The objective of this study was to economically compare a corn silage diet supplemented with 1.3 kg/day of concentrate with sugarcane diets supplemented with a 9:1 mixture of urea plus ammonium sulphate and increasing levels o concentrate (1.3, 2.0, or 2.7 kg/day). Twelve Holstein and eight Brown Swiss dairy heifers averaging 176 kg of body weight (BW) in the beginning of the trial were blocked by breed and BW, and within each block, randomly assigned to treatments. Each experimental period lasted 28 days with 21 days for diet adaptation and seven days for data and sample collections. The average prices of feedstuffs in the state of Minas Gerais during the year of 2004 were used in the economical analyses. The sugarcane diet with greatest proportion of concentrate or, forage to concentrate ratio of 45:55 (dry matter basis), can replace corn silage in dairy production systems that plan heifer's birth age close to 24 months of age .

The State of Rio Grande do Norte is the largest exporter of muskmelons in Brazil and producers, in general, use irrigation water of different levels of salinity (ECw). However, in the region there is little information available on the effect of salinity of the water on the absorption of nutrients by the melon crop. Therefore, objective of this research was to study the extraction and accumulation of nutrients to in two varieties of melon (Orange Flesh and Goldex), irrigated with water of low (0.80 dS m-1) and high (3.02 dS m-1) salinity. The study was conducted from October to December, 2003, in Red Latosol of medium texture at the Fazenda Santa Julia (Latitude 5o 02' 0,0" S, Longitude 37o 22" 33,6" WGr.), in the municipality of Mossoró, RN, Brazil. The experimental design adapted was in random blocks with four replications. Largest accumulation of dry matter was found in the fruit in the aerial part after 63 days of sowing, representing 59.17% and 74.53 (Orange Flesh and Goldex) in the condition of low electrical conductivity (0.80 dS m-1) and 70.50 and 67.27% in cultivars Orange Flesh and Goldex, respectively, for high electrical conductivity (3.02 dS m-1). The application of saline water (3.02 dS m-1) reduces the content of potassium in cultivar Goldex by 39%.

The objective of the present work was to study the characteristics biometrics of the fruit and the effect of the physical and chemical scarification in the germination of seeds of Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. ex Tul. Ripe fruits were collected in August of 2007 of existent trees in the campus of the Rural Federal University of the Semi-arid, Mossoró- RN. The evaluations were carried at the Laboratory of Analysis of Seeds of the Department of Vegetable Sciences of UFERSA. The germination test was constituted of witness and 4 treatments (types of common vinegar: vinegar of alcohol, vinegar of red wine and vinegar of white wine) and hot water to 65ºC, with 4 repetitions of 50 seeds. The sowing was in containers plastic with dimensions of 32.5 x 24 x 4 cm (length, width and depth). The used substrates were sand washed sterilized previously and being irrigated with water distilled. The appraised characteristics were: mass of the fresh matter and matter dries of the seedling, germination percentage and index of emergency velocity. The immersion of the seeds in vinegar of white wine favors the germination, the index of germination velocity and the accumulation of fresh and dry matter of the juca seedlings.

With the purpose of to evaluate the milk composition of cows fed with sugar cane whose crude protein had been corrected with soybean meal and different urea levels and ammonia sulphate, twelve dairy Holstein pure breed and crossbreed cows maintained in tie stall fed ad libitum twice a day had been used. The forage:concentrated relationship at the beginning of experiment was 55:45%, corresponding 1kg of intent ration for each 2kg of milk produced. The animals were distributed in three Latin squares 4x4, according to lactation period. The duration of each period was 17 days, being the first 10 days of adaptation and seven days to data collection. The experiment was composed of four treatments: sugar-cane with soy bean meal and sugar-cane with 0.4; 0.8 and 1.2% of the mixture urea and ammonia sulphate (9:1). No difference was found among the diets for milk production with and without correction to 3.5% fat, neither for milk composition and serum urea nitrogen (SUN) when the diet with soy meal based concentrate was compared with the diets with different urea levels. The soy meal can be used for protein correction the sugar-cane. For correction using the mixture urea and ammonia sulfate (9:1) the level of 1.2% is recommended.

The culture of the popcorn comes as a promising culture for region of the Brazilian northeast, however they are still scarce studies to make possible the expansion of this culture, especially as the fertilization. This experiment was accomplished in the department of Environmental Sciences of the Rural Federal University of the Semi-arid (UFERSA), Mossoró, RN, with the objective of evaluating the effect in different ammonium:nitrate ratios in the initial development of the popcorn. The design was used randomized entirely with five treatments and four repetitions, with the treatments being constituted of ratios different NH4 +: NO3 - (0/100, 25/75, 50/50, 75/25 and 100/0) and the experimental unit acted by a plant/vase. To the 45 DAS the plants were collected and appraised, as for the height, number of leaves, leave area, diameter the stem and matter total dry. The results obtained in this work evidence that plants of popcorn present a larger development when the supply of nitrogen is accomplished with application of this nutritious one in the form ammonium.

The current model of economic development is based on a predatory and exculpatory vision, which discloses a way of being inhuman. Implying in changes of perception, thoughts and values, it has seen, that the form as the nature is explored in accordance with varies the ambient perception of the community or group. This work objectified to analyze the perception of Juazeirinho/PB agricultural communities referring the extinction of biodiversity of caatinga, aiming at to delineate sensitization strategies that make possible the valuation of this biome. The work portrays a carried through participant research with the communities Escurinha and Mendonça. For the collection of data direct comment was used, with visits to the communities, dynamics, half-structuralized interview and accomplishment of meeting. According to community some vegetal and animal species are disappearing. Between the animals they are cited: corduniz (Nothura sp), gato do mato (Felisa tigrina), gato maracajá (Felis wildi), mocó (Kerodon rupestris), preá (Gálea sprixii), Tejo (Família Teiidae), tatu peba (Euphractus sexcinctus), tatu verdadeiro (Dasypus novmcinctus) e o guaxinim (Procyon camcrivorus).Between vegetables they had been cited: Aveloz (Euphorbia gimnoclada), Imbuzeiro (Spondias tuberosa), Aroeira (Myracroduom unrudeuva), Caatingueira (Caesalpinia pyramidali), Baraúna (Schnopsis brasiliensis), Quixabeira (Bumelia sertorum), Mufumbo (Combretum leprosum). We can verify that it is necessary to promote changes in the ambient perception of the studied communities, thus allowing, to awake for problematic ambient, to point and to search solutions, that take the valuation of local biodiversity.

The experiment was carried out to determine the effect of intermittently drain tilapia ponds for vegetable irrigation. A completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement 2X3, with three replications was used in this experiment. The first factor was kind of feed: feed 1 - without animal ingredients; feed 2 - with the inclusion of shrimp meal; and feed 3 - with the inclusion of fish meal. The second factor was pond drainage scheme, where in the scheme 1, ponds were intermittently drained for irrigation and subsequently refilled; and in the scheme 2, ponds were not drained. Sexually reversed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with average weight of 1.66 g were randomly stocked at the experimental ponds, with thirty five fish per tank, in a stock density of 1.25 fish per m2. Fish were fed two times a day in a proportion of 5% of body weight. There was a significant effect for tank drainage scheme for the variables feed conversion ratio and survival (P<0.05) where tilapias cultured on ponds intermittently drained for irrigation had higher survival and better feed conversion ratio. There was no significant effect (P>0.05) on the interaction between kind of feed and tank drainage scheme for any of the studied variables. Feed type and pond drainage scheme had no effect on weight gain (P>0.05). Therefore, it can conclude that intermittently drained fish ponds, for irrigation, results in the best tilapia's performance in terms of feed convertion and survival.

The effects of five levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization (0; 60; 120; 240 and 480 kg of N/ha) upon Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris, L.) performance were evaluated. A completely random design with three replicates was used. Dry matter yield of aerial portion (DMYAP), dry matter yield of roots (DMYR), leaf/stem ratio (LSR), number of tillers (NT) and water use efficiency (WUE) were measured. The results showed a linear effect (P < 0.002) on DMYAP and DMYR and linear and quadratic effects (P < 0.02) on NT and WUE. LSR was not influenced by the nitrogen fertilization. Overall, it could be concluded that Buffel grass responded positively to nitrogen fertilization.

Manihot pseudoglasiovii is considered an excellent forage, as for its nutritional value as for the high degree of palatability. Like as other native plants of the semiarid regions it, can be considered a resource of important strategical use. It is an alternative not only for the dry period the entire year, in a conservation system. This work had as objective of study the growthof maniçoba in relation is density (1,5 x 1,5 and 2 x 2) and fertilization (manure of bovine, goat/sheep and without fertilization). It was used an experimental desing of blocks casualizaed with treatments distributed in 2 x 3 factorial. The experiment was out through in the Department of Zootecnia of Center of Agrarian Sciences of the UFPB, in Campus II in Areia-PB. There had been evaluated morphologic characteristic (Height of plant, diameter of caule, area of the pantry, leaf number and number of bifurcations) and productive characteristic (leaf production, production of branches, production of total fitomass substance and total dry substance)The analyses of variance were made employng the SAEG program. The and analyses of regression of the morfological characteristics on the time. Were mande visig SAEG program too. In accordance with the results obtaimed in this study, the different densities had not presented significant difference. However by total production for area the results were favorable to the higher density (1.5 x 1.5). Already the fertilizations with bovine and goat/sheep manures, although had shown no between them difference, had present statistical difference from treatment without fertilization, shoung higher pr.

To evaluate the effects of fiber level and source in diets on the intestinal morphology and histology of duodenum, jejunum and ileum medium portions, it used 40 rabbits New Zealand White race in growing phase, weaned with 35 days of age, allocated in individual cages in the entirely randomized design with 2x2 factorial outline. Samples of duodenum, jejunum and ileum of animals slaughtered at 45 days of age were collected to the present study. It was observed significant interaction of the dietary treatments on the intestinal morphology and histology parameters, being verify that diets with high e low level of fiber with soybean hulls propitiated the greater values of villus height and those diets with high e low level of fiber with alfalfa hay propitiated the bigger values of crypt depth, while the number of goblet cells was larger to the diet with high level of fiber contained soybean hulls. And so there was significant effect of the food quality in terms of fiber components on the extrusion and turnover in intestinal mucous membrane cells, it was evidenced by the greater villus height:crypt depth ratio provided with the diets contained soybean hulls in relation to those diets contained alfalfa hay.