Twenty-eight uncastrated male Saanen goat kids, on a feedlot, with an average slaughter weight of 28 kg were used to evaluate the effects of feeding goat kids with metabolizable energy levels by the addition of protected fat to the diet. The effects on the quantitative characteristics of the carcass and qualitative characteristics of the loin were assessed. The animals were randomly distributed into one of the four groups: one control group (without protected fat) was fed a diet containing 2.5 Mcal of metabolizable energy/kg dry matter (ME/kg DM). The other three groups were fed diets containing 2.6, 2.7 or 2.8 Mcal of ME/kgDM, using protected fat to increase the energy levels. The carcass quantitative characteristics were not influenced by the diets; however, a reduction was observed on the days of the feedlot and slaughter age for the animals fed protected fat diets. The short length and fat thickness in the loin has improved from diets with protected fat addition. The muscle, fat and bone proportions and the chemical composition of the Longissimus dorsi were similar between the diets. There was an increase in the fatty acid profiles of the polyunsaturated fatty acids linoleic and linolenic and improvements in the total omega-3 levels and the ratios of omega-6: omega-3. The protected fat can be used to feed Saanen kid goats as an alternative, increasing the energetic density of the diets up to 2.8 Mcal of ME/kg DM with improvements on the omega-3 quantity. And it can also be used to increase the ratio of omega-6:omega-3 in the Longissimus dorsi.

The Caatinga is one of the least known biomes in terms of structure and floristic composition, worrying aspect because it undergoes an intense process of human disturbance. With this assumption, we car- ried out a phytosociological survey of adult vegetation and natural regeneration in areas with different histories of disturbance. For a sampling of the shrub/adult tree and natural regeneration, settled in a systematic, 18 sam- pling units in each area (Habitat I and Habitat II), with dimensions of 10 x 25 m and 10 x 5 m respectively. Individuals were surveyed adults with CAP ≥ 6.0 cm, and natural regeneration measured the individuals taller than 0.5 m and CNB <6.0 cm. Habitat II in the were sampled 1155 individuals belonging to 6 families and 12 species, and the habitat I was sampled 286 individuals belonging to three families and six species. The diversity index was 1.5 and 0.23 for Nats.individual - 1 Habitat II and habitat I respectively. We sampled 636 individuals in natural regeneration, being habitat I in 360 and 276 in the Habitat II. The diversity index of natural regenera- tion for the Habitat II and habitat I were 1.21 and 0.8 Nats.individual - 1 . It was concluded that human activities were able to change the vegetation structure and species diversity in both habitats significantly.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different additions of flour I endocarp of babassu on consumption and digestibility in diets. Twenty uncastrated male sheep were distributed in a completely ran-domized into four treatments with five replicates per treatment. The animals received experimental diets isoca-loric and isonitrogenous (zero, 7.5%, 15%, 22.5%). The dry matter intake as a function of body weight and metabolic weight decreased linearly with the inclusion of flour I Endocarp in the diet. The apparent digestibil-ity coefficients demonstrate the occurrence of a linear decrease with the inclusion of by-product in the diet. Nitrogen balance was positive with all inclusion levels, decreasing with larger inclusions in a linear response. The inclusion of this byproduct promotes change in score of the feces. The flour endocarp I of babassu present-ed the typical features of consumption and digestibility of forages. The inclusion of by-product in diets for lambs should stand at 7.5% inclusion.

The objective was to evaluate the performance of growth and productivity of three cactus for-age clones, resistant to Cochineal Carmine, grown under irrigated conditions in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The clones evaluated were: IPA Sertânia (IPA), Miúda (MIU) and the Orelha Elefante Mexicana (OEM), be-tween February 2010 and February 2012, in Serra Talhada, State of Pernambuco. To the end of the crop cycle morphological data were obtained from plants (canopy height and width, cladode total number, cladode number by order of emergence and cladode area index) and cladode (length, width, thickness, perimeter and area), and crop productive parameters (crop fresh and dry matter yield, and final density of plants per hectare). Path anal-ysis was applied to evaluate the influence of meteorological variables (global solar radiation, air temperature and relative humidity, wind speed and rain) on the growth of cactus forage. It was found that the OEM and IPA were those who stood out most of the morphological characteristics. But, in terms of cladode number, the MIU is the clone of greater emission (> 35 units), however it has been demonstrated as the clone less productive in terms of fresh mass (117.5 t ha-1), along with the IPA. The OEM stood out as the most productive clone (163.0 t ha-1). However, there was no difference in productivity in dry basis between the clones (12.6 ± 2.0 t ha-1). The IPA has the highest mortality of plants (10.4%). Meteorological variables showed effect lower on the evolution of crop growth (< 33.1%).

The current work had the objective to characterize the visual symptoms of nutrient deficiencies, single and multiple, in castor bean cultivar Guarani, as well as their effects on dry matter and biometrical index. The experiment was carried out in culture solution with randomized blocks with six treatments and four repli-cations. The treatments were represented by control, then the Hoagland and Arnon (1950) control, omission of iron (-Fe); multiple omission of iron and zinc (-FeZn), omission of manganese (-Mn), multiple omission of manganese and zinc (-MnZn) and omission of zinc (-Zn). Castor bean plants under single Zn omissions did not show visual symptoms, however multiple omission of this nutrient increased the symptoms intensity and re-duced the plant height. In such results, the symptoms of Zn deficiency were observed. The nutrients content, in leaves, were more affected by the treatment -FeZn, while the stem contents were affected under Zn omissions. The nutrient omission, single or multiple, in culture solution caused morphological changes and turn into a vis-ual symptoms, altered the dry matter, biometrical index and nutrient contents in castor bean plants.

The aim of this study was to provide information on the ecology and floristic composition of vascular epiphytes on specimens of licurizeiro (Syagrus coronata), palm tree native to the Brazilian Backlands, whose individuals were isolated in pasture areas in the municipality of Várzea da Roça - BA. The epiphytic species were classified according to their ecological category and dispersion forms. The vascular epiphytes were represented by 26 species, 21 genera and seven families, and Bromeliaceae (8 spp.), Cactaceae (7 spp.), Polypodiaceae (4 spp.) and Orchidaceae (3 spp.) the most representative. The true holoepiphytes and accidental epiphytes were the most frequent categories, gathering, respectively, 42.31% and 30.76% of the species inven-toried. Regarding the dispersion forms, it is observed the predominant of zoochoric species (14 spp.) while anemochoric were represented by 12 species. The results show the importance of licurizeiro in the maintenance of the epiphytic community in areas of Caatinga and show its role as maintainer of biological diversity in an-thropogenic environments.

This work aimed to evaluate the growth and yield of banana cv. "Nanicão", in intercropping with live coverage crops in the semi - arid region. The experiment was analysed as a randomized complete block with four replications. The experiment used a split - plot design, and some variables were sub - subdivided over time. In the plots, factor "A", made of three management strategies of soil cover - the leguminous, calopo and tropi- cal kudzu, and bare soil (hoed soil); Factor "B", on the sub - plots, banana plants in three morphophysiological ages (different cycles and sizes) and factor "C", dates of collections in the sub - plots. The cultivation of banana cv. Nanicão in soil under live coverage with calopo and tropical kudzu in the semi - arid region promotes an increase in the number of fruits, fruit weight and bunches.

The dynamics of organic matter influences the main chemical, physical and biological processes in soil, and often determines their chemical behavior and fertility. Therefore, it is essential to quantify the frac- tions that make up the organic matter to the understanding of pedogenic processes that reflect or induce soil properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate the behavior of soil organic matter in different soil profiles under deciduous formations, through fractionation of organic matter and obtain their different oxidizable fractions. Ten soil profiles were described and collected in areas of deciduous formations in the state of Minas Gerais and Bahia. Chemical and physical analyzes were performed on each horizon. For organic matter fractions, the fractionation of humic substances and subsequent determination of carbon in each fraction was performed: humin (HUM - C) , fulvic acid (C - FAF) and humic acid (C - FAH) and calculated their relations and percentage of each fraction relative to total organic carbon (COT) , %FAF, %FAH, %HUM and %EA, beyond fractions oxidizable C in each evaluated horizon. Humic substances that make up the organic matter in the soil of seasonal dry forests profiles showed that this compartment MOS showed a predominance of the humin fraction, followed by humic acids and lower content of C, fulvic acids for most soils. However, the different fractions of oxidizable C could already point more labile fractions associated with surface horizons, and more recalcitrant to subsurface horizons.

This study aimed to characterize the lobation and describe the bronchial tree and vasculariza-tion of the lung collared peccaries. 12 animals that died in Multiplication Center of Wild Animals (CEMAS/UFERSA) were used. For analysis of the bronchial tree, the trachea was perfused with latex or vinyl and for identification of arterial vascularization, the pulmonary artery was perfused with red latex. For the visualization of the pulmonary veins, the left atrium was perfused in retrograde direction with blue latex. Likewise we pro-ceeded with perfusion with vinyl. The pieces injected with latex were fixed in 10% formaldehyde for 48 hours and then performed the dissections. Those perfused with vinyl were dipped in a solution of 30% H2SO4 until complete corrosion. The right lung was composed of the cranial, middle, caudal and accessory lobes, while the left lung by cranial (cranial and caudal portions) and caudal lobes. The trachea before of the bifurcation in left and right main bronchi, issued a tracheal bronchus towards the right cranial lobe. The right bronchus gave a branch to the middle lobe, one to accessory and another to the right caudal lobe, while the left bronchus gave a branch to the right cranial lobe (cranial and caudal portions) and another to the left caudal lobe. The study on bronchial and vascular segmentation is useful in clinical and surgical applications, in particular in cases of per-foration, and stenosis or tumors, which require the completion of partial lobectomy.

Watermelon is a cucurbit, grown in almost all regions of the world, and it is enjoyed by most of the population. In Rio Grande do Norte the cultivation of watermelon has been increasing, because of the good climatic conditions in the region that provides adequate light and temperature throughout the year. In this con-text, the present study aimed at evaluating the yield and quality of watermelon cultivars in different planting dates in Mossoró-RN. The experiment was conducted in the garden didactic Department of Plant Sciences, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid in the period between June and December 2010. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in a split plot design with four 3 x 3 repetitions. The plots consisted of three cultivars of watermelon (Crimson Sweet, Olympia and Denver) and subplots were planting (June, Au-gust and October). It is concluded that the yield and fruit quality were influenced by planting dates. The water-melon sowing in August resulted in higher average fruit weight and commercial productivity, and the fruits of lower acidity and better palatability were collected in the June planting.