The objective of this work was to evaluate the postharvest quality of the Tommy Atkins mango commercialized in the city of Mossoró-RN. The fruits had been collected, randomized, in three commercial establishments (Market of great port, free Fair and market of small port). In each establishment 6 collections had been carried through, distributed during the months of August, September and October. The experimental design was blocks randomized with three treatments and six repetitions, two fruits for experimental unit for physicist-chemistries analyses and five fruits for phytopathology analyses. The days of collection had been considered as blocks and the markets as treatments. The variables analyzed were: mass, longitudinal and ventral lengths, price, internal appearance, external appearance, firmness, solubles solids, titratable acidity, solubles solids and titratable acidity relation, pH, incidence and frequency of fungus isolation. The fruits commercialized in the three establishments had presented physical and chemical characteristics that fit in the standard considered reasonable for consumption in natura of 'Tommy Atkins' fruits. It was found high incidence of spots and/or podrition, mainly in market C. The fungus found in the isolation frequency had been of the Colletotrichum, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Lasiodiplodia and Rhizopus.

Jatropha curcas crop is raising attention as an alternative crop for oil and biodiesel production. Despite the mineral fertilization is an important factor for increasing Jatropha curcas yield, few research has been made on this issue, mainly on the use de zinc and copper. In order to evaluate the effects of these elements on Jatropha curcas plant growth two experiments were carried out in a greenhouse, in Campina Grande, Paraiba State, Brazil, from July to December 2007. The substrate for the pot plants was a 5 mm-sieved surface soil (Neossolo Quartzarênico). The experimental design was a completely randomized with three replications. The treatments of first and second experiment were composed of five levels of Zn (0; 2; 4; 6 and 8 mg dm-3) and five levels of Cu (0; 1; 2; 3; and 4 mg dm-3) which were applied at the time of planting. One plant of Jatropha curcas was grown per pot after thinning and was irrigated whenever necessary. Data on plant height, number and length of leaves and stem diameter were measured at 40; 60; 80; 100 and 160 days after planting. Under conditions that the experiments were carried out the Zn and Cu levels used did not affect the Jatropha curcas plants growth.

The desertification generates and accents the scarcity of vital natural resources for the survival human being, as drinking waters, alone agriculturist and vegetation. Implying in social and economic problems in the affected areas. Recently the remote sensing and the techniques of geoprocessing has been used in diverse areas of the research, mainly in the ambient monitoring of Brazil. For its great territorial extension the application of these tools is of great importance in the country, has seen that if it can thus carry through diagnostic of areas of difficult access by means of transports and in accordance with the secular resolution of the effective satellites can be carried through a monitoring of these areas. The present study it has as objective to analyze the evolution of the process of desertification through the NDVI in the region of the Hinterland of the State of Pernambuco through a secular series of images Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) that it includes years 1994, 1997 and 2001. It was applied the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land - SEBAL, this algorithm calculated the albedo and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index for each pixel of the images. It was verified that the characteristic vegetation of the region diminished its area, showing that the analyzed areas meet in process of loss of the vegetation that can lead to the desertification process.

It was objectified, in this work the standardization of the germination test with relationship to the temperature and the removal of the tegument for the evaluation of the seeds of pinhão-manso (Jatropha curcas L). For so much, the germination test was accomplished with four repetitions of 25 seeds for each treatment. The treatments was arranged in a complete randomized design, in outline factorial 4 x 2 (4 temperatures 20 ºC; 25 ºC; 20-30 ºC and 30 ºC, and 2 type seeds with and without tegument). The sown was accomplished in system roll, humidified with volumes of water (mL), equivalent to 2.5 times the weight of the paper (g). The treatments were installed in cameras of germination of the type BOD under regime of white light. They were appraised the germination with counts to the 10 and 15 days of the beginning of the test and index of germination speed. In agreement with the results obtained in the present work, it can be concluded that the seeds with tegument presented larger germination percentage, and the retreat of the tegument affects the germination and vigor of the seeds negatively. The temperatures of 25 ºC and 30 ºC constants are favorable the germination and vigor of the seeds, while the temperatures of 20 ºC constant and 20-30 ºC alternate they commit the acting in the germination and vigor of the seeds of pinhão-manso.

A survey was made of the plant species used in popular medicine in the coastal city of Natal, and the rural city of Santa Cruz, both in the northeastern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte. Information on the medicinal properties of the plants was obtained from interviews with local residents performed between February and August, 2005 and between September and December, 2007. In each area, 100 inhabitants filled out standard forms, for a total of 300 interviews. Data was collected on the plant (popular name, part of the plant used, form of use and function) and on the population (age group, sex and schooling). We recorded 57 species distributed into 54 genuses and 34 botanical families. Regardless of schooling level, more than 50% of the respondents reported using plant species for curing a wide assortment of ailments. The most used families in terms of number of species were: Lamiaceae (seven), Euphorbiaceae (four), Myrtaceae (four), Zingiberaceae (three) and Lauraceae (three). Around 49% of the species were common to the three areas studied. The most used plant parts for preparing remedies, which are used mainly for treating respiratory diseases, were the leaves, fruits and roots. Teas are the most common form of dispensing the medicine. A table is presented containing information, especially on the use and function of the species, as described in the interviews.

Erythrina velutina Willd. is a Fabaceae, popularly known as mulungu. Of the several species spread around the world about twelve are found in Brazil. Mainly in the Brazilian northeast the bark is used due to its sudorific, sedative and topical anesthetic properties. The presence of fungi in seed germination can reduce, causing the death of seedlings or transmit diseases to adult plants. The work has as objetive to test the thermotherapy and chemical treatment in the control of fungi associated with the mulungu seeds of three districts in the state of Paraiba. The sanity was carried by "Blotter test" and physiological quality of seeds was evaluated by germination, first germination counting and drymass. The heat treatment used was hot water at 60°C for 5, 10 and 20 minutes. The chemical treatment was done with the fungicide Captan® TS. It was used by treatment 100 seeds, which were incubated forseven days, the temperature of 22 ± 2 ° C and photoperiod of 12 hours. The qualitative and quantitative evaluate of the fungi associated with seed was done with the help of stereomicroscope and expressed as a percentage. In the samples examined, it was the incidence of fungi Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus sp., Penicillium spp., Cladosporium sp., Rhizopus sp., Fusarium sp and Botritis sp. The results show that the heat and chemical treatments reduced significantly the germination and first count of the locations studied.

The experiment was carried out at a greenhouse of Plant Science Department of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA), Mossoró-RN, with the objective of determing the effect green manuring with scarlet starglory in coverage in agronomic performance of lettuce. A completely randomized desing with six treatments and four replications. The treatments consist of: T1 (scarlet starglory in coverage 35 days ; T2 (scarlet starglory in coverage 28 days); T3 (scarlet starglory in coverage 21 days); T4 (scarlet starglory in coverage 14 days); T5 (scarlet starglory in coverage 7 days); T6 - Control (no fertilized soil). The evaluated traits were: plant height, Horizontal and vertical diameter of the root (mm), shoot fresh and dry mass (g); roots fresh and dry mass (g). The time of decomposition of 42 days was the maximum provided for all characteristics evaluated.

This work aimed to estimate the phenotypic correlation coefficients and to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of these correlations (path analysis). It was studied the effect of the explanatory independent variables tiller number, stem diameter, and stem length on the main dependent variable leaf number of "Capparis flexuosa" plants during two evaluation periods in the Cariri region of Paraiba State, Brazil. There were significant differences between the evaluated periods for the studied variables. Tiller number during the dry season and stem length during the rainy season explained best the leaf number, acting respectively in a direct and inversely proportional way on the main variable, changing according to the environmental conditions during the growth period. The results allowed the conclusion that tiller number exerts great influence on leaf number in both evaluation periods.

The purpose with this experiment was to evaluate the sucupira-preta seeds tolerance to the desiccation. Seeds initially with 10.63% of humidity were submitted to a drying until reaching the following water tenors: 10.63% (control); 10.0%; 9.5%; 9.0%; 8.5%; 7.5%; 7.0%; and 6.5%. Then they were preheated for 24 hours in recipients with air relative humidity of about 100% to avoid harming by the quick absorption. Next, they were scarified with water sandpaper number 120 and accommodated in Petri plate on filter paper and set to germinate in germination chamber type BOD at 25 ºC and photoperiod for 12 hours, during 30 days. Radicle with 2 mm long was the germination criterion used in this experiment. The experimental design was the completelyKeywords randomized, with four replications of 25 seeds per treatment. The averages were compared using Tukey test at 5% of probability. Sucupira-preta seeds tolerate dehydration until they touch on 9% of water tenor, when they show germination of 24%, not differing from the control (31%). Due to these results they can be classified as orthodoxy, feature that enable the storage away from their natural environment.

Different tillage systems cause changes in the chemical, physical and biological attributes of soil, requiring modifications in the requirements of fertilization and liming. The aim of this work was to assess the effects of tillage systems on chemical of a Yellow Latosol (Oxisols) Cohesive Dystrophic soil, cultivated with soybean in a single and intercropped system with Brachiaria decumbens. The experiment was conducted at the Center of Agricultural Sciences Federal University of Alagoas for five consecutive years. The treatments utilized were: conventional tillage of the soil, minimum cultivation and no-tillage. The systems of soil preparation not exerted influence on the pH at depths of 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm. Variables pH, OM, K, Ca + Mg and V% showed significant reduction of their average in terms of increased depth of sampling. The consortium soybean vs. B. decumbens causes significant increases in levels of potassium in layers at 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm.