Saflufenacil is absorbed by the plant leaves and roots, thus the residual permanence of this herbicide can cause losses to the crop plants. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the selectivity of the saflufenacil herbicide, applied singly and in combination with glyphosate, on coffee and citrus plants grown in a sandy soil. Two experiments were implemented and conducted in completely randomized design with four replications. The chemical treatments consisted of three sequential applications, with directed spraying of saflufenacil at rates of 0.035, 0.07 and 0.105 kg a.i. ha - 1 , glyphosate at rate of 2.160 kg a.e. ha - 1 , the two herbicides combined at the same rates, and a control without chemical treatment. The saflufenacil applied singly and in combination with glyphosate was selective for coffee and citrus plants, which presented no visual toxicity symptoms. The sequential application of saflufenacil, singly and in combination with glyphosate did not affect the growth of coffee and citrus plants. The saflufenacil has potential for use, in combination with glyphosate on controlling many weed species in coffee and citrus areas without any interference on the development of these species.

Irrigation using produced water, which is generated during crude oil and gas recovery and treated by the exploration industry, could be an option for irrigated agriculture in semiarid regions. To determine the viability of this option, the effects of this treated water on the nutritional status of plants should be assessed. For this purpose, we examined the nutritional changes in sunflowers after they were irrigated with oil - produced water and the effects of this water on plant biomass and seed production. The sunflower cultivar BRS 321 was grown for three crop cycles in areas irrigated with filtered produced water (FPW), reverse osmosis - treated produced water (OPW), or ground water (GW). At the end of each cycle, roots, shoots, and seeds were collected to examine their nutrient concentrations. Produced water irrigation affected nutrient accumulation in the sunflower plants. OPW irrigation promoted the accumulation of Ca, Na, N, P, and Mg. FPW irrigation favored the accumulation of Na in both roots and shoots, and biomass and seed production were negatively affected. The Na in the shoots of plants irrigated with FPW increased throughout the three crop cycles. Under controlled conditions, it is possible to reuse reverse osmosis - treated produced water in agriculture. However, more long - term research is needed to understand its cumulative effects on the chemical and biological properties of the soil and crop production.

The savanna woodlands of Piauí state has great economic importance since it is an area for agricultural expansion, being the fourth most important of Brazil and the first from Brazilian Northeastern. The area accounts for 5.9% of the Brazilian savanna woodlands and 36.9% of the Northeastern savanna, covering 46% of the Piauí state area, in a total of 11.5 million hectares . The goal of this research was to study pedoenvironments of Serra do Quilombo region, which is in Piauí state savanna, as well as identifying existing soil classes, according to the Brazilian System of Soil Classification - SiBCS. Soil identification consisted in characterizing soil profiles along a transect, assessing in - field conditions and collecting soil samples, in areas of native vegetation. The samples were gathered from three distinct points, being two at the edges and one at the center of the plateau. Soil analyses were carried out with samples collected from each horizon through trench digging up to a 2 - m depth. Morphological, physical, chemical and mineralogical characterizations were performed for each soil profile , along with an evaluation of the effect of pedogenic factors on their formation and development. All soils under study were formed with source materials of the same geological formation; however, each rock has a distinct contribution to the process, involving sandstones and shales. The characteristics observed in the soil from Serra do Quilombo have no difference from the pattern found in the Brazilian plateaus, and soil profiles were classified as dystrophic clayey Yellow Latosols (Oxisols), according to the SiBCS .

In agroforestry systems, annual plants closest to trees may behave differently from plants in rows that are more distant. This study evaluated the proximity effects of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia (sabiá) and Gliricidia sepium (gliricidia) on corn yield under the taungya and alley cropping systems. The two species were evaluated, in randomised blocks with five replications, in 2010 and 2011, under taungya and alley cropping, respectively. Three rows of corn (left, middle, and right) were grown between two rows of trees. Sabiá trees grew higher than gliricidia trees. The difference in crown diameter between species depended on plant age. There was a linear relationship between plant age and plant height and between plant age and crown diameter for both sabiá and gliricidia trees. In the taungya system, left rows produced more green ears than middle and right rows, but grain yield was higher in middle rows. In the alley system, green ear yield was also higher in left rows than in middle and right rows, but grain yield was unaffected by row position. In both agroforestry systems, there were no differences in corn yield for corn grown between sabiá or gliricidia trees.

An experiment was conducted during the years 2009 and 2010 to evaluate the effects of Urochloa forage straw and nitrogen fertilization on soil properties, nutritional foliar content, index of foliar chlorophyll (IFC) values, production components, and grains yields of winter bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Pérola’) in the Cerrado lowlands region of Brazil. The treatments consisted of planting bean crops under straw of Urochloa brizantha ‘Xaraés’ and Urochloa ruziziensis, fertilized with urea - sourced N (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg N ha - 1 ). The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications, and a factorial scheme of 2 × 5. The greater yield of U. brizantha dry matter in the two years of evaluation increased bean leaf nutrient levels. The nutritional increase with increasing N application rates showed that the straw produced by the forages had a positive effect on bean nutrition. The grain yield was satisfactory but was not affected by the forage species nor by changes in the N application rates. The Urochloa straw increased the soil organic matter (SOM), Ca, and Mg content in both evaluated years, affected the decomposition and mineralization of organic residues, and ensured the proper development of the bean plants.

This study aimed to evaluate the insecticidal activity of eight botanical species in the behavior and biological development of Zabrotes subfasciatus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) under laboratory conditions. The botanical species were applied on bean grains (Phaseolus vulgaris Linnaeus) directly as powder or indirectly within TNT bags. Three laboratory assays were performed. First, a repellent activity test was performed by exposing twenty couples of Z. subfasciatus adults in a choice-test arena. Second, a mortality test was performed for seven days after infestation. Finally, the oviposition and emergency rates of adults (%) and the development from egg to adult (in days) were evaluated in seven couples (males and females) for seven days inside of a vial containing 0.3g of the powder from each botanical species and 10 g of bean grains (3% w.w-1). The study was conducted in a completely randomized design, and the treatments were arranged as a factorial design (2 x 9) with two factors (factor 1= powder and TNT bag application forms and factor 2= eight botanical species and control) with eight replications. The powder application form was more efficient in controlling Z. subfasciatus. Azadirachta indica (powder application), Ruta graveolens (powder application), and Piper aduncum (TNT bag) reduced the infestation of adults. The species A. inidica, Piper tuberculatum, Trichilia catigua, Pfaffia glomerata, R. graveolens, and Mentha pulegium inhibited the oviposition of the insects regardless of the formulation applied. R. graveolens (powder application) caused 100% of mortality. The powder application of R. graveolens and M. pulegium reduced egg viability and insect emergence; therefore, they are very promising alternatives to control Z. subfasciatus in stored grains.

Nitrogen fertilization is a common practice used to increase the yield of winter bean crops. However, this practice leads to excessively tall and prostrate plants that have too many leaves, resulting in self - shading, and low yield and grain quality. The use of growth regulators could minimize the undesired effects of nitrogen fertilization. This study aims to determine the optimal concentration of paclobutrazol (PBZ) for inhibiting bean growth using the cultivars BRS Pontal and BRS Supremo. The plants were treated with PBZ at different concentrations, and also in combination with ammonium sulfate ten days after fertilization. The height and yield of plants were evaluated. It was observed that PBZ at 8 mg L - 1 effectively inhibits the growth of bean plants, and increases the number of pods and grains. Higher concentrations of PBZ proved to be phytotoxic. Additionally, the application of PBZ ten days after fertilization with ammonium sulfate did not suppress the overgrowth of bean plants, and did not affect their yield.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of progenies from Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus (cultivated watermelons) when crossed with progenies from C. lanatus var. citroides (fodder watermelon with a historic of resistance to the nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii). The parents and their F1s were evaluated for resistance to this nematode. In the initial stages of eleven treatments, watermelon seedlings plantlets were transplanted to plastic bags of six kilograms once the first leaves developed. Ten inoculated plants with 5,200 eggs in the soil near the stem of the plant and four non-inoculated ones were used in each treatment, in a complete block design. Sixty-two days after sowing, the following characteristics were evaluated: the length of the aerial part of the plant (LAP, in m), fresh mass of the aerial part (FMAP, in g), root fresh mass (RFM, in g), egg number (EN) and reproduction factor (RF). A comparison between the averages of inoculated and non-inoculated plants was performed using Scott-Knott test at 5% and the diallelic analysis was performed using the GENES program. The morphological characteristics did not allow for the identification of the parent plants or the F1s with respect to nematode resistance, but the variables EN and RF were useful for such identification. The analyses of the general and specific combining abilities indicate highly significant effects with respect to this resistance, showing additive gene effects as well as dominance and epistatic gene effects, allowing for identification of parents and F1s that can be used in watermelon breeding programs to improve resistance to the M. enterolobii.

The Rhyzopertha dominica F. (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) is a primary pest of stored grains in many regions of the world. In this work we evaluated the fumigant activity of essential oils of Ocimum basilicum L., Citrus aurantium L., Mentha spicata L. and Croton pulegiodorus Baill on adult R. dominica in stored maize. Tests were conducted to determine lethals concentrations (CL50 and CL100) and mortality (fumigation).The fumigation test was done in containers made of glass containing 10 individuals of R. dominica, where essential oils were applied at different concentrations: O. basilicum and M. spicata (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40μL/L of air), C. aurantium (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60μL/L of air) and C. pulegiodorus (0, 20, 30, 50, 70 and 90μL/L of air). After 48 hours of exposure to the oils the percentage of insect mortality was evaluated. According to LC50 and LC100 the toxicity of essential oils decreased in the following order: O. basilicum> M. spicata> C. pulegiodorus> C. aurantium. The essential oil of O. basilicum exhibited strong fumigant toxicity against R. dominica adults, with a LC50 value of 17.67 μL/L air and LC100 value of 27.15 μL/ L air. The C. aurantium essential oil required higher concentrations than O. basilicum, M. spicata and C. pulegiodorus to kill insects. However, all oils evaluated presented fumigating property to promote the control of R. dominica and demonstrated potential use in the management of this coleoptera.

Weed control is essential to reduce or eliminate the interference of weeds on crops. Chemical control with the application of herbicides consists of the most used method, with this aim in grain producing areas. Information about the selectivity of herbicides to C. spectabilis (showy crotalaria) are scarce, which are critical for the management of this species as a crop. One field experiment was performed to evaluate the selectivity of herbicides applied in post - emergence of showy crotalaria. The herbicides bentazon (720 and 576 g ha - 1 ), imazethapyr (106 and 79.5 g ha - 1 ), pyrithiobac - sodium (84 g ha - 1 ), flumiclorac (60 g ha - 1 ), flumiclorac in sequential application (30 / 30 g ha - 1 ), imazethapyr + bentazon (106 + 480 g ha - 1 ), and clethodim + quizalofop (96 + 100 g ha - 1 ) were applied in plants with four true leaves, also using a control without herbicide application. Pyrithiobac - sodium and flumiclorac isolated and the tankmix of imazethapyr + bentazon provided greater injuries to showy crotalaria, also affecting the final plant height. Pyrithiobac - sodium (84 g ha - 1 ) was not selective to showy crotalaria. The herbicides imazethapyr (79.5 g ha - 1 ), flumiclorac (sequential application), and bentazon (576 g ha - 1 ), despite the association between clethodim + quizalofop, can be used for weed management in showy crotalaria crop.