ABSTRACT Given the lack of information on the use of spontaneous plants from the Caatinga biome as green manure to produce green grains, the present work aimed to agronomically and economically optimize cowpea production for green grains and their components when fertilized with equitable biomass amounts of hairy woodrose (Merremia aegyptia L.) and roostertree (Calotropis procera Ait.) in two cropping seasons in a semi-arid environment. The experiment used a randomized complete block design, with five treatments and five replicates. The treatments consisted of equitable amounts of dry M. aegyptia and C. procera biomass of 16, 29, 42, 55 and 68 t ha-1. In each experiment, an additional treatment was planted with cowpea without fertilizer (absolute control), and another was fertilized with mineral fertilizer for the purpose of comparison with the treatment of maximum physical or economic efficiency. The maximum optimized physical (agronomic) efficiencies of cowpea green pods and grain production were reached in the productivity of green pods at 3.90 t ha-1 and green grains at 4.06 t ha-1, with incorporation into the soil of 45.07 and 50.48 t ha-1 of green manure, respectively. The maximum economic efficiency of cowpea green grain production was reached at a net income of R$5826.12 ha-1 and at a rate of return of 1.29 reals for each real invested with application to the soil of 38.74 and 37.85 t ha-1 of the tested green manure biomass.

ABSTRACT Several tropical woody species are highly responsive to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and depend on their symbiosis for nutrition and successful establishment in the field. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of Schinus terebinthifolius, a native species of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Caatinga, to inoculation with three AMF species (Dentiscutata heterogama, Gigaspora margarita, and Rhizophagus clarus), either individually or mixed, at different levels of phosphorus fertilization (0, 71, 213, and 650 mg kg−1 of P). We conducted the experiment in 1 kg pots, following a completely randomized design with six replicates per treatment, to evaluate morphological and nutritional traits after 116 days, including stem diameter, plant height, plant biomass, and shoot P content. Our results showed that S. terebinthifolius was highly dependent on mycorrhizae and presented different responses depending on the AMF species. The greatest total biomass accumulation occurred when a mixture of the three AMF species was used, which indicated synergism between the fungi. The highest overall positive response to inoculation were observed at an intermediate P level (213 mg kg−1), and although shoot biomass was reduced at the intermediate P doses, an increase in root biomass compensated for this. These results indicate complementarity as opposed to functional redundancy of the AMF species and highlight the importance of using a mixed inoculum in seedling production of S. terebinthifolius for revegetation programs.

ABSTRACT Cherry tomato cultivation in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil is limited by water scarcity, so it is common to use water sources with high concentrations of salts in this region, which have a deleterious effect on plants, which can be alleviated through management strategies, and fertilization with nitrogen stands out. This study aimed to evaluate the growth, gas exchange and production of cherry tomato under irrigation with saline water and nitrogen fertilization. The experiment was carried out in a screened environment at the CCTA/UFCG in Pombal - PB from October 2020 to February 2021, using a randomized block design, in a 5 × 5 factorial scheme, with five levels of electrical conductivities of water - ECw (0.3; 1.3; 2.3; 3.3 and 4.3 dS m−1) and five nitrogen doses - ND (50; 75; 100; 125 and 150% of the recommended dose for the crop), with three replicates. Irrigation water salinity from 0.3 dS m−1 reduced stomatal conductance, transpiration, CO2 assimilation rate and production components of cherry tomato. Nitrogen fertilization from 50% of the recommendation reduced stomatal conductance, transpiration and CO2 assimilation rate of cherry tomato. Irrigation with water of electrical conductivity from 0.3 dS m−1 associated with nitrogen dose of 150% of the recommendation intensified the effect of salt stress on dry biomass accumulation in cherry tomato.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the conversion of secondary native vegetation (NV) to conventional systems (agriculture and pasture) in soil organic carbon (SOC) and carbon of fractions particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The study was carried out in the municipalities of Delmiro Gouveia, Inhapi and Pariconha, in Alagoas, Brazil. Soils were collected in the layers of 0-0.1, 0.1-0.2 and 0.2-0.3 m. The treatments analyzed were: agricultural crops with 4, 15 and 30 years and pasture with 10 years. As a reference, the secondary Caatinga was used. The results show that in soils with sandy texture (Neossolos Quartzarênico and Regolítico – Arenosols and Regosols, respectively), there were reductions in SOC levels and carbon in the compartment associated with minerals. The inverse can be observed in the clay-textured Argissolo (Acrisols), with 30 years of cultivation, in which there was an increase in SOC and C in the quantitative fractions of soil organic matter. In addition, despite the sandy texture of the Neossolo Regolítico, POM levels were increased in the pasture system in comparison to native vegetation, but it was not enough to recover the original SOC content of this system.

ABSTRACT Cowpea is a crop of great socioeconomic relevance for the populations of the North and Northeast of the country, and its low yield is commonly related to environmental stresses, especially water. The objective of this study was to evaluate the water stress index of cowpea, cultivar BR3 - Tracuateua, subjected to different irrigation levels (100, 50, 25 and 0% of ETc) in three reproductive phenological stages (R7, R8 and R9) in Castanhal-PA, Brazil. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with six replications and four treatments corresponding to 100, 50, 25 and 0% of daily replacement of crop evapotranspiration, during the reproductive period, through an irrigation system. The surface temperature readings were made with infrared thermometer, during the reproductive stage. The smallest absolute temperature differences between canopy and air occurred in stages R7 and R8. The highest values of water stress index (CWSI) were verified when the plant was under water deficit, regardless of phenological stages. The effect of water deficit caused reductions in stomatal conductance of 58.82% (R7), 83.57% (R8) and 84.87% (R9), in leaf transpiration of 45.97% (R7), 64.21% (R8) and 65.90% (R9) and in the net photosynthetic rate of 40.75% (R7), 66.92% (R8) and 74% (R9). The CWSI varied with the availability of water, showing the highest value (0.75) in the treatment without irrigation, in the R8 stage. The CWSI proved to be a good indicator of the water status of the plant.

ABSTRACT Sodom apple is a plant species adapted to various ecosystems and has stood out for its economic and ecological importance. We evaluated the amplification profile of 23 ISSR primers and selected polymorphic loci for genetic studies of a natural population of Calotropis procera by collecting and extracting genomic DNA from 33 individuals. Genomic DNA was extracted using the sorbitol protocol and 2% CTAB and the ISSR amplification products were resolved by electrophoresis. Based on the amplification profile, the 23 primers were classified as suitable, moderate, and unsuitable. We described the quality of primers considering the total number of bands, mean bands per primer, percentage of polymorphism, Nei’s genetic diversity (expected heterozygosity – He), assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the polymorphic information content (PIC). All ISSR primers showed an amplification profile, which generated 173 bands with an average of 7.5 loci per primer. However, only 18 out of the 23 tested primers allowed visible and high-quality amplification, which were classified as suitable and polymorphic. We also observed a mean of 0.30 and 0.24 for PIC and He estimates, respectively. The DiCA3`RG, TriAGA3`RC, and TriCGC3`RC primers were highly transferable to C. procera (they presented quality for amplification with good reproducibility), with PIC values higher than 0.40, He higher than 0.30, and polymorphism higher than 86%.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to validate the artificial hybridization without emasculation in lima beans, identifying F1 generation using microsatellite markers (SSR). We used four accessions from the Active Germplasm Bank of Phaseolus, Universidade Federal do Piauí (BGP-UFPI), with contrasting growth habits and days-to-maturity traits. The 241 crosses performed had a percentage of hybrid pods of 5.8%, obtaining 42 seeds in F1. Artificial cross-fertilization was confirmed by microsatellite markers (BM 211, BM 141, BM 154, and GAT 591), and four plants were identified as hybrids. Thus, the proposed method is effective in performing artificial crosses for lima beans.

ABSTRACT For natural enemies to be effectively used in pest control programs, it is important to understand the basic and applied ecology of an agroecosystem, such as guava orchards in semi-arid regions. We identified the parasitoids associated with the guava psyllid, Triozoida limbata (Enderlein 1918) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), as well as the rates of natural parasitism that occur in a semi-arid region of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. About 130 terminal branches with four leaves fully open and with signs and/or presence of the psyllid were collected from a commercial guava orchard and brought to the laboratory. The material was stored under controlled conditions until the parasitoids emerged. The parasitoids were counted and fixed in 70% ethanol for species identification. In total, 9,897 individuals of T. limbata (adults and immature) and 603 parasitoids were found. The primary parasitoid, Psyllaephagus trioziphagus (Howard, 1885) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), was associated with the guava psyllid, with 4.88% parasitism. Secondary parasitoids Signiphora Ashmead, 1880 (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae), Aprostocetus Westwood, 1833, and Tetrastichus Haliday, 1844 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were also identified.

ABSTRACT Northern leaf blight caused by Exserohilum turcicum is an important disease of maize (Zea mays L.), and its severity depends more closely on growth lesions than on spot number. Here, we characterized the infection sites of E. turcicum on resistant and susceptible maize genotypes by analyzing the histology of lesions as well as the structural and biochemical mechanisms of infection. Maize leaves were inoculated with the pathogen at specific points and incubated in a microhumidity chamber. Samples were obtained to follow fungal development and host tissue lignification using light and electron microscopy, and the activity and electrophoretic patterns of peroxidases were determined. The time course of spore germination and appressorium formation was essentially the same for both genotypes; however, a delay of 12 h in fungal penetration, accompanied by host tissue lignification, was noted in the resistant genotype, as opposed to that in the susceptible one. Scanning electron microscopy revealed fungal mycelium in the xylem vessels of both genotypes; however, in the resistant genotype, pathogen colonization was restricted to mesophyll cells around the penetration point, where chlorotic flecks were produced. Meanwhile, in the susceptible genotype, following penetration and chlorotic fleck formation, the pathogen continued to grow inside the xylem vessels and profusely colonized mesophyll tissue distant from the penetration point, resulting necrotic lesion development. Electrophoretic patterns of peroxidases were similar between the two genotypes, with three isoenzymes present in all tissues. In addition, two novel isoenzymes were detected in chlorotic flecks, necrotic lesions, and green tissue around the lesions.

ABSTRACT The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance and water use efficiency of crop rotations under conventional system (CTS) and no-tillage system (NTS) through two experiments conducted in the Semiarid region of the northern state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Experiment 1 consisted of a grain corn-common bean rotation, and experiment 2 consisted of a sorghum-sweet corn rotation. The treatments, in both experiments, consisted of two tillage systems (CTS and NTS) arranged in strip-plots, in two crop years, with ten replications. Yield and production components of all crops and water use efficiency (WUE) of crops grown in the autumn-winter seasons were evaluated within each crop rotation. The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and, when significant, the means were subjected to the F test at 5% significance level. The results obtained showed that the NTS increases corn yield in 21.45% in the grain corn-common bean rotation; however, the common bean yield present no difference between tillage systems. NTS increases the sorghum fresh and dry matter yields in 39.65% and 84.26%, respectively, in the sorghum- sweet corn rotation, and the sweet corn total and commercial ear yield in 11.99% and 21.80%, respectively. The NTS increases the WUE of crops grown in the autumn-winter season, in both crop rotations.