In Brazil, studies on chickpeas (Cicer arietinum L.) have demonstrated the high productive potential of this crop, especially in the Cerrado areas of Cristalina, GO, and Brasília, DF. Due to dry winter climatic conditions, the North of Minas Gerais may be very suitable for the production of this crop. However, more information on chickpea sowing dates is needed. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate different chickpea sowing times in two municipalities of Minas Gerais State in Brazil: Montes Claros and Januária. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design, comprising three sowing dates (12 May, 23 June, and 22 July, 2015), and seven replications. The cultivar used was BRS Aleppo, and the chickpeas were harvested 121 days after sowing. The variables evaluated included plant height, productivity, number of pods with one grain, and number of pods with two grains. The data were submitted to analysis of variance, and joint analysis of the experiments was performed. The highest yields were obtained when chickpeas were sown in May in Montes Claros, with a yield of 5.3 t ha-1. In Januária, chickpeas sown in May and June produced yields greater than 3.0 t ha-1. The plants sown in July, considered late for planting, were harvested during the rainy season, which compromised the quality and yield of the grains. In addition, maximum temperatures above 30ºC were recorded from September onwards in both locations, which also resulted in a reduction in the number of grains per plant. Thus, this sowing season is not recommended in the studied region.

No-tillage cotton systems require soil coverage with cover crop residue for a longer time due to the late cycle of cotton. However, decomposition rates may vary between cover crops, and the adjustment of models to describe it is critical to no-tillage cotton management. Two non-linear regression models, exponential (EM) and Michaelis-Menten (MM), were adjusted to dry matter decomposition of cover crops in a cotton no-tillage system, in Brazil. Three field trials were performed in 2012 for the cover crops Urochloa ruziziensis (brachiaria), Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet), and Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea). Samples of cover crop were collected at 20, 50, 70, 110, 140, and 170 days after sowing upland cotton to measure dry matter decomposition. MM showed better adjustment than EM for all cover crops. The estimations of half-life parameters were different between the cover crops, suggesting that each cover crop has its own rate of decomposition. For pearl millet, brachiaria, and pigeon pea, the half-life estimation by exponential model was over the MM in 9, 12, and 12 days.

Sesame is a plant with high morphological and physiological complexity, with great variability in growth habit. Quantitative growth analysis is an accessible and accurate tool for evaluating plant development and the contribution of different physiological processes to plant performance. In view of this, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth of sesame cultivars in two cropping seasons in the conditions of Mossoró-RN. Two experiments were conducted in Horta Didactics of UFERSA. The experimental delineation in each time was a randomized complete block design with four replications. The treatments were arranged in split plots where each experimental plot contained different sesame cultivars, CNPA G2, CNPA G3 and CNPA G4, and the subplots represented seven collection times, 21, 35, 49, 63, 77, 91 and 105 days after sowing (DAS). The growth of the sesame cultivars was slow at the beginning of the crop cycle, intensifying at the beginning of flowering (after 35 DAS). Among the physiological indexes studied, CNPA G4 cultivar was more efficient in relation to growth and varied depending on the cropping season.

The aim of this study was to apply optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques to identify and assess dripper clogging of an irrigation system. Three dripper models (Taldrip, Streamline, and Tiran) underwent 1200 hours of irrigation with three types of effluents: treated domestic wastewater, water with a high calcium content, and urban water supply. Samples of the material adhered to the inside of drippers were analyzed by means of the smear method aiming at their biological identification. Other samples were taken to obtain SEM images. The presence of algae, bacteria, and biological components of biofilm was observed in drippers operating with wastewater and water with calcium, this latter in a low number. The formation of biofilm and chemical precipitates of calcium were observed in SEM images, leading to emitter clogging. Optical microscopy and SEM analyses allowed identifying the degree of fouling by biofilm and chemical precipitates in dripper clogging.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of chemical treatment of seeds with fungicide and insecticide on the seed physiological quality of Brachiaria brizantha cultivar MG5. Two experiments with four replicates were carried out in a completely randomized design. In the first experiment, the seeds were treated with the fungicide pyraclostrobin + fipronil + thiophanate-methyl and in the second, with the insecticide thiamethoxam, both at doses of 0, 150, 300, 450, and 600 mL of commercial product (CP)/100 kg of seeds. Physiological characterization was done on the basis of the first germination count, germination (%), emergence (%), emergence speed index, and length and dry mass of shoot and root. The treatment of B. brizantha seeds with the fungicide pyraclostrobin + fipronil + thiophanate-methyl benefits the physiological quality of seeds, improving germination and root development, with no phytotoxic effect up to the dose of 600 mL of CP/100 kg of seeds. The insecticide thiamethoxam has a biostimulating effect on B. brizantha cultivar MG5 up to the dose of 270 mL of CP/100 kg of seeds, but is phytotoxic in larger doses.

The northeastern semiarid region faces some of the droughts of the last centuries, resulting in serious reductions of agriculture yields. The water scarcity for agricultural requires rational use practices and reuse of water, such as use of domestic effluent sewage. Alternatively, the use of treated domestic sewage effluent utilizing for irrigation of forage species, such as the forage cactus, can be highlighted. In order to evaluate the effects of fertirrigation with treated sewage effluent on mineral nutrient composition of forage cactus (Opuntia Tuna L. Mill, Mexican elephant ear), an experiment was carried out utilizing a split plot 3 x (4 + 1) with a randomized complete block design randomized block and four replications, being three planting density (66,667.00, 52,282.00 and 33,333.00 plants ha-1) and two water sources associated with irrigation frequency of plates fixed on 3.5 mm per irrigation (Frequencies of 2.3 days with water tap and 7, 14 and 21 days with Sewage Effluent) and cactus cultivated in Rainfed agriculturerainfed (control). The analyze of the nutritional contents of cladodes indicated that there was a significant effect of the intervals from irrigation events only for Ca and Mg concentrations. The highest levels of Ca and Mg were found with the irrigation frequency of 2.3 using tap water. The macronutrients concentration in greater quantity by the forage cactus were N e, K followed by, Ca, Mg and P. The nutritional balance indicated excess of K and P and deficiency of N, Ca and Mg, in this order.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the relative effects of controlled atmosphere (CA) associated with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP; 1.0 μL L−1), induction of mass loss (IML; 2%), and low ethylene (LE; <0.04 μL L−1 of C2H4) on the quality preservation of ‘Laetitia’ plums. In experiment 1 (2010), the treatments evaluated were cold storage (CS; 21.0 kPa O2 + <0.03 kPa CO2), CA1 (1 kPa O2 + 1 kPa CO2), CA1 + 1-MCP, CA1 + IML, and CA1 + LE. In experiment 2 (2011), the treatments evaluated were CS, CA2 (2 kPa O2 + 2 kPa CO2), CA2 + IML, and CA2 + 1-MCP. In both experiments, the fruit were stored at 0.5 ± 0.1°C and 96 ± 2% RH. CA storage delayed fruit ripening in both atmosphere conditions evaluated and reduced the internal browning of the ‘Laetitia’ plums, particularly in CA2. 1-MCP, LE, and IML had additional effects to CA1 on preserving flesh consistency. 1-MCP, irrespective of the CA condition, and IML, in CA1, reduced internal browning. CA1, regardless of the complementary technologies, reduced the incidence of decay and fruit cracking.

Seed priming is a practice for improving the expression of seed physiological potential. Such technique consists of synchronizing and reducing the time of seed germination by controlled hydration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of seed-priming with different sugar sources and concentrations on the physiological quality Urochloa brizantha seeds and initial seedling performance. Before treating, seeds were scarified chemically with concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) for 5 minutes to overcome physical dormancy. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3 x 6 factorial scheme consisting of priming using three sugar sources (glucose, sucrose, and maltose) and six concentrations (zero water control, 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%), with four replicates. The seeds were primed by direct immersion for 2 hours at 25 ºC and, after hydration, they were dried for moisture equilibrium recovery. Seed germination, vigor, viability, and initial seedling growth were evaluated. The results showed that glucose was the source able to promote beneficial effects on the germination of U. brizantha cv. MG-5 seeds. Moreover, the supply of glucose at the concentrations of 2 and 5% for physiological conditioning increased seedling dry phytomass.

The effects of soil compaction on crop growth and productivity have been well studied in recent years, however, studies on the physiological responses of crops to compaction are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of soil compaction on gas exchange, and photochemical efficiency of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) genotypes of different growth habits. The experimental design was a randomized block in a 3×4 factorial arrangement, with three lima bean genotypes (Branca-Pequena, Orelha-de-Vó and Roxinha) and four compaction levels (soil densities of 1.1, 1.3, 1.5 and 1.7 g cm-3), with four replications. The following variables were evaluated at 38 days after sowing: photosynthetic rate (A), leaf transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs), internal CO2 concentration (Ci), instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE), intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE), instantaneous carboxylation efficiency (iCE) and photochemical efficiency (Fo, Fm, Fv and Fv/Fm). The data were subjected to analysis of variance at 5% probability by the F test. The genotypes showed a reduction in the photosynthetic rate with increasing soil compaction. The soil compaction affected the photochemical efficiency of the genotype Orelha-de-Vó, with the Fm and Fv fitting to the linear model, and the Fv/Fm fitting to the quadratic model. The genotype Orelha-de-Vó had the highest rate of E and gs at the soil densities of 1.24 and 1.29 g cm-3, respectively. Regarding the photosynthetic rate, the genotype Roxinha is more efficient than Branca-Pequena at the soil density of 1.7 g cm -3.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the root of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Robert) on the soil Resistance to penetration (RP) in the margins of the lower São Francisco River. Vetiver grass seedlings were planted on the riverbank margins in order to increase soil resistance to erosion processes, and RP assessments were made at soil depths of 0-0.20, 0.20-0.40, and 0.40-0.60 m in different situations (near the plants and within rows). RP data was obtained using an automated penetrometer. Gravimetric moisture data was also collected, as well as particle size data by densimetry, and root density data by the monolith method. The results of the RP, moisture, and root density studies were subjected to analysis of variance (p <0.05) and then the averages were compared by the Tukey test using SISVAR software. The samples next to the vetiver grass showed an average RP of 1793.94 kPa and an average moisture content of 11.78%, statistically differing from that of the sampled points within rows. RP and soil moisture did not differ statistically at the depth assessed. The vetiver grass produced an adequate ground cover, leading to higher water retention and hence a reduced resistance to penetration.