Moringa oleifera Lam is a leguminous species well adapted to arid and semi arid conditions and is largely used as ornamental for parks and gardens in the animal feeding and human diet and as medicinal. Since research informations on this plant species are scarce, the current work aimed to evaluate the production of leaves, stems and roots dry matter in Moringa oleifera Lam seedlings hidroponicaly grown under physiological conditions or not. The treatments used were the following: (1) nutrient solution containing all required macronutrients (experimental control) or lacking (2) N; (3) P; (4) K; (5) Ca; (6) Mg and (7) S. The Moringa oleifera Lam showed different responses to the imposed treatments. Nutrient solution free of N, P and Mg decreased whole dry matter production (WDM) and increased root to shoot ratios (R/S), however both parameters were not affected in plants grown under absence of K, Ca and S in the nutrient solution.

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the nutritional state of ten arboreal plants occurring at Paraíba's Semi-Árido aiming to contribute to the nutritional diagnosis of Caatinga's species, advice on soil fertilization and the resulting betterment of environmental quality in those areas. To this end, leaves and twigs samples of the species angico(Piptadenia macrocarpa Benth), aroeira (Astronium urundeuva Engl), umbueiro (Spondias tuberosa Arruda) mofumbo(Combretum leprosum Mart.), pereiro (Aspidosperma pyrifolium Mart), pau d' arco (Tabebuia serratifolia Nichols.), marmeleiro (Croton sonderianus Mull. Arg.), craibeira (Tabebuia caraiba Mart. Burt.), tamboril (Enterolobium contortisiqua Mart.) and umburana (Torresia cearensis) were taken for the essaying of these species nutritional state. The collected material was firstly dried and grinded to determine the levels of macronutrients N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S and micronutrients, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn. The results evinced that the evaluated species showed comparable levels of macro andmicronutrients, when confronted with the nutritional diagnosis of other arboreal species.

This paper reports the first occurrence of insect-pest Carpophilus hemipterus L. (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) infesting dog food collected in Viçosa, Minas Gerais in the period may 2008.

To evaluate litter production monthly, a experiment was carried in RPPN Fazenda Tamanduá, Santa Terezinha (PB), from august/2005 to july/2006. The litter collectors of 1m x1m were distributed in a well preserved Caatinga forest sister. Litter was fractioned into leaves, stems, reproductive structures and miscellany, and then dried and weighed. Estimated total litter production in the twelve month was 2.283,97 kg ha-1, being 65,09% leaves, 25,41% stems, 8,72% reproductive structures and 0,87% miscellany. The magnitude of litter deposition was leaves > stems > reproductive structures > miscellany, with deposition seasonality, with deposition peacs in the sainy season begin.

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 experiment was carried out to evaluate the nutrients content in leaves of lettuce intercropped with carrot in strip-intercropping under different planting densities of component crops. The experimental design used was of randomized complete blocks in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme with three replications. The treatments consisted of the combination of four lettuce-planting densities (40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the recommended sole crop density - RSCD) with four carrot-planting densities (40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the RSCD). Evaluations for P, Na, Ca, Mg, and K contents were made in the lettuce leaves. There was a significant interaction between lettucedensities and carrot-densities on P content in lettuce leaves. Higher contents of Na and Ca (58.40 and 7.58 mg/plant) were observed in the lettuce-densities of 52% and 47% of the RSCD. The contents of Na and K held constant with increasing carrot-densities. Higher contents of Mg (30 and 15 mg/plant) were observed in the density of 40% of the RSCD both in lettuce and carrot crop.

With the objective of analyzing the impact of the nutritional and sanitary manages bioeconomically in properties of the South of the State of Tocantins, through productivity indices, it accomplished a survey, through questionnaire, in 12 properties, of the which, it was selected intentionally six, that it were divided in two groups: group "A", containing three properties that accomplish appropriate nutritional and sanitarium manages; and group "B", also with three properties whose nutritional and sanitarium manages are deficient. After completion of the questionnaire, for gauging of the productivity indices of each group, it can be glimpsed the magnitude of the impact of the nutritional and sanitary manages on the systems of creation of animals sheep, demonstrating that the properties of the group "A", in spite of the expenses with feeding and medicines, it possess more competitive and lucrative profile in relation to the group "B". Of ownership of the data of the indexes productivity, it took place an evolution of a flock, containing 100 ewes and three reproductive, where the group "A" presented a larger number of animals to be sloughtered, proving the profitability of the systems that use an appropriate nutritional and sanitarium manages rationally.

In environmental studies is important to know the adsorption process of heavy metals in clay minerals, since they are able to immobilize these metals. Knowing the cations adsorption is influenced for several factors, the objective of this research was to study the zinc adsorption process by bentonite clay and to evaluate the particle size of clay and pH influence on this process. In order to quantify the adsorbed zinc, 2 g of bentonite clay, dried at room temperature and sieved at 0.5 and 2-mm-mesh, were equilibrated for 24 hours with 20 mL of water containing different quantities of zinc (10, 15, 20, 30, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg L-1) as background solutions of pH values 4 and 6. Langmuir's adsorption equation in its linearized form was applied and the values of the maximum capacity and those of the constant related to the bonding energy were obtained. The results showed that Langmuir equation was adequate to describe zinc adsorption at different pH values and particle size of bentonite clay. Zinc adsorption in bentonite clay depended on pH and particle size, decreasing as they increased. The maximum retention capacity, 3.24 mg g-1, was obtained in pH 4 using particle size of bentonite clay < 0,5 mm.

The work was developed in a greenhouse, with the objective to evaluate the behavior of Sudan sorghum in one normal and another saline-sodic soil treated with increasing concentration solutions of calcium chloride. Two samples of Alluvial Soil proceeding from the half-barren part of Paraíba, Brazil, with salinity and sodicity problems had been used. The physical and chemical characterization of soil samples was carried and was mounted an experiment in randomized block type, at 2 x 6 factorial arrangement, being two soils and six solutions of calcium chloride with increasing concentrations, in three replicates. The soil had been conditioned in polyethylene vases with 5,0 kg of capacity, being submitted to the ticket of the solutions during sixty days, being then made a sampling for determination of the exchangeable sodium and the calculation of ESP. After this period, was planted one sorghum tolerant cultivar to salinity, being continued the ticket of the solutions under daily irrigation. At 60 days of application of calcium chloride solutions, it was observed that it had a reduction of the ESP, which continued being reduced until the 120 days, mainly for the saline-sodic soil, correcting the sodicity partially. The effect of the salinity had been evident in sorghum cultivated in saline-sodic soil, with problems since the germination in the treatments of lesser calcium chloride concentration, with improvement in the growth of the plants in the intermediate levels and decrease in the last level, probably, for the raised saline concentration, reflecting in the height of the plants and the production of dry matter.

Hydroponics is a method of culture which offers producers a larger number of cycles throughout the year, and value aggregated to vegetables. Empiricism, however, in the use of nutritive solutions, and the non-adoption of harvest times at which lower nitrate content can be achieved, may lead to a drop in produce quality due to the accumulation of nitrate. An experiment using a hydroponic method, the NFT, was conducted in the spring of 2003, in Jaboticabal, SP, aimed at evaluating nitrogen concentration in the nutritive solution (60,8; 121,6; 182,5; 243,5 mg L-1), rocket cultivars (Cultivada, Folha Larga and Selvática) and harvest time factors (7 a.m., noon and 5 p.m.) in nitrate content of rocket. The experiment was carried out in a randomized blocks design and a 4 x 3 x 3 factorial design, with four replications. For nitrogen concentration in the nutritive solution of 93 mg L-1, which showed higher MFPA, nitrate content was 598,4 mg kg-1 NO3 - fresh matter for rocket harvested at 7 a.m.