Efeito de fatores ambientais e tolerância a herbicidas em três espécies de plantas daninhas da família Rubiaceae

The strong selection pressure exerted by intensive use of glyphosate in cultivated areas has selected populations of the Rubiaceae weed species Borreria latifolia (Aubl.) K.Shum. (broadleaf buttonweed), Galianthe chodatiana (Standl.) E.L. Cabral (galiante) and Richardia brasiliensis Gomes (Brazilian pusley) with differential sensitivity to this herbicide in the South region of Brazil. The control of these weeds with herbicides is troublesome and signals the need to incorporate management practices of ruderal flora and crops, more sustainable and that results in more efficient control for long-term. Therefore, it is very important to expand the information about their biology and management. This study aimed: (a) select efficient methods to overcome dormancy of B. latifolia and G. chodatiana and determine how they influence the kinetics of seeds germination; (b) analyze the effects of temperature, irradiance, pH, aluminum and salinity on seed germination and initial growth of the B. latifolia, G. chodatiana e R. brasiliensis seedlings; (c) evaluate tolerance to glyphosate levels in biotypes of B. latifolia, G. chodatiana e R. brasiliensis through dose-response curves and compare two methods to evaluate herbicidal control; (d) and evaluated the effectiveness of alternative herbicides in pre-emergence and in early and late post-emergence of the three species. The treatment with KNO3 2%/3h + gibberellic acid 400 ppm resulted in higher percentage of G. chodatiana seed germination. This treatment and also the dry heat (60°C/30 min) + KNO3 2%/3h were more effective in overcoming dormancy of B. latifolia. G. chodatiana and R. brasiliensis tolerate lower temperatures during the germination process, while B. latifolia tolerate higher temperatures. B. latifolia and R. brasiliensis are positive photoblastic while G. chodatiana is indifferent to the photoperiod. B. latifolia shows higher germination and early development in pH 3, while G. chodatiana and R. brasiliensis prefer pH range between 5 and 7. B. latifolia and G. chodatiana were more tolerant to the aluminum during the germination process than R. brasiliensis. Low salt levels were sufficient to reduce the seed germination of the three species. Some biotypes of B. latifolia and R. brasiliensis showed medium-high glyphosate tolerance, not being controlled by higher doses than recommended. The G. chodatiana specie was not controlled with the highest dose used, showing a high glyphosate tolerance. The sulfentrazone, s-metolachlor and saflufenacil herbicides sprayed in pre-emergence showed high efficacy both on B. latifolia and R. brasiliensis, while chlorimuron-ethyl and diclosulan were effective only on R. brasiliensis. In early post-emergence the fomesafen, lactofem and flumioxazin herbicides efficiently controlled plants of all species, while bentazon showed high efficacy only on B. latifolia. Noteworthy the susceptibility of the G. chodatiana specie for applications in early post-emergence, because the control effectiveness and the number of effective herbicides are reduced with increasing the plant age. Many treatments with tank mix or sequencial applications with glyphosate, were effective in controlling B. latifolia and R. brasiliensis plants in advanced stage of development.

Sensoriamento óptico quase-distribuído aplicado ao monitoramento de trocadores de calor de usinas hidrelétricas

This work aims to develop optical sensors for temperature monitoring in hydroelectric power plant heat exchangers. The proposed sensors are based on the Fiber Bragg Gratings technology. First of all, a prototype with three sensors inscribed in a same fiber was developed. This fiber was then fixed to a conventional Pt100 sensor rod and inserted in a thermowell. The ensemble was then calibrated in a workbench, presenting a maximum combined uncertainty of 2,06 °C. The sensor was installed in one of the heat exchangers of the Salto Osório’s hydroelectric power plant. This power plant is situated in the Iguaçu river, at the Paraná state. Despite the satisfactory results, the sensor was improved to a second version. In this, fifteen optical Bragg sensors were inscribed in a same fiber. The fixation with a conventional sensor was no longer necessary, because the first version results comproved the efficiency and response time in comparison to a conventional sensor. For this reason, it was decided to position the fiber inside a stainless steel rod, due to his low thermal expansion coefficient and high corrosion immunity. The utilization of fifteen fiber Bragg gratings aims to improve the sensor spatial resolution. Therefore, measurements every ten centimeters with respect to the heat exchanger’s height are possible. This provides the generation of a thermal map of the heat exchanger’s surface, which can be used for determination of possible points of obstruction in the hydraulic circuit of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger’s obstruction in hydroelectric power plants usually occur by bio-fouling, and has direct influence in the generator’s cooling system efficiency. The obtained results have demonstrated the feasibility in application of the optical sensors technology in hydroelectric power plants.