attributes surveyed soil, one with better repre-sentation to explain the variability of the technological components of sugar cane. The study was conducted at ETH Eldorado Plant in Rio Brilhante, MS, in the agricultural year 2011/2012, in a Oxisol, which was installed a geostatistical grid for data collection of soil and plant, with 80 sampling points, a 80 ha area. From the stand-point of linear and spatial TCH has been explained as a function of volumetric moisture. The volumetric mois-ture collected at a depth of 0.00 to 0.20 m, which had values between 0,24 to 0,270 m3 m-3, resulted in sites with the highest productivity of sugar cane per hectare from 64 to 70 t ha-1. To aid future studies aimed at preci-sion agriculture, which will use the same attributes as those of the future works, the values of ranges of spatial dependence to be used should be between 81 and 487 meters.

Deficiency of micronutrients is increasing in the recent years in cropping systems in many parts of the world and cover crops are important components of cropping systems. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) use efficiency in 14 tropical leg-ume cover crops grown on an Oxisol. The P levels used were low (0 mg kg-1), medium (100 mg kg-1) and high (200 mg kg-1). The P X cover crops interactions were significant for Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn use efficiency (tops dry weight/unit nutrient uptake). Hence, cover crop species varied in nutrient use efficiency with change in P levels. The micronutrient use efficiency was in the order of Cu > Zn > Mn > Fe. Higher Cu use efficiency was associated with lower uptake of this element, in the cover crop tops compared to other micronutrients. Similar-ly, lower efficiency of Fe and Mn was associated with their higher uptake in the tops of cover crops. Overall, Cu and Mn use efficiency was decreased when P level was raised from low to medium level and then it was constant. Iron use efficiency was increased with increasing P level but Zn use efficiency was constant with the addition of P fertilizer

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in dairy cattle from São Luis Island in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. A total of 281 blood samples were collected. In total, 275 (97.9%) animals were B. bovis-reactive and B. bigemina reactive in the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The microscopy examination detected 22 (7.8%) animals that were positive for Babesia sp. and the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis showed that 91 animals (32.38%) and 23 animals (8.18%) were positive for B. bovis and B. bigemina, respectively, while 17 animals (6.04%) were co-infected. There is a high level of transmission of these protozoa in Maranhão, and the animals were naturally exposed. Therefore, it is possible to characterize the island as enzootic stability for babesiosis, indicat-ing a risk of financial losses when susceptible animals are introduced from areas of enzootic instability or free regions of B. bovis and B. bigemina.

The current work had the objective to characterize the visual symptoms of nutrient deficiencies, single and multiple, in castor bean cultivar Guarani, as well as their effects on dry matter and biometrical index. The experiment was carried out in culture solution with randomized blocks with six treatments and four repli-cations. The treatments were represented by control, then the Hoagland and Arnon (1950) control, omission of iron (-Fe); multiple omission of iron and zinc (-FeZn), omission of manganese (-Mn), multiple omission of manganese and zinc (-MnZn) and omission of zinc (-Zn). Castor bean plants under single Zn omissions did not show visual symptoms, however multiple omission of this nutrient increased the symptoms intensity and re-duced the plant height. In such results, the symptoms of Zn deficiency were observed. The nutrients content, in leaves, were more affected by the treatment -FeZn, while the stem contents were affected under Zn omissions. The nutrient omission, single or multiple, in culture solution caused morphological changes and turn into a vis-ual symptoms, altered the dry matter, biometrical index and nutrient contents in castor bean plants.

The non-carcass components are configured in additional source of income for sheep producers. This study aimed to evaluate the non-carcass components in Morada Nova hair sheep fed hay or Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.) or Maniçoba (Manihot pseudoglaziovii Pax & Hoffman) hay. The animals were males, initially weighing 18.86 ± 6.48 kg were housed in individual and slaughtered at 58 days of confinement. The Tifton 85 diet resulted in higher (P<0.05) spleen weights (0.05 kg), liver (0.45 kg) and kidneys (0.08 kg). Largest total weights of organs were also obtained in the diet Tifton 85. There was no difference between diets for weight viscera. The skin showed higher weight for animals fed Tifton 85 hay. The diets did not affect the weights or buchada and panelada yields. Replacement of Tifton 85 hay by Maniçoba hay in Morada Nova hair sheep diet, reduces the weight of the organs and skin, but does not influence the buchada and panelada weights or yields.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different additions of flour I endocarp of babassu on consumption and digestibility in diets. Twenty uncastrated male sheep were distributed in a completely ran-domized into four treatments with five replicates per treatment. The animals received experimental diets isoca-loric and isonitrogenous (zero, 7.5%, 15%, 22.5%). The dry matter intake as a function of body weight and metabolic weight decreased linearly with the inclusion of flour I Endocarp in the diet. The apparent digestibil-ity coefficients demonstrate the occurrence of a linear decrease with the inclusion of by-product in the diet. Nitrogen balance was positive with all inclusion levels, decreasing with larger inclusions in a linear response. The inclusion of this byproduct promotes change in score of the feces. The flour endocarp I of babassu present-ed the typical features of consumption and digestibility of forages. The inclusion of by-product in diets for lambs should stand at 7.5% inclusion.

This study was carried out at SIPA (Integrated System of Agroecological Production), situated in Seropédica, RJ, Brazil, in order to evaluate the effects of two cropping systems on yield and growth of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). The trial was conducted in a scheme of plots split in time, with three rep-lications, where cropping systems (conventional - CT and e no-till - NT) were assigned to the plots, while sam-pling dates were assigned to the subplots. Although values observed suggested that NT system provided a better crop growth performance in relation to CP, this superiority was not confirmed when comparing growth analysis methods. The functional method provided different values of biomass accumulation and leaf area index (LAI) of plants between two cropping systems. The highest values of LAI were 1.61 m2 m-2 and 1.31 m2 m-2, respec-tively, for NT and CT. Similar behavior was observed for accumulated plant biomass, being obtained values of 634.29 g m-2 and 511.44 g m-2, respectively, for NT and CT. In both cropping systems evaluated, three produc-tion cycles were identified, which yield peaks occurred at 58, 100 and 149 days after planting (DAP). However, yield per harvest and total yield presented no difference between the cropping systems.