The experiment was carried for 12 months in the Rabbit Unit of Departamento de Zootecnia at the Universidade Federal do Ceará. The aim of this work was to evaluate the rabbit reproductive parameters and ponderable performance of the races New Zealand (NZ) and Califórnia(CA) , in Ceará, Northeast Brazil. Animals were fed with a commercial feed of 2500 kcal DE/kg for rabbit in reproduction. Thirty does (50% of each race) were distributed at random in experimental cages, such that each ¿treatment¿ (race) had 15 replications. Data were analyzed in a complete randomized design. Does were selected by weight and age, being included in the expeiment with 3,0 kg and 4,5 months of age, approximately. The male/female ratio was 1:10. Pregnancy check was done by palpation 15 days after mating. Reproductive management adopted was mating 10 days after delivery and weaning at 30 days of age (semi-intensive). Productivity in maternity was similar between races. Numeric productivity for both races was 31.3 rabbits weaned/cage/year. Does CA showed greatest maternal ability as compared with NZ does, with heavier offspring at birth, at 21 days, and at weaning. Finally, it is suggested that to produce a rabbit for slaughtering, it should use females CA with males NZ, in single or industrial mating.

The objectives of this research were to report Meloidogyne mayaguensis on seedlings of guava (Psidium guajava) cv. "Paluma" in commercial nursery in Assu municipality and in commercial field of pipper (Capsicum annum) cv. "Comandante" in Baraúna municipality, in Rio Grande do Norte State and to notify all of segments involved to commercial growing of fruits and vegetables about the risk that seedlings infected by this pathogen represents to the agro-centers of Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará States. Concerning to both reports the identification of pathogenic species was made by the a-esterasic fenotype characterization. The present reports of M. mayaguensis represent the second and the third ones in Rio Grande do Norte State,having been made the first one on plants of guava in Touros municipality. Meloidogyne mayaguensis can represent a threat to commercial growing of fruits and vegetables if eradication and exclusion methods of control will not beused.

The aim of this work is to approach the prevalence of pathological alterations of the genital system of anestrous females of collared peccaries (Tayassu tajacu). The genital systems of 14 matrices proceeding from the Centro de Multiplicação de Animais Silvestres - CEMAS, of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido - UFERSA , that were without activity breeding for a period above of one year had been studied. After it abates of the animals had been collected the agencies that compose the genital system and lead to the Laboratory of Animal Pathology of the Institution for pathological alterations evaluation. The joined pathologys had been hydrosalpinges and ovarian hypoplasia with four cases each (28.6%),one (6.7%) case of persistent corpus luteum associate to mucometra and 2 (14.3%) cases of ovarian cysts. The pathologys of the genital system of collares peccaries can, in changeable way, to compromise temporary or the fertility permanently, diminishing the reproductive effectiveness, with consequent reduction of the breeding, generating economic losses .

The contamined soil with the forms infect of the parasites, transmitted by feces of animals, it represents high risk of zoonoses transmission. Among the helmintos species, they meet agents producers of the cutaneous migrans and visceral migrans larvae. In this context, the present work had for objective to contribute for the study of the cutaneous migrans larvae, identifying your agents producers and associate the results with the obtained data of the medical registrations of dermatological center in the Mossoró-RN. The study was accomplished in the Mossoró Districtand beaches of Areia Branca and Tibau District, region west of Rio Grande do Norte State, removing soils samples of the 29 public squares, 07 schools and 04 beaches, to which was processed at the Laboratory of Animal Parasitology - UFERSA, by modified Baermann method. In overall, 200 samples of soil were collected originating from 40 different places, of these, 35% (14) presented growth for Ancylostoma sp, being distributed in 78,6% (11) squares, 14,3% (2) schools and 7,1% (1) beach. The larger occurrence of the helminto was verified in the months that presented higher pluviometric index and in the studied period 92/770 patients positive for worms migrans cutaneous according the medical registrations.

The in vitro propagation can provide the production of uniform plants, with high quality and free of diseases, and allow fast and genetically reliable multiplication of new cultivars and hybrids. In this context, the present work had the aim at developing a protocol for the in vitro propagation of Ananas lucidus Miller. Two experiments have been carried through, the first on the effect of BAP on nodal multiplication, an the second on plantlet acclimatization. For the multiplication it was used a completely randomized factorial design with 10 repetitions, and 2x5 factors, composed by two consistences, solid and liquid, and five BAP dosages (0,0; 1,0; 2,0; 3,0; 4,0) mg L-1. For the acclimatization experiment it was used a randomized blocks design with 5 treatments, 5 repetitions and 5 plants in each experimental unit, it being tested different substrata (coconut fiber, compost of plant residues, vermiculite, coconut fiber + compost, and vermiculite + compost). The number of sprouts (NB) produced in the liquid medium in the 2,0 mg. L-1 BAP dosage treatment was greaterthan in the 0,0 mg L-1 dosage, at a 5% probability level, and similar to the 1,0; 3,0 e 4,0 mg.L-1 dosages. It was observed that in the liquid media treatments there was a higher proliferation of sprouts than in the semi-solid media (11,3 and 9,0 respectively). The acclimatization survival index was of 96% for all treatments.

The objective of this work was of evaluating three textures of mixed organic compost in the lettuce seedlings formation, cv. Babá de Verão, in trays of 72, 128 and 200 cells. An experiment was carried out in a greenhouse of the Plant Sciences Department at Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA). A completely randomized experimental design was used with the treatments in 3 x 3 factorial scheme with three replications. The treatments consisted of combination of three textures of mixed organic compost, obtained by passage in mesh sieves n°4 (6mm), n°8 (4mm) and n°12 (2mm), with three trays of 72, 128 and 200 cells. Evaluations for seedling height, root length, number of leaves per seedling, leaf area, shoot fresh and dry mass, root fresh and dry mass were determined. Higher mean values of root length and root fresh mass were obtained in mesh sieve n° 8 (4 mm) combined with tray of 72 cells. Higher mean value of root dry mass was obtained in mesh sieve n° 12 (2 mm) combined with tray of 72 cells. Higher mean values of seedling heigh, shoot fresh mass, leaf area and root dry mass were obtained with tray of 72 cells. Higher mean value of root dry mass was obtained in mesh sieve n° 8 (4 mm).

This work had as objective to evaluate the effect of different calcium sources in the diet of broiler chickens with 1 to 28 days of age, on the food intake, live weight gain, feed conversion, level of ashes and calcium in the tibia bone, longitudinal and transversal length of the tibia bone and retention calcium. The experiment had duration of 31 days being used 576 chicks of one day of age, with the cobb line ancestry. It was used entirely randomized design, being the sources consisting of calcium carbonate, calcium carbo quelate and limestone (calcareous rock) of two distinct deposits, A and B, respectively, being all they also evaluated to the granulometer, solubility and pH. The food intake showed significant difference for the calcium sources, however none of the calcium sources influenced the feed conversion, probably to the observed compensatory physiological effect on the live weight gain of the broiler chicks. With regard to the bone mineralization (tibia), it did not have significant influence of the calcium sources, however, with relation to the diameter and length of the tibia bone, the limestones A and B showed the best values when compared with the calcium carboquelate.

O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar equações do tipo y = a + bx, onde y = área foliar e x = comprimento da folha (C) x largura da folha (L), que permitam a estimação da area foliar, a partir de C e L, em nove espécies adaptadas à região Semi-Árida brasileira. Cem folhas foram coletadas do terço mediano da copa de diversas árvores de espécies de folhas simples (Auxemma oncocalyx, Ao; Bauhinia forticata, Bf; Combretum leprosum, Cl) e de espécies com folhas compostas: Azadirachta indica (Ai), Caesalpinia bracteosa (Cb), Leucaena leucocephala (Ll), Mimosa caesalpiniifolia (Mc), Schinus terebenthifolius (St), and Tamarindus indica (Ti). Nas espécies com folhas compostas, C, L e A foram medidos em folhas intactas (sem folíolos destacados) e nos folíolos destacados. O coeficiente linear foi significativo em Ao e Bf, e não significativo, com folhas intactas em Ai, Cb, St, e Ti. Todos os coeficientes angulares foram diferentes de zero, mas somente em Mc esses coeficientes não diferiram entre si, quando as equações foram ajustadas a partir de folhas intactas e a partir de folíolos destacados. O coeficiente de determinação nas espécies de folhas simples variou de 0,85 to 0,97, enquanto em folhas compostas a variação correspondente foi de 0,28 a 0,93, indicando que a variação na área foliar explicada pela regressão é maior em espécies de folhas simples. Na maioria das espécies de folhas compostas o coeficiente de determinação foi maior quando a estimação foi feita a partir de folhas intactas, exceto em ST.

Mamãozinho-de-veado (Jacaratia corumbensis O. Kuntze, Caricaceae) is used for food animal. The objective of this study was to determine a seed storage method for Jacaratia corumbensis to conserve seed viability and vigour. Seeds of Jacaratia corumbensis were put in paper (Kraft) and plastic bags (0.15 mm), and stored in three environmental conditions of temperature environment (22ºC and 65% relative humidity). The germination percentage, moisture content and vigour of seeds were evaluated at the beginning of the experiment and after the storage periods. All treatments maintained seed vigour for 180 days of storage. The best storage conditions to maintain seed viability for a 180-day period were: 1) paper bags (87% of germination) and 2) plastic bags (88% germination) in temperature environment.

The Objective this work was to evaluate the interaction of the amount and salinity of irrigation water in the floral efficiency of the Green Dwarfish coconut tree, in the area of the coastal boards of the Northeast of Brazil. The study was driven in the experimental station of EMPARN, located in Parnamirim - RN, in the period of August of 2002 to September of 2003. The studied factors were four irrigation sheets, based on the evaporation of tank class "A" (30, 60, 90 and 120% of the evaporation of the tank) and four salinity levels in the irrigation water (0,1; 5,0; 10,0 and 15,0 dS.m-1). The experimental design was entirely random with subdivided portions and regression analysis with answer surface. The number of feminine flowers grows with the increment of the irrigation amount, reducing the negative effect of the applied saline levels. The relationship flower / picked fruit reduces with the increase of the saline levels, while the interaction of the largest irrigation sheets with the smallest saline levels results in a growth in the number of flowers emitted by picked fruits. The production in biomass of the fruits grows positively with the increase of the irrigation sheets and it reduces with the increase of the saline levels and the interaction of the smaller saline levels with the largest irrigation sheets produce the largest weights of registered fruits. As reaction the water with high salinity to the plant of the coconut tree answers with the increase of the efficiency of the bloomed related the crop of fruits, in other words, it emits less flowers to obtain the same production that in appropriate conditions of cultivation.