Water deficit affects plant development and the overcoming of its effects depends on the genotype, duration of stress, severity of damage and development stage of the plant at water stress. Cowpea is considered tolerant to water deficit, however, studies have shown that its yield can be reduced under this condition. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of water deficit on F2 populations of cowpea and select tolerant genotypes. Thirty F2 populations of cowpea and their parents (BRS-Paraguaçu, Pingo-de-Ouro-1-2, BRS-Xiquexique, CNCx-698-128G, Santo-Inácio and MNC99-510F-16-1) were evaluated in two experiments, one under induced water deficit and other under full irrigation, in the experimental field of the Embrapa Mid-North, in Teresina, State of Piauí, Brazil. A triple lattice incomplete block experiment design was used, with three replications. The experimental plots consisted of six 2-m rows, with spacing of 1.0 m between rows and 0.50 m between plants. The grain production was evaluated and its decrease related to the relative production and tolerance to stress was calculated. The grain production of the genotypes had an average decrease of 29.83% under water deficit. The genotypes from the crosses BRS-Paraguaçu x CNCx-698-128G, BRS-Xiquexique x Pingo-de-Ouro-1-2, CNCx-698-128G x BRS-Xiquexique, CNCx-698-128G x MNC99-510F-16-1, Santo-Inácio x BRS-Xiquexique and MNC99-510F-16-1 x BRS-Paraguaçu had high production and high tolerance to water deficit.

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the use of extracts of leaves and fruits of neem (Azadirachta indica Juss) as coating for papaya Formosa fruits aiming to maintain their quality during post-harvest storage. A completely randomized experimental design in a 5x5 factorial arrangement was used, with 3 replications of 2 papaya fruits per plot. The treatments consisted of five coatings with extracts of neem leaves and fruits (leaf extracts at 5 and 10%, fruit extracts at 5 and 10% and a control treatment without coating) and five storage periods (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 days) under mean temperature of 30.4 °C and relative humidity of 42%. The fruit weight loss, external appearance, pulp firmness, titratable acidity and soluble solids were evaluated, and the fungi species on the fruit surface of each storage were identified and quantified. The treatments with extract of neem leaves and fruits at 5% had papaya fruits with best external quality and provided best control of growth of phytopathogenic fungi. Regarding external appearance, papaya fruits coated with extracts of neem leaves and fruits at 5% had a shelf life of 12 days, while those coated with extracts at 10% had a shelf life of 9 days.

The objective of this work was to evaluate Fusarium guttiforme inoculation methods and genetic resistance of pineapple accessions. Thus, three experiments were conducted: pathogen inoculation of different leaf types ( B, D and F ) of pineapple (1), pathogen inoculation of pineapple cuttings and detached D leaves (2), and identification of resistance to fusariosis in 19 pineapple accessions (3) sampled in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The cultivars Pérola (susceptible to fusariosis) and BRS - Vitória (resistant to fusariosis) were used as controls. The fusariosis severity was evaluated at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days after inoculation with F. guttiforme . The lesion diameters (severity level) were used in order to calculate the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). The inoculation of detached D leaves was the most efficient, fast and inexpensive method, and the one that most satisfactorily reproduced the disease symptoms. The period of 10 to 20 days after inoculation of the D detached leaves with the pathogen is the most suitable to evaluate the resistance of pineapple accessions to fusariosis. The lowest lesion area and AUDPC was found in the accession 1, in all evaluations. Thus, the accession 1 can be used in pineapple breeding programs for resistance to fusariosis.

The objective of the present research is to characterize the phytotoxic activity of geopropolis from the Jandaira bee (Melipona subnitida Ducke) in the state of Ceará in Northeast Brazil and to analyze its effects. Extracts were prepared in 80% v/v grain alcohol at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0%. Their effects were determined on seed germination, radicle elongation, and hypocotyl growth of the pasture weeds malícia (Mimosa pudica) and mata-pasto (Senna obtusifolia). Extract phytotoxicity varied as functions of plant species, application dosage, and plant organ. M. pudica was more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of geopropolis than S. obtusifolia. There was a phytotoxic effect of 50% (PE50) for S. obtusifolia in terms of seed germination and in rootlet development near the maximum applied concentrations. M. pudica had PE50 and PE90 at the minimum concentration (0.25%) and near the maximum (1.00%), respectively. Thus, geopropolis extracts from the Jandaira bee (M. subnitida) are potentially phytotoxic to certain plant species.

Our study was conducted in the experimental field of the Department of Technology and Social Sciences (DTCS) of the State University of Bahia - UNEB, Juazeiro - BA. The experimental design was comprised of randomized blocks, sub - subdivided in plots, with four replicates comprising the plots of three different shading methods, gray shading screen (GS), red shading screen (RS), and blue shading screen (BS), and the control treatment with no shading. The subplots comprised three mini - tomato cultivars (“Sweet Million”, “Red Sugar”, and “Shani”), and sub - subplots consisted of seven sampling times. The traits evaluated were: dry matter accumulation in leaves, stems, roots, and fruits, total dry matter, shoot length, root length, total number of fruits, and overall yield. The results of the growth analysis showed that dry matter accumulation in organs of mini tomatoes was similar in all treatments and that the highest total dry matter accumulation occurred under RS. In all treatments, fruit was the preferential drainage; however, the cultivar “Red Sugar” showed higher dry matter accumulation in other plant organs. “Red Sugar” also showed the highest number of fruits per plant; however, when we evaluated total productivity, “Sweet Million” and “Shani” showed similar, higher values than “Red Sugar”.

The objective of this study was to characterize the physiological acclimation responses of young plants of the dwarf coconut cultivar ̳Jiqui Green‘ associated with tolerance to conditions of multiple abiotic stresses (drought and soil salinity), acting either independently or in combination. The study was conducted under controlled conditions and evaluated the following parameters: leaf gas exchange, quantum yield of chlorophyll a fluorescence, and relative contents of total chlorophyll (SPAD index). The experiment was conducted under a randomized block experimental design, in a split plot arrangement. In the plots, plants were exposed to different levels of water stress, by imposing potential crop evapotranspiration replacement levels equivalent to 100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%, whereas in subplots, plants were exposed to different levels of soil salinity (1.72, 6.25, 25.80, and 40.70 dS m - 1 ). Physiological mechanisms were effectively limited when water deficit and salinity acted separately and/or together. Compared with soil salinity, water stress was more effective in reducing the measured physiological parameters. The magnitudes of the responses of plants to water supply and salinity depended on the intensity of stress and evaluation period. The physiological acclimation responses of plants were mainly related to stomatal regulation. The coconut tree has a number of physiological adjustment mechanisms that give the species partial tolerance to drought stress and/or salt, thereby enabling it to revegetate salinated areas, provided that its water requirements are at least partially met.

The aim of this study was to identify parents and promising hybrid combinations for the improvement of forage watermelon. Five parents were evaluated: BGCIA 996 (1), BGCIA 997 (2), BGCIA 998 (3), BGCIA 228 (4), Jojoba (5) and ten F1 hybrids, which were obtained from balanced diallel crosses. The experimental design was in a complete randomized block, with three replications. The morphoagronomic and bromatological traits were evaluated. The highlights were the progenitors BGCIA 997, BGCIA 998, BGCIA 228 and Jojoba for protein content, fruit yield, in vitro digestibility of dry matter and number of seeds, respectively. The hybrid 1x4 stood out for fruit length, seed number, and ethereal extract. The hybrid 2x3 stood out for rind and pulp thickness while the hybrids 3x4, 3x5 and 4x5 had exceptional digestibility, protein content and fruit yield, respectively. The analysis of the standard deviation of the SCA estimates of both SD (Sij- Sik) and SD (Sij- Skl) indicated that no hybrids were found that had SCA estimates twice that of SD (Sij- Sik) or SD (Sij- Skl), except for the hybrid 1x4 for the number of seeds per fruit. These results suggest that the parents were more promising than the hybrids. Similarly, the GCA estimates favor the intrapopulation method, which will promote greater efficiency in selection for genetic gains.

Two experiments were conducted in Petrolina, State of Pernambuco (PE), Brazil, in order to evaluate the performance of mini tomato cultivars under the conditions of the Sub - Mid São Francisco Valley. One on crops of the second half of the year (SH) from August to December 2012, and other on crops of the first half of the year (FH) from March to July 2013. Six mini tomato cultivars were evaluated in both seasons: E5663 , Kada , F1170 , Tanzimech , E1275 and Abirú . A randomized block experimental design was used, with four replications, arranged in split plot, with the growing seasons in the plots and cultivars in the subplots. The total and commercial fruit yield, soluble solid contents, fruit yield per plant, number of fruits per plant, and fruit fresh weight were evaluated. The total yield was higher in the FH, regardless of the cultivar used. The cultivar E5663 presented yield of 40.3 Mg ha - 1 in the SH and 104.0 Mg ha - 1 in the FH. Commercial yield, soluble solid content and yield per plant followed the same trend. The number of fruits per plant ranged from 390.8 to 941.4 (FH) and from 80.5 to 315.4 (SH). The cultivar E5663 presented the best yield and soluble solid content responses, thus, it may be recommended for the conditions of Petrolina PE, and can be adopted for planting in both seasons evaluated.

Physalis peruviana L. is a perennial plant, but commonly referred as annual in commercial crops. The cultivation of this species might be successful in Brazilian subtropical areas with an adequate and planned management. The objective of the present study was to quantify the production of Physalis peruviana L. with or without plastic covering over plant canopies, using two planting densities, managing the number of stems, and pruning side stems. This study was divided in two experiments; the first experiment evaluated the effect of spacing between each plant and the use of plastic covering in fruit production. The second experiment investigated the effect of the number of productive stems and of pruning in fruit production. The experimental design used for both experiments was randomized blocks, in 2 x 2 factorial scheme, which contained 6 blocks and 10 plants per plot. The following were analyzed for both experiments: production variables, estimated production, number of fruits per plant, mean fruit mass, mean fruit length and diameter, and chlorophyll relative index. Plastic covering and number of stems did not influence fruit production. The 3.0 x 0.5 m spacing without pruning side stems provided a larger production.

Dehydration is an important alternative to making the most of the use the surplus of production and take advantage of the seasonality of tropical fruits. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical composition of the yellow mombin pulp ( Spondia mombin L.) powder, obtained by spray drying, and evaluate its sensory acceptance in the form of reconstituted juice. The physicochemical analyzes of the yellow mombin powder were: pH, soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and moisture, with all results in accordance with the current legislation. The addition of maltodextrin in the process reduced the sensory analysis values (color, appearance, and taste). The tested formulations, (powders with 25 and 27.05% maltodextrin) preserved, and even favored the aroma. These formulations had the following values (7.66 and 7.68) higher than the val- ues found for integral juice (6.60).