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.

The research was conducted in order to compare the methodology recommended on Seeds Analysis Rules, regarding substrate and temperature, for the germination test of linted and delinted cottonseeds. Seeds of the cultivar 7MH from the 98/99 season of Morada Nova-CE were divided into two samples. Two assays were done: inthe first, seeds were delinted with sulfuric acid (98%), for three minutes, being later washed in current water, while in the second, seeds were maintained with linter. Both samples were put to germinate on towel paper, cotton cloth and sand substrates, on fixed temperatures at 25ºC, 30ºC and alternated temperatures of 20-30ºC (20ºC/16h and 30ºC/8h). For each treatment, 400 seeds were used, being eight sub-samples of 50 seeds for paper and cloth substrates. The analysis were done in a seven days interval, being the first counting done at the fourth day and the final at the seventh day after the sowing. Two experiments were done to evaluate linted and delinted seeds, using the completely randomized design, with four replications, in a 3x3 factorial scheme. One concluded that for delinted seeds the germination test must be conducted on cloth cotton or paper towel substrate, atfixed temperature of 25ºC or 30ºC or alternated of 20-30ºC; for linted seeds, the best was cloth at alternated temperature of 20-30ºC.

The purpose of the present work was to determine the size sample in order to estimate soluble solid contents in yellow melon plot. Samples of fifty fruits were taken of fifteen yellows melon plots grown in Mossoró- Assu Agricultural Pole. Evaluation for total soluble solid contents was done in all fruit samples. The procedures used for sample size estimation were bootstrap method and classical expression with 5% and 10% of error limit. The sample sizes estimated by bootstrap method, in average, yielded estimates close to those observed in the classical expression with 10% of error limit, although in ten plots these sample sizes were greater in the bootstrap method. The sample size recommended to estimate the total soluble solid contents in cultivated plots of melon fruits is fifteen.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of different pruning time of Prosopis juliflora (Sw) DC root system on seedlings growth. The experiment was carried out in the nursery of ESAM, Mossoró-RN. The prunings were carried out at 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 days after germination. The completely randomized block experimental design was used, with four replications and eight plants per plot. Evaluations for shoot height, stem diameter, shoot height/stem diameter ratio, shoot dry matter weight, total dry matter weight and roots percentage were done. Statistical difference was observed only for root percentages, and the best means were obtained for prunings carried out at 50, 60, and 70 days after germination.

The present work was realized with the objective to evaluate the percentage of emergenceand the emergence velocity index (EVI) of bacuripari seeds, being accomplished of lath house conditions, with 50% of luminosity, using plants that came from the Germplasm Bank of the Department of Vegetable Production, of Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias - UNESP - Campus of Jaboticabal, São Paulo state, Brazil. The fruits were picked totally ripe, the seeds were extracted, washed, placed to dry and conditionedin plastic boxes, having vermiculite as substrate. The treatments was characterized by the size of the seeds: very big, big, medium and small, determined by the medium weight of the 50 seeds (in grams), being 63,634; 42,787; 25,631 and 9,508g respectively. The values of the percentage of emergence were transformed in arc sen . The averages were compared by the Test of Tukey, with 5% of probability. Analyzing the results was possible to observe that the smallest values, so of the percentage of the emergence (2,30%) and for the GVI (0,002) were obtained for the seeds with a small size, differing significantly of the other treatments, where was verified values of percentage of emergence of 83,33; 86,25 and 77,00% and GVI values of 0,102; 0,107 and 0,105 for the very big, big and medium, respectively. Can be concluded that there is interference of the seed's size-weight in emergence of this specie.

To evaluate the mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru P. DC.) consumption for goats in the drought period in the caatinga, they were selected to the 18 animals in the community of the Alto the Angico, Petrolina, PE, in the period of august to november of the 2004. The phytomass from mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru P. DC.) and the portion consumed by animals in the supplement period was determined. The animals were separate in two groups, and a group stayed in continuous pasture in the caatinga and the other received supplement with mandacaru in the period of 80 days. The animals consumed, on the average, 324.98 kg the mandacaru. The daily consumption the mandacaru for animal was of 5.16 kg/dia. The animals that received supplement had the period, while the other animals lost, on the average, 5.25% of the alive weight in relation to the initial weight.

The insects of the Chrysopidae family are very important for biological pest control. The present work had the objective of determine the consumption capacity of eggs of three moths species by Chrysoperla externa larvae, besides to verify the larvae-adult period viability, duration of the larval period, and the total mass (g) of consumed eggs. The experiment was accomplished in laboratory conditions, under controlled temperature (25 + 2 ºC), UR (75 + 10%) and photoperiod (14:00 H). Insects of the first generation (F1) were used, being three treatments with 30 replications, under DIC. The obtained results showed that the eggs of S. cerealella and A. kuehniella provided higher viability for the larvae-adult period of C. externa; the duration of the larval period of C. externa was smaller when the eggs of A. kuehniella were used as food; and the larvae of C. externa, preferentially consume the eggs of A. kuehniella, being the higher consumption in the third ínstar.

The red pitaya is a cactacea that has been more and more demanded both for theproducers and for the consumers. Nevertheless, there are still several aspects about its cultivation that need to be elucidated, in order to provide a good culture development and profitability to the producer. This work was done aiming to study the effect of substrate in the vegetative propagation of this fruit, commonly done through cutting. The experiment was carried out in a lath house from the Departamento de Produção Vegetal of FCAV - UNESP. Cuttings of adult plant were used and placed in different substrates for rooting, composing the following treatments: (1) soil, sand and manure of tanned corral mixture, in the proportion of 3:1:1; (2) coconut fiber (Amafibra); (3) sand and (4) commercial substrate (Plantmax). For each treatment, 4 replications with 10 cuttings were done. Fresh and dry mass of roots (grams) and volume (mL) were evaluated. A completely randomized design was used, and data evaluated by Tukey test at 5% probability. In the conditions in which the experiment was accomplished, one can conclude that there was influence of the substrate in the fresh mass and volume of the roots, being the substrate (1) the most appropriate for seedlings formation of this species.

The objective of this work was to verify the usage level and the occurrence of the papaya (Jacaratia corumbensis O. kuntze) in a caatinga area of 112 ha, located in eight communities of small farmers in the semi-arid region of Bahia State. The work was accomplished with 149 farmers, in the period from August to December 2000. In each community, interviews with the farmers were done in order to verify those that used the papaya (mamãozinho-de-veado) to feed the animals in the dry season, and also to verify a rise in the density of plants per hectare. The data analysis showed that the papaya was used in all the studied communities as an alternative for alimentary supplement for the animals in the dry season. The papaya plant density of natural occurrence in the communities was of 10.38 plants /ha, in average, indicating that this plant is well disseminated in the area, being an alimentary supplement source for the animals in the semi-arid conditions.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the synthetic compound Thiazolidines-2,4- dione on the ¿in vitro¿ development of Monosporascus cannonballus, the causal agent of the melon sudden wilt (vine decline) and Trichoderma sp., the biocontroller agent of the referred pathogen. The work was done through two experiments. In the first experiment the following concentrations of the composition were used: 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 ìg.mL-1, combined with four isolates of M. cannonballus. The evaluated variables were mycelial growth inhibition (MGI), mycelial growth rate (MGR) and area below mycelial growth curve (ABMGC). In the second experiment the effect of the same concentrations of the synthetic compound were analyzed regarding a Trichoderma sp isolate. In the first experiment, there was a significant interaction between concentrations andisolates. High correlation coefficients confirmed the agreement of combination among the variables. The progress curves of the variables, according to compound concentrations, were adjusted by polynomial models. The most efficient concentration was 75 ìg.mL-1,, for inhibiting the mycelia growth until the experiment end, except for the Mc4 that showed TCM of 5.07. Regarding other isolates, Mc 3 was the least resistant, as with concentration of 50 g.mL- 1showed TCM of 2.36, while Mc1, Mc2 and Mc4 presented a higher growth rate, being 8.48; 8.08 and 8.97, respectively. The recommended dosage of the compound for the inhibition of M. cannonballus development when measured in vitro is 153 ug.mL .Neither concentrations influenced the mycelial development of Trichoderma sp.,as it didn¿t differ from control (P=0,05), demonstrating the potential of this synthetic compound as a complementary form of Monosporascus cannonballus control, together to the Trichoderma spp.