The use of different practical vegetal coverings and cultural seems to act directly on soil mesofauna. The objective of this work was to evaluate the variations of the groups of soil mesofauna n different systems of handling of the ground. The treatments had consisted of three areas: castor bean (Ricinus communis L.), pasture (Brachiaria decumbens) and native woods. In each area 21 samples had been removed, seven for treatments, three times. The soil mesofauna extracted using a modified Berlese-Tullgren apparatus. In the evaluation of the ecological behavior ofmesofauna, the total number of individuals was mensured and had been made comparisons of the communities using: the Shannon index and the Pielou index. Pertaining ones to filo Arthropoda had been identified to 13 taxonomics groupsin the three areas in study, being all. In the area and castor bean lesser diversity in the structure of the community of arthropods was verified, evidencing the influence of the culture systems on the population of soil mesofauna, diminishing its density and diversity in relation to the native woods area.

With the objective in determine the contribution of the clay and of the organic matter for CTC of the soils of the State of Alagoas, with base in data of the rising exploratory-recognition done by JACOMINE et al.,(1975) 265 representative samples were used of the horizons A and B of 64 profiles of the different areas of the State. The CTC of the fraction clay corrected by the organic matter is presented by area and in the general for the State: Coast CTCargila = CTCsolo - (% C x 4,4) /% clay x 100; Forest CTCargila = CTCsolo - (% C x 4,7) /% clay x 100; Rural CTCargila = CTCsolo - (% C x 5,6) /% clay x 100; Interior CTCargila = CTCsolo - (% C x 4,7) / %argila x 100; São Francisco CTCargila = CTCsolo - (% C x 3,1) /% clay x 100; General CTCargila = CTCsolo - (% C x 4,6) /% clay x 100;. It is presentedre a presentative model of equation for determination of CTC of the fraction clay (Targ) and of 1 gram of carbon (TC) (cmolc clay kg-1) for the State of Alagoas: Targ (Y) = 17,27 - 1,0976ArgB + 0,01276ArgB2 + 4,9748TB - 0,05526ArgB.TB (R2 = 0,989) and TC (Y) = 1,2189 - 0,0531ArgA + 0,0722ContA (R2 = 0,664). It's presented average, medium, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, asymmetry and curtose of the clay tenor, organic carbon, CTC and contribution of the organic carbon for area and in the general for the State, being also applied for CTC of the clay (Targ) and CTC of 1 gram of carbon (TC).

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito dos componentes dos substratos em diferentes misturas submetidos à adubação fosfatada sobre a composição mineral de mudas de mangabeira. Este experimento foi executado no Centro de Ciências Agrárias, UFPB, localizado no município de Areia-PB. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com 17 tratamentos, três repetições, e unidade experimental constando de quatro mudas. Os substratos testados foram acondicionados em sacos de polietileno preto, composto de fibra de coco, com valores variando de 0 a 40 %, esterco bovino de 0 a 25,5 %, terra vegetal de 25 a 70 %, 15 % de areia e superfosfato triplo, nas doses de 0,0; 5,5 e 11,0 g L-1. Foi avaliada a composição mineral dos sistemas radiculares e na parte aérea das mudas aos 150 dias após a germinação das sementes, para os teores de macronutrientes e cobre. Aadição de esterco bovino e de superfosfato triplo provocaram o incremento dos teores de macronutrientes no sistema radicular e na parte aérea das mudas de mangabeira, ao contrário do efeito da adição de terra vegetal e fibra de coco. O teor de cobre na parte aérea das mudas aumentou com o incremento da concentração de terra vegetal e da fibra de coco no substrato. Recomenda-se a utilização das concentrações de 24 % de esterco, 51 % de terra vegetal, 10 % de fibra de coco, 15 % de areia e 8 g dm- 3 de superfosfato triplo, para obtenção dos máximos teores estimados de macronutrientes e de cobre no sistema radicular e na parte aérea de mudas de mangabeira.

The culture of the castor bean comes as a promising alternative for the producing of the semi-arid Northeasterner, mainly for to present characteristics as adaptation to the climatic conditions and to present in seeds they nourish chemistries of addition importance for production of Biodiesel, however, they are still scarce studies on techniques handling of this culture, mainly as the manuring This work driven with the objective of evaluating the initial development of the castor bean submitted to different sources and doses of organic matter. The used design was it entirely randomized in factorial outline 2 x 5, with three replications. The treatments were composed by the combination of two sources (manure bovine and manure ovine) and five tenors of organic matter in the composition of the substratum (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40). The appraised growth indexes were: plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter and fitomassa of the aerial part. The castor bean answered the sources and the studied doses significantly, as well as the interaction among these factors. Answer was verified forms quadratic the doses of bovine and lineal manure to the doses of manure ovine. The largest development of the plants was verified with bovine manure, in close tenors of 30%.

Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae and Metarhizium flavoviride var. flavoviride are entomopathogenic fungi with proved action against several species of insects. In this work, the behavior and cytology of the M. anisopliae var. anisopliae (PL43) and M. flavoviride var. flavoviride (CG291) were evaluated after the passage in eggs, larvae and adults Chrysomya albiceps, an important causer of secondary myiais. The experiment was carried out under an acclimatized environment's humidity and temperature of 60 ± 10% and 28 ± 1oC. The most expressive results of the biological parameters studied (percentage of germination, quantity of conidia, quantity and diameter of colonies) were reached from re-isolated fungi of larvae. No significant differences were observed in the cytological aspects of the life cycle of the fungi post-passage in eggs, larvae and adults. These results suggest the possibility of the use of the fungi in the control of C. albiceps fly.

The present research had as objective to evaluate the effect of the traditional forest fire and the enleirament of organic residues in attributes biological in soil under caatinga. Four areas of caatinga of 1 ha been selected, to know: (a) the area that were deforested, forest fire and planted with maize and beans, after five years of pousio (CQ); b) area that was deforested and the placed organic residues in leiras and planted with maize and beans between the leiras, after five years of pousio (CL); c) area with 5 years of pousio (P5); d) secondary forest established 50 years (Mata). They had been collected, in these areas, soil samples in the layers of 0 - 20 cm composed of twenty subamostras in March of 2006. The following attributes was evaluated in microbiana biomass carbon (CBM), microbial basal respiration (C-CO2), microbial metabolic quotient (q Co2) and relation CBM:COT (qMIC). In adition, was evaluated the total organic carbon (COT) and some attributes quimic of soil. The highest values of CBM and relation CBM:COT had been found in Mata, P5 and CL, while of COT they had been registered in Mata, CQ and P5. The highest values of C-CO2 release had been observed in CQ and NF, followed of CL and P5. The qCO2 rate was higher in the CQ, comparison to the too much treatments that they had not differed between itself. The multivaried analysis was an important auxiliary tool fos suggesting CBM as an attribute to discriminate the studied areas.

The lettuce is a leafy vegetable and when it is cultivated in regions of intense solar radiation it can¿t develop it's full genetic potential. In this direction this work had the objective of evaluating the productivity of the Butterhead lettuce cultivar using different types of screens in the region of the Submédio São Francisco. The experiment was carried out in raised planting beds, using black screens with 30 and 50% of shading, white screens and in the open sun. The statistical design was the factorial 2x4 and the means were compared by the Turkey test at 5% of probability. In each treatment a termohigrometre and temometers at 40 cm from the ground were coupled with a black globe to get the radiant thermal load, the temperature of the air and the humidity index. At the end of the trial chlorophyll, the diameter of the head, plant height, the number of leaves per plant, the leaf area, fresh and dry weight of plants were collected. The screens affected the parameters analyzed and the treatment PS and TB of shading were the best for commercial parameters.

The present work had the aim to study the seasonal variation of the groundwater quality for irrigated at Lagoa de Salsa region in the district of Tibau (RN) during in the rainfall and drought season of 2008 and 2009. Sample water 24 were collected in aquifer distributed spatially in produced area in region at the two stationsalong. The variables electrical conductivity, Na, Ca, Mg, SAR, CO3, HCO3 and Cl were analyzed. The results showed that majority of the groundwater for irrigation in the Tibau microregion have use limitation. The concentrations for rain season was low in relation drought season, decreased salinity risk to mayoral parameters analyzed.

This experiment aimed to objective evaluate the appearance of the fruits and taste of waterde-coconut during the storage. Were harvested fruit cultivar Green Dwarf with six months of age, from the municipality of Rio do Fogo-RN then were transported to the laboratory Agriculture of UFERSA, which were previously assessed on the appearance of the fruits and taste of water. Part of the fruit has been coated with paraffin, and the other part remained untreated. Then, the fruits were stored in cold with temperature of 12±1ºC e 90±2% UR. Where they remained for 28; 35; 42; 49; 56 e 63 days. In each period the fruits were evaluated on their appearance and taste of the water using a hedonic scale of nine points, ranging from extremely liked and disliked. The experimental design was completely randomized, factorial arrangement 2x6, two types of coating fruits (fruits with and without paraffin), six times the storage of fruits (28, 35, 42, 49, 56 e 63 dias) with three replicates of 05 fruits, was used to test Friedman average of a 5% probability. The coating with paraffin kept good appearance of the fruits for a longer period of time in relation to fruit without paraffin. The taste of the water, practically, did not differ with the coating fruits.

The aim of this work was the study of proline and aminoacids accumulation in two cowpea ultivars, previously identified as tolerant (Pitiúba) and sensitive to salinity (TVu 2331), along the stress exposition time. Plants of both cultivars were exposed to NaCl 75 mM (salt stress), added at rate of 25 mM day-1 in nutritious solution and its behavior was compared with control ones, kept at the same environmental conditions. In general, salt stress inhibited more the growth in TVu 2331 cultivar. The stressed plants of this cultivar also presented larger proline accumulation in their leaves, suggesting the existence of a protection mechanism. TVu 2331 cultivar also presented tendency of more accumulation of aminoacids in the leaves and roots, which could have occurred due its higher growth inhibition.