Modeling and Mapping Agroforestry Aboveground Biomass in the Brazilian Amazon Using Airborne Lidar Data.

Agroforestry has large potential for carbon (C) sequestration while providing many economical, social, and ecological benefits via its diversified products. Airborne lidar is considered as the most accurate technology for mapping aboveground biomass (AGB) over landscape levels. However, little research in the past has been done to study AGB of agroforestry systems using airborne lidar data. Focusing on an agroforestry system in the Brazilian Amazon, this study first predicted plot-level AGB using fixed-effects regression models that assumed the regression coefficients to be constants. The model prediction errors were then analyzed from the perspectives of tree DBH (diameter at breast height)?height relationships and plot-level wood density, which suggested the need for stratifying agroforestry fields to improve plot-level AGB modeling. We separated teak plantations from other agroforestry types and predicted AGB using mixed-effects models that can incorporate the variation of AGB-height relationship across agroforestry types. We found that, at the plot scale, mixed-effects models led to better model prediction performance (based on leave-one-out cross-validation) than the fixed-effects models, with the coefficient of determination (R2) increasing from 0.38 to 0.64. At the landscape level, the difference between AGB densities from the two types of models was ~10% on average and up to ~30% at the pixel level. This study suggested the importance of stratification based on tree AGB allometry and the utility of mixed-effects models in modeling and mapping AGB of agroforestry systems.

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.

Growth and survival of Sclerolobium paniculatum vogel and the relationship between rainfall and the increment in diameter at different planting spacings.

Sclerolobium paniculatum Vogel is a species that has good potential for reclamation of degraded soils. The aim of the investigation was to evaluate the growth and survival of the species and the influence of rainfall on growth in diameter as a function of different spacings (4 m x 2 m, 4 m x 3 m, and 4 m x 4 m). The results indicate that the temporal analysis (period from November 2007 to August 2013) detected significant differences (p ? 0.05) in height between the 4 m x 2 m and 4 m x 4 m spacings, while no significant difference in diameter was found between the 4 m x 2 m and 4 m x 3 m spacings. However, the statistical differences did not persist when the data was analyzed at seven and half years old. Regarding survival, a significant difference was observed only between the 4 m x 4 m spacing and the others, with superiority to the former. A strong correlation was found between rainfall and the increment in diameter of individuals in the broader spacings (R = 0.80 in the 4 m x 3 m spacing and R = 0.77 in the 4 m x 4 m spacing), while in the denser spacing the correlation was moderate (R = 0.56 in the 4 m x 2 m spacing). Since the spacings adopted did not influence tree growth by the end of the period, the choice will depend on other factors such as survival and costs of implementation and forestry management. Plantations in regions with larger rainfall amplitude may benefit the productivity of the species.

Influência da densidade de semeadura nas características agronômicas de cultivares de girassol.

RESUMO: O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a influência de densidades de semeadura de genótipos de girassol em suas características agronômicas. O experimento foi realizado no campo experimental do IFMT, Campus Campo Novo do Parecis - MT, entre os meses de fevereiro e junho de 2015. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi de blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial 5 x 5, sendo cinco genótipos de girassol AGUARÁ 04, GNZ NEON, HÉLIO 251, SYN 045 e SYN 3950HO) e cinco populações de plantas (30.000, 37.500, 45.000, 52.500 e 60.000 plantas ha-1), com 3 repetições. Foram analisadas as características altura de planta, diâmetro da haste, tamanho do capítulo, massa de mil aquênios e produtividade de aquênios. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de variância, seguido de teste Tukey para cultivares e análise de regressão para as diferentes populações de plantas (p<0,05). O genótipo SYN 045 apresentou a maior produtividade de aquênios, 1.708,90 kg ha-1 enquanto que a população de 60.150 plantas ha-1 foi a que possibilitou a maior produtividade de aquênios, 2.391,92 kg ha-1. ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of sowing density of sunflower genotypes on their agronomic characteristics. The experiment was conducted in the experimental field of IFMT, Campus Campo Novo do Parecis - MT, between February and June 2015. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a factorial 5 x 5, five sunflower genotypes (AGUARÁ 04, GNZ NEON, HÉLIO 251, SYN 045 and SYN 3950HO) and five plant populations (30,000, 37,500, 45,000, 52,500 and 60,000 plants ha-1) with 3 repetitions. Plant height, stem diameter, chapter length, mass thousand achenes and achenes productivity were analyzed. The data were submitted to analysis of variance followed by Tukey test for cultivars and regres. -

Desempenho morfoagronômico de genótipos de girassol cultivados na Chapada do Araripe, Pernambuco.

RESUMO: Com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho agronômico de genótipos de girassol nas condições edafoclimáticas do primeiro semestre de 2015 na Chapada do Araripe, instalou-se um experimento na Estação Experimental do Instituto Agronômico de Pernambuco (IPA), no município de Araripina, Estado de Pernambuco. O delineamento foi o de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições e 13 tratamentos, correspondendo aos genótipos de girassol: M734, NTC 90, BRS G43, BRS G44, BRS G45, BRS G46, SYN 065, HLA 2013, HLA 2014, HLA 2015, HLA 2016, HLA 2017 e SYN 045. Avaliaram-se as seguintes características: sobrevivência final, floração inicial, maturação fisiológica, altura média do capítulo, peso de 1000 aquênios, diâmetro médio dos capítulos, produção final de aquênios, curvatura do capítulo e plantas acamadas, quebradas e atacadas por pássaros. Os genótipos apresentaram diferenças morfoagronômicas quando cultivados no primeiro semestre em condições edafoclimáticas da região do Araripe, com exceção da variável sobrevivência. O genótipo NTC 90 alcançou o maior peso de aquênios. Todos os genótipos, exceto HLA 2015, apresentaram elevado rendimento de grãos. Os caracteres plantas acamadas, quebradas, atacadas por pássaros ou a curvatura do capítulo não foram relacionadas às diferentes cultivares. ABSTRACT: The study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of different sunflower genotypes in edaphoclimatic conditions of Araripe region in the first semester of 2015. The experiment was established at the Experimental Station of Instituto Agronômico de Pernambuco (IPA), Araripina, Pernambuco, Brazil. Experimental design was a randomized blocks with thirteen treatments, corresponding to the sunflower genotypes: M734, NTC 90, BRS G43, BRS G44, BRS G45, BRS G46, SYN 065, HLA 2013, HLA 2014, HLA 2015, HLA 2016, HLA 2017 e SYN 045, with four replicates. The following characteristics were evaluated: final survival, early flowering, physiological maturity, average plant height, weight of 1,000 seeds, average flower diameter, final seed production, flower head curvature, lodged, broken and damaged by birds plants. The genotypes showed morphoagronomic differences when grown in the first semester of 2015 on edaphoclimatic conditions of the Araripe region, except for the variable survival. The NTC 90 genotype achieved the highest weight of head flower. All genotypes, except HLA 2015 showed high grain yield. The characters lodged, broken and damaged plants by birds or curvature of the head flower were not related to the different cultivars.