Evaluation of floral characteristics of melon hybrids (Cucumis melo l.) in pollinator attractiveness.

Floral morphology and biology are important characteristics for plant-pollinator interactions and may influence the behavior of these agents. This study aimed to determine which floral attributes of different melon hybrids influence this interaction and, consequently, their attractiveness in simultaneous crops. The study was conducted in the region of Petrolina, State of Pernambuco (PE)/Juazeiro, State of Bahia (BA) and Mossoró, State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), in areas with the following melon hybrids: Yellow type, Piel de Sapo, Cantaloupe and Galia. For studies on floral morphology and biology, hermaphrodites and male flowers of each hybrid were analyzed for their size and nectar chamber size, pollen and nectar production, anthesis time and flower lifespan. Floral visitors were observed simultaneously in hybrids of three types of melon, from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., in the two study sites. Evaluations of the corolla diameter and flower height indicated that the hermaphrodite flowers were larger in size than male flowers in all types of melon investigated, in both study sites. As for nectar chamber, male flowers are larger in width, but smaller in height, compared to hermaphrodite flowers. Regarding the volume of nectar, differences were found between floral types for the hybrids evaluated, in the two study sites; the hermaphrodite flowers produced 2-7 times more nectar than male flowers in all studied hybrids. Observations of visits of Apis mellifera to areas with simultaneous flowering of the three types of melon demonstrated differences in the frequency of visits between hybrids, floral type and foraged resource. Flowers of the hybrids Piel de Sapo and Cantaloupe exhibited larger corolla diameter, larger dimensions of the nectar chamber and greater supply of resources for foraging, which could explain the higher number of visits of bees to their flowers in the sites studied.

Soil attributes and grain yield of upland rice as affected by cover crops.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of pearl millet intercropped with other cover crops on mineral forms of N and urease activity in soil, nitrate reductase activity in the leaves of the follow-up rice crop, as well as the yield components of this rice crop. The experiment was performed in the year 2012/2013 at two locations of the Brazilian Cerrado.

Transaction costs in an association of organic farmers in Goiania, Brazil.

This study aimed to analyse the transaction costs of an association of organic farmers located in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil. We analysed the marketing and organisation relations based on data collected at the Association for the Development of Organic Farming in Goias state (ADAO/GO).

The Brazilian grape juice: market and prospects.

This article aims to analyze the market of Brazilian grape juice.

Avaliação do ciclo de vida do sistema de produção soja-girassol no cerrado Brasileiro.

RESUMO: O girassol é uma importante cultura na região de Parecis, no Cerrado brasileiro. Em 2014, a região respondeu pela produção de 232.700 t de grãos, 45% da produção nacional. A produção de girassol provém principalmente de um sistema que tem a soja como cultura principal. A associação entre soja e girassol pode reduzir impactos ambientais devido ao uso compartilhado de recursos. Este estudo desenvolveu uma Avaliação de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) ?do berço ao túmulo? do sistema de produção soja-girassol usado na região de Parecis e comparou seu perfil ambiental ao das monoculturas de soja e girassol. Impactos relacionados ao uso do solo (emissões da mudança de uso da terra e calagem) por cada cultura foram alocados em função do tempo de ocupação do solo. O sistema soja-girassol teve impactos ambientais menores em todas as categorias de impacto quando comparado à monocultura de soja e girassol, com o mesmo rendimento. Reduções importantes foram observadas em ?Mudança do Clima?, ?Acidificação Terrestre? e ?Formação de Material Particulado?. ABSTRACT: Sunflower is an important crop in Parecis region of the Brazilian Cerrado. In 2014 the region accounted for the production of 232,700 tons of sunflower grain, 45% of national production. Sunflower production comes mostly from a system that has soybean as the main crop. The association of soybean and sunflower can reduce environmental impacts due to shared use of resources. This study performed a ?cradle to gate? Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the soybean-sunflower production system used in Parecis region and compared its environmental profile to that of the monoculture of these two crops. Impacts related to the use of soil (land use change emissions and liming) by each crop were evaluated according to time of soil occupation criterion. Soybean-sunflower system had lower environmental impacts on every impact category comparing to soybean and sunflower monoculture with the same yield. Important reduction were observed on ?Climate change?, ?Terrestrial acidification? and ?Particulate matter formation? categories.