This work aimed to evaluate the economic viability of the pineapple production in the Northern region of Rio de Janeiro State. One concludes that the majority of producers in this region presented an internal return average rate of 33.08%, indicating that pineapple production shows satisfactory economic viability. On the other hand, several pineapple producers of this region are deficient in both production management and administration control. In this sense, it was observed low productivity, inefficiency of the production resources and product price instability in the commercialization process, as one among other factors that result directly in the low profitability of this enterprise. It was found out that the main determinant factors of pineapple production competitiveness in the mentioned region are related to unsuitable management of irrigation, diseases and weeds control, defensives usage, costs management and commercialization process.

This experiment was carried out in the greenhouse of the Departament of Animal Production/ UFRPE, from november of 2002 to may of 2003. The work objective was to evaluate the chemical composition of different Panicum maximum Jacq. cultivars submitted to different levels of nitrogen fertilization. It was used a complete randomized experimental design and the treatments were represented by the factorial arragement of the cultivars Massai, Atlas and Tobiatã and the nitrogen fertilization (0, 80, 160 and 320 kg of N.ha-1.year-1), with four replications. The plants were cut 60 days after-seeding for uniformization and three cuts were carried out with intervals of 35 days and intensity of 10 cm. It was determined concentration of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Massai presented lesser crude CP (12,7%) and greater NDF concentration (60,8%) than the other cultivars. There was significant effect of the nitrogen fertilization for the CP and NDF. The increase in the nitrogen level raised the CP concentration and reduced the FDN concentration of the studied plants. The Atlas may be considered the cultivar that presented the best chemical composition because its satisfactory CP concentration (15,3%) associate to the lesser NDF concentration (58,8%).

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the growth and nodulation of Leucaena and Prosopis seedlings in soil plus tannery sludge. The study was conducted in a greenhouse, using bags containing soil plus tannery sludge. Seedlings of Leucaena and Prosopis inoculated with Bradyrhizobium sp were used. Results were evaluated 90 days after plant emergency. The application of tannery sludge, in the rate of 11.250 kg per hectare significantly increased plant height, stem diameter, and above ground dry mass ofLeucaena. Regarding Prosopis, there were no significant increases in these variables with tannery sludge application, except for aerial dry mass. No significant differences were seen between the treatments with sludge and inoculated with Bradyrhizobium sp. as to nodule number and dry mass. Tannery sludge evaluated in this work did not affect nodulation, besides favoring Leucaena and Prosopis seedling growth.

The aim of this work was to examine the effect of different temperatures on germination of the seeds in O. canum. The seeds had been washed in under water and after immersed for 30s in water with environmenttemperature, 25, 30 (control), 50, 75 and 100ºC. After that it was immersed per 5 minutes in fungicidal solution and later washed by 10s with water and placed to germinate in plates of Petri conditioned in germination chamber regulated to provide temperature of 25 ± 1,0ºC and photoperiod of 12 hours. The completely randon design was used in experiment, with 5 treatments and 10 repetitions, resulting in 50 parcels. Each experimental unit wasconstituted of a plate of Petri contends 10 seeds. The averages had been compared by the Scott-Knott test at 5% level of probability. The germination rate was statistically equal in the control and the temperatures of 25, 50 and 75ºC, being superior to that one gotten to 100ºC. The temperature of 30ºC was the one that provided the biggest rate of germination, while that of 100ºC is not indicated for the breaking in dormancy of thisspecies, since it promoted the death of the embryo.

Studies on availability of suitable and economic diets for adults and larvae of the South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann, 1830) were carried out at the Entomology Unit of the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria with the aim to find the best diets to fit in a large scale mass rearing production. The best diet for adult was the combination of Hydrolysate Corn Protein + Yeast Hydrolysate Enzymatic + Sugar (3:1:3). This diet resulted in the highest numbers of egg/female/day, spermatozoid in the spermathecae, percentages of egg hatch, the lowest mortality rate of adults and the highest average mating duration compared with the standard adult diet based on Yeast Hydrolysate Enzymatic + Sugar (1:3). Among eleven larval diets tested, diets based on sugarcane and sugarbeet bagases plus 7% brewer yeast, 8% sugar, 0.2% sodium benzoate, 0.8% of hydrochloric acid and 60% water (adjusted), yielded the highest percentages of egg hatching, pupal recovery, pupal weight and adult emergence. There was no statistical difference with the standard larval diet based on wheat germ 3%, corncob 15%, corn flower 8%, brewer yeast 6%, sugar 8%, sodium benzoate 0.23%, hydrochloric acid 0.63%, nipagin 0.14% and water 59% (adjusted). The significant performance of these adult and larval diets open discussion for future researches on improvement of rearing techniques required for the establishment of sterile insect technique (SIT) program focused on the South American fruit fly.

Aiming to evaluate crisp head lettuce cultivars adapted to summer, showing tip burn¿s tolerance caused by calcium deficiency, an experiment was conducted in Santana da Vargem, MG, comprising the Lucy Brown, PSR 1114, PSR 1115, PSR 0110, PSR 5338, PSR 1530, PSR 0398 and Raider cultivars. A randomized complete blocks design with three replications was used. Total and commercial fresh mass, stem length and tip burn¿s tolerance caused by calcium deficiency were evaluated. The total fresh mass ranged between 538.8 and 894.4 g.plant-1, being PSR 1114; PSR 1115; PSR 5338 and Lucy Brown superior to the others, with 822.2; 833.3; 850.0 and 894.4 g plant-1, respectively. For commercial fresh mass and stem length there were no significant differences among the evaluated cultivars. Regarding tip burn¿s tolerance significant differences were observed. The Lucy Brown cultivar showed the highest incidence of this physiological disorder.

Aiming to evaluate seedling emergence of black sapote (Diospyros ebenaster Retz.) it was developed an experiment with seeds, collected on mature fruits, proceeding from Germoplasm Bank of Horticulture Department, University of São Paulo State, Jaboticabal, Brazil. Immediately after extracted, the seeds were washed, dried in paper and put in plastic box filled with the substrate studied, thus characterizing four treatments, as follows: Plantmaxâ; Coconut fiberâ; Sand; Soil mix [soil + sand + bovine manure (3:3:1)]. It was observed emergence percentage (E%) and rate of emergence speed (RES). The different substrates had statisticalinfluence on variable studied. The highest E% was obtained on soil mix, Plantmaxâ and Coconut fiberâ substrates and the best RES was observed on soil mix and Plantmax? substrates.

It was characterized the rural producers and their lands of the Municipal districts of Itambé, Caruaru and Serra Talhada, Pernambuco. The producers were interviewed in Organizations and/or Rural Producers Associations and in free markets of Itambé, Caruaru and Serra Talhada. Informations about the rural producers and lands, the cattle activity and the forest management were collected. The population mean age is above 50 years old with low scholar education, except to Itambé. Small pasture lands prevailed and the cattle activity was the more practiced by the rural producers, with animals grazing during all the year. The proprietors, in majority, don't accomplish forage conservation and they don't have information about agroforest systems and plan of forest management . The largest use of species was for firewood, coal and stake in Serra Talhada, Caruaru and Itambé, respectively, and the producers of Itambé and Caruaru are the largest importers of forest products. The three township present potentialities for silvipastoril system aplication, which besides supplying fodder plant the animals can also offer lumber and energy products for the agricultural prorietors.

Copaifera langsdorfii is a typical tree species very important for restoration of degraded areas. This study evaluated the effect of different temperatures and light conditions on Copaifera seed germination. The applied treatments were the temperatures of 25ºC, 30ºC and 20-30ºC and three different light expositions (constant dark, 8h of light plus 16h of dark and constant light). The tested variables were percentage, velocity and average time of germination. The treatments consisted of 200 seeds, with four replications of 50 seeds each, sown on a Germitest towel paper and maintained for 28 days on germination chamber. The completely randomized design was used and the averages compared by Tukey test at 5% probability. Germination percentage was not influenced by the treatments. The constant temperatures of 25ºC or 30ºC, independently of light regime, promoted a higher rate of germination velocity and caused the reduction of the germination average time.

The total soluble solids content (TSSC) shows high positive correlation with sugars content, and therefore is generally accepted as an important quality trait of fruits. In melon, this evaluation is usually done by grinding a slice of the fruit's pulp in a household food processor, straining the ground material and then proceeding the TSSC determination in the resulting juice. This evaluation is labor-intensive and takes a long time to complete. An alternative process was delineated for obtaining the juice: the pulp of the fruit slice would be transversally cut one or more times, and longitudinally pressed by hand to obtain the juice. The objective of this work was to compare processes for obtaining juice to evaluate TSSC in melons. Fifty, 15, and 15 fruits of the Galia, Yellow, and Cantaloupe type melons were evaluated, respectively. Each fruit was considered as a block, and was longitudinally split into six fractions with similar sizes, which corresponded to the plots. The following treatments were evaluated: fraction without cuts, fractions with one, three, five, or seven transversal cuts, and the fraction treated by the conventional process. It was concluded that the procedure by which the melon slices of Galia, Yellow and Cantaloupe types are pressed for obtaining the juice to evaluate TSSC can overestimate this content. This would probably be due to the fact that the most internal section of the mesocarp presents greater TSSC than the portions closer to the epicarp.