Capacidade combinatória de linhagens e seleção de híbridos de sorgo sacarino

Sweet sorghum figure as an alternative feedstock for ethanol production. The establishment of this culture in Brazilian production chain depends on the development of more productive and adapted cultivars. The aim of this study was to evaluate the general combining ability (GCA) of sweet sorghum lines and specific combining ability (SCA) of hybrid combinations as the agronomic and technological traits, and additionally to identify promising hybrid combinations for evaluation in advanced trials. Five restorer lines (R) and four male-sterile lines (A) were used in a partial cross diallel yielding 20 hybrids. The parental lines, hybrids and one check were evaluated in experiments carried out in a rectangular lattice design 5x6 with three replicates in two locations. The following traits were measured: flowering time, plant height, green mass yield, dry matter percentage, dry matter yield, juice extraction, total soluble solids content, sucrose content, purity, reducing sugars content, fiber content, sugars reducing total content, total recoverable sugars, hydrous ethanol, tons of per hectare, and ethanol production. There were differences between locations and genotypes for the traits. There was a significant effect of the genotype by environment interaction for most characters, except juice extraction, purity and reducing sugars content. There were a significant effect of GCA and SCA for most traits, indicating that additive and non-additive effects affect the phenotypic expression. Considering the effects of the GCA, the A line 201402B022-A, and R lines BRS 511, CMSXS643, and CMSXS646 were considered promising for exploration as parents in breeding programs of sweet sorghum in order to increase the ethanol production and the quality of the feedstock.The hybrids 201402B010-A x BRS 511, 201402B010-A x BRS 508, 201402B010-A x CMSXS646, 201402B022-A x BRS 511, 201402B022-A x CMSXS643, 201402B022-A x CMSXS646, 201402B022-A x CMSXS647 were the most promising for ethanol yield.

Influência do etileno na regulação do florescimento de Coffea arabica L.

Coffee is one of the most valuable exported agricultural product worldwide as well as the second most traded commodity after oil. This crop represents a source of employment and considerably accounts for the revenue of the country, besides its undeniable importance for local and world socioeconomical scenery. The quality of the coffee drink is directly related to the fruit ripening stage, which is found in different stages at harvesting due to the sequential flowering, increasing costs with the production and generating a lower-quality beverage. The asynchronous flowering of the coffee tree comes from the uneven development of buds, which can be influenced by environmental factors, taking into account that the anthesis takes place after a water deficit period, followed by precipitation. Changes in the hormone balance have been observed after water deficit and rehydration cycles, and such oscillation on the water status of the plant increased the level of ethylene in some species. This finding led to the association between the requirements at the flowering stage of the coffee tree and the involvement of the ethylene in promoting anthesis. The application of 1- MCP (ethylene action inhibitor) triggered the anthesis in coffee trees. And, in coffee seedlings in greenhouse conditions after a period of water shortage followed by irrigation, the profile of gene expression of the biosynthesis route and signaling of ethylene are changed in leaves and roots. The increased levels of the ethylene precursor (ACC) in roots throughout the dry season and the transportation of this compound into shoots may be the signal to trigger the anthesis in coffee tree after rehydration. Thus, in order to better understand the role of the ethylene in regulation of flowering, we analyzed the effects of the exogenous application of 1-MCP in different physiological characteristics and in the expression of genes related to the ethylene biosynthesis and signaling pathways in coffee leaves and bud from plants under field conditions. The evaluations and tissue sampling were carried out in different times treatments implementation: T1 – control, T2 – 1-MCP+Break-Thru, and T3 – Break-Thru. There was influence of 1-MCP and Break-Thru in gas exchange parameters and of 1-MCP contributed to the increase in relative water content. RT-qPCR analyses showed a different behavior in relation to the profile of gene expression in leaves and buds analyzed in the present study (CaACS1 – like, CaACO1 – like, CaACO4 – like, CaETR4 – like) and the expression levels were changed a few hours (2h) after applying the products. However, there was flowering only in plants treated with 1-MCP, in the absence of rain and irrigation.