Cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most limiting factors for cotton crop expansion. It presents different biological and behavioral aspects that ensure its success on this agroecosystem. This research aimed to identify pollen sources used by this insect during harvest and intercrop periods of cotton cultivations in Iuiu and Correntina – BA, Brazil; moreover, evaluating Caatinga and Cerrado neighboring areas. Adult insect samplings were made from February to September of 2013, through pheromone traps. Samples were analyzed to identify the pollen types inside the digestive system of insects. The results indicated that the pest explores 22 botanical families as nourishment source, from which 16 in Caatinga and five in Cerrado. Regarding crop samples, eight genera were found in Iuiu and Correntina, being three found in both areas (Angelonia, Mimosa and Myrcia sp.1). Pollen from 26 genera were identified for Caatinga and six for Cerrado, with three genera in common for both (Myrcia sp.2, Eucalyptus, and Mimosa). The boll weevil uses alternative sources of food within the main cotton growing regions in Bahia State, highlighting the Caatinga with most of the botanical families and genera explored by the pest.

This study aimed to associate two concepts of seed vigor testing, the aging and seedling growth using image analysis, providing a feasible and time-saving way to evaluate maize seed vigor in large scale. For this purpose, five seed lots with different vigor levels from two single hybrids were used. The seeds were characterized by moisture content, germination, seedling emergence, seedling emergence speed index, accelerated aging and cold tests. The treatments were composed by varying the accelerated aging periods (0, 24, 48, 72 and 96h) and seedling growth periods (48 and 72h), before submitting the seedlings to image analysis for seedling root length measurement. Considering the results obtained, the adaptation of accelerated aging test by reducing the aging duration from 96h to 48h, and the replacement of the germination test by seedling root length measurement using image analysis could be considered a potential tool for maize seed vigor assessment. The treatments composed of 48h of seed aging followed by seedlings root length measurements using image analysis provided reliable data, compared to traditional vigor tests and it could be considered an efficient and timesaving approach, associating two different concepts of seed vigor analysis.

The dynamics of organic matter influences the main chemical, physical and biological processes in soil, and often determines their chemical behavior and fertility. Therefore, it is essential to quantify the frac- tions that make up the organic matter to the understanding of pedogenic processes that reflect or induce soil properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate the behavior of soil organic matter in different soil profiles under deciduous formations, through fractionation of organic matter and obtain their different oxidizable fractions. Ten soil profiles were described and collected in areas of deciduous formations in the state of Minas Gerais and Bahia. Chemical and physical analyzes were performed on each horizon. For organic matter fractions, the fractionation of humic substances and subsequent determination of carbon in each fraction was performed: humin (HUM - C) , fulvic acid (C - FAF) and humic acid (C - FAH) and calculated their relations and percentage of each fraction relative to total organic carbon (COT) , %FAF, %FAH, %HUM and %EA, beyond fractions oxidizable C in each evaluated horizon. Humic substances that make up the organic matter in the soil of seasonal dry forests profiles showed that this compartment MOS showed a predominance of the humin fraction, followed by humic acids and lower content of C, fulvic acids for most soils. However, the different fractions of oxidizable C could already point more labile fractions associated with surface horizons, and more recalcitrant to subsurface horizons.

This study aimed at evaluating the effect of replacing corn by palm in the supplements for dairy females in grazing at levels of 0, 33, 66 and 100%. Intake of pasture and apparent nutrient digestibility, animal performance, intake of nitrogenous compounds, nitrogen balance, synthesis and microbial efficiency and bioe-conomy system were evaluated. The study was conducted at Farm Roçadinho, municipality of Capoeiras Wasteland region of the State of Pernambuco in the period from 30/09/2012 to 19/01/2013, in a completely randomized design with four treatments and six replications, using 24 dairy females growing initial weight of 180 pounds. Consisted of 112 days, and 28 for adaptation. The intake of DM, DM/pasture, OM, CP, NDFap. NDFi intake and increased ADF because of the NFC, EE, and TDN decreased (P <0.05). PUN levels in plasma did not change. The apparent digestibility of DM, OM, NDF, ADF, NFC, EE and TDN decreased linearly, and CP increased (P <0.05). Weight gains decreased since the FC increased (P <0.05). No effect was observed in nitrogen intake and nitrogen excreted in the urine. A reduction in nitrogen excreted in the faeces nitrogen bal-ance and percentage of ingested nitrogen, urea-N excreted in the urine increased (P <0.05). The replacement of corn by palm reduces the performance of dairy females in pasture growth. Thus the total or partial replacement is conditioned to the projection of age at first calving on the production system and economy of use.

The present work was accomplished with the objective of evaluating the drying effect on the peanut fruits physical properties. Peanut fruits with an initial moisture content of 0.63 decimal db were dried with a temperature of 40 ºC. Bulk density, true density, porosity, thousand - grain weight, sphericity, circularity, projected area, surface area and surface/volume ratio physical properties were determined. Based on these re- sults, it is concluded that reducing the moisture content promotes reduction in all the physical properties of pea- nut fruits, except the surface/volume ratio that have their values increased with the moisture content reduction. The circularity as sphericity of the peanut fruit values was reduced during the drying process.

This study aimed at evaluating the performance of Nelore cattle during growth classified for different classes of frame size regarding body weights and morphometric measures at different ages. Weights and morphometric measures Nelore bulls up to 1 year of age were monthly recorded. The characteristics evalu-ated were birth weight, 120, 205, 240 and 365 days of age, withers height and rump height, thoracic perimeter, distance between pin bones, distance between hip bones and chest width, depth of chest, space under sternal and hip length. Frame size scores classified as medium, large and extreme, were estimated using equations and tables according to Beef Improvement Federation (BIF). Data were subjected to analysis of variance and Tukey-Kramer test at 5% probability and analyses were performed by canonical variables and the grouping analyses of genotype by method of Tocher. The animals with larger class of frame size were heavier and morphometric measurements as well, when compared with animals classified for smaller class. The correlation between weight at different ages were higher. The weight correlates with body features positively, indicating that the weight gain of the animals increased their influence on the frame size. Cluster analysis resulted in three distinct genetic groups that have similar within the group and genetic divergence between them.

The umbu is an important fruit for the northeast of Brazil because it is being used in reforestation areas and has great economic potential. However, there is a gap on propagation techniques of this culture that is a crucial step for the successful of plant development. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of alternative substrate on the growth of umbu rootstock, fertility attributes, and microbial populations of these mixtures.The experimental design was completely randomized with 10 treatments: TA = soil + sand (1:1); A = sand; ECSC = goat manure + Plantmax® (1:3); EBSC = manure + Plantmax® (1:3); ECA = goat manure + sand (1:3); EBA = manure + sand (1:3); ECBSC = manure + goat manure + Plantmax® (1:1:3); ECBA = manure + goat manure + sand (1:1:3); HSC = humus + Plantmax® (1:3) and HA = humus + sand (1:3),with four replications. The addition of residues promoted the quality of the umbu rootstock, especially when mixed with a commercial substrate composed of vegetable organic matter and expanded vermiculite. With multivariate clustering, three groups acknowledged a similarity between the substrate mixtures. The use of humus or goat manure mixed with the commercial substrate is recommended for the production of umbu rootstock.

Native seeds should be studied and appreciated as they can contribute to the improvement of production, trade and supply aspects of family farmers, and breeding programs. The aim of the current study was to compare the physical characteristics (color and size) and the chemical composition of the grain in natura five genotypes creole red beans, grown in organic system, on the Nossa Senhora Aparecida farm, in Hi-drolândia-GO, Brazil. Completely randomized design with five treatments and four replications was employed. Caliper was used to determine the dimensions (length, height and width), Sphere II colorimeter ColorQuest to the instrumental color parameters (L*, a* e b*), and methods recommended by Association of Official Analyti-cal Chemists to the chemical composition. The Safira beans showed the greatest length and width (13.89 and 7.59 mm, respectively), in addition to greater luminosity (42.38), less reddish (3.53) and lower levels of ash and crude fiber (3.59 and 12.05 g 100 g-1, respectively). The beans Bolinha Vermelha showed the lowest di-mensions (9.1 x 4.3 x 5.7 mm), while the Vermelho Rajado beans showed lower protein (16.61 g 100 g-1) and higher ash (3.91 g 100 g-1). The bean Vermelho Rajado received the greatest levels of protein and crude fiber (18.83 and 16.45 g 100 g-1, respectively). All creole beans adapted to organic production system. Among the genotypes, beans Safira stood out for having larger and lighter in color, the beans Vermelho Rajado and Bolin-ha Vermelha dot by higher protein, beans Bolinha Vermelha by higher contents of ash and ether extract, and Vermelho Rajado the higher fiber content.

Two experiments were conducted with the aim of determining the nutritional composition of babassu cake, metabolizable energy and true amino acid digestibility of babassu cake for slow growth broilers. In the first experiment, 352 broilers were used at different ages, distributed randomly in three treatments, with six replications compounds by reference diets (RDs) formulated for three different ages, and test diets (80% of RRs over 20% of babassu cake). The method used was the total collection. In the second experiment, 168 slow growth broilers were used, from 20 to 25 days of age, distributed randomly in two treatments which consisted of a diet free of protein (DIP) starch-based and the DIP plus 35% inclusion of babassu cake. The chemical composition of babassu cake exhibit elevated levels of crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent, which can interfere with the metabolizable energy values of this food. In the formulations diets for slow growth broilers using babassu cake in its composition should take into consideration the age of the animal, and with advancing age of the chickens improves utilization of metabolizable energy for broilers. Amino acids have lower digestibility coefficients to those found in the literature for fast growth broilers, and histidine is the ami-no acid that has the lowest coefficient of digestibility and arginine, the highest.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the optimum plot size to three sunflower hybrids in three spatial arrangements of plants. The uniformity test was installed in the experimental field of the Federal University of Recôncavo of Bahia, in Cruz das Almas, Brazil, in 2012. The plots were composed of six lines of 36 m, which were willing three spatial arrangements of plants: A1 (0,45 m x 0,49 m); A2 (0,70 m x 0,32 m) and A3 (0,90 m x 0,25 m), and each arrangement were distributed three sunflower hybrids: Hélio 250, Hélio 253 e Aguara 3. For the evaluation of the optimal plot size, at 110 days after sowing was harvested a sample of 180 basic units (plants) per plot, in which were evaluated the final plant height, the final diameter of the rod and the diameter of the chapter. Thirty - one plots sizes of three hybrids were simulated and for each variable assessed, wherein each plant was considered as a basic unit. The estimation of optimum plot size to the sun- flower crop was calculated by the method of modified curvature maximum. The combined use of hybrid H253, installed in the arrangement 0.45 m x 0.49 m, promotes obtainment the greatest value of curvature maximum it was estimated the optimum plot size of six plants.