ABOVE-GROUND BIOMASS ESTIMATION OF OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA (L.) MILL. FOR FORAGE CROP IN A MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT BY USING NON-DESTRUCTIVE METHODS

In marginal lands Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) could be used as an alternative fruit and forage crop. The plant vigour and the biomass production were evaluated in Portuguese germplasm (15 individuals from 16 ecotypes) by non-destructive methods, 2 years following planting in a marginal soil and dryland conditions. Two Italian cultivars (Gialla and Bianca) were included in the study for comparison purposes. The biomass production and the plant vigour were estimated by measuring the cladodes number and area, and the fresh (FW) and dry weight (DW) per plant. We selected linear models by using the biometric data from 60 cladodes to predict the cladode area, the FW and the DW per plant. Among ecotypes, significant differences were found in the studied biomass-related parameters and several homogeneous groups were established. Four Portuguese ecotypes had higher biomass production than the others, 3.20 Mg ha−1 on average, a value not significantly different to the improved ‘Gialla’ cultivar, which averaged 3.87 Mg ha−1. Those ecotypes could be used to start a breeding program and to deploy material for animal feeding and fruit production.

A psicologia aplicada no treino de crianças em risco

This paper presents the answers of Psychology to three urgent tasks related to children at risk, namely, a theoretical comprehension on the origins of disorders, diagnosis procedures and treatment procedures for children with disorders. To attain these goals, the paper explains the concept of deviated development and the contributions of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for diagnosis and training of children at risk, as well as the work made by the author with slum children; some cases are shown. It is concluded that ABA techniques can be applied in the rehabilitation, training and special education of children with intellectual, sensorial or motor disabilities; these techniques are efficient and can be applied successfully by non professional persons. Finally, the paper proposes a model to teach Psychology in the special conditions of developing countries, uniting teaching, research and community service.