Cobre via foliar na nutrição e na produção de mudas de cafeeiro

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different sources and doses of copper (Cu) applied to leaves on growth and nutrition of coffee seedlings. The treatments consisted of combinations of two Cu sources (Cupric Sulfate Ammonium - CSA and Copper Sulfate - CS) and four Cu doses (0, 250, 500 and 1000 g ha-1). The sources of Cu in different doses were dissolved in water, calculated for the application volume of 400 L ha-1. The doses were divided in 3 applications at 20 days. The Cu content and concentration in the leaf, stem, and root in were measured. The dry matter of the leaf, stem, root and total and the utilization, absorption and translocation efficiency, in coffee seedlings were evaluated. In general the Cu content and concentration were obtained for the CS at doses of 250, 500 and 1000 g ha-1 Cu. The maximum increase of total dry matter was 48 and 51 g to CSA and CS, when applied 534 and 668 g ha-1, respectively. The highest utilization and absorption efficiency was found to CSA and CS, respectively. The translocation efficiency was similar for both sources.

Aspectos nutricionais do baru (Dipteryx alata Vog.) em casa de vegetação e em campo

With the objective of evaluating the response of baru (Dipteryx alata Vog.) to nutrient limitation and to the different levels of fertilization, seven experiments were conducted. Experiment 1: Nutritional limitation in greenhouse. We employed 12 treatments in a completely randomized design with eight replicates. Experiment 2: Levels of liming and P in greenhouse. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme with four levels of liming (V23.2% (natural soil), V45%, V65% and V85%) and four doses of P (0, 100, 300 and 500 mg kg -1 of P). Experiment 3: Doses of N in greenhouse. We used seven treatments (0, 75, 150, 225, 300, 375 and 450 mg kg -1 of N) in a completely randomized design. Experiment 4: Doses of K in greenhouse. We used seven treatments (0, 75, 150, 225, 300, 375 and 450 mg kg -1 ) in a completely randomized design. Experiment 5: Levels of liming under field conditions. We used four treatments (V6.7% (natural soil), V35%, V55% and V75%) in a randomized blocks design. Experiment 6: doses of P under field conditions. We used five treatments (0, 23.67, 53.34, 106.67 and 213.36 kg ha -1 of P 2O5) in a randomized blocks design. Experiment 7: Doses of N under field conditions. We used five treatments (0, 30, 60, 120 and 240 kg ha -1 of N) in Latin square. In greenhouse, the evaluations were conducted at eight months (for experiments 1 and 2) and 12 months (for experiments 3 and 4) after seeding, when the measurements of height and root collar diameter of the seedlings. Subsequently, the plants were harvested and separated into shoot and root system, for weighing and evaluating dry biomass gain. In the field, the evaluations were conducted at six, 12, 18, 24 and 30 months (for experiments 5 and 6) and at six, 12 and 18 months (for experiment 7). In these experiments, we evaluated the survival of the seedlings, height of the plants and diameter of the stem at soil height. The data obtained were submitted to analysis of variance, mean tests and regression analysis. In conclusion, during the phase of seedling formation, the species is little demanding in S and B, negatively responds to liming, positively responds to phosphate fertilization and does not respond to nitrogen and potassium fertilization. In the field, in general, the species does not respond to the application of P or to liming, and is negatively influenced by the application of elevated doses of nitrogen.

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.

Acidovorax citruli: genetic analyses and protocol for its detection in seeds

Bacterial fruit blotch of cucurbits (BFB), caused by the seed borne Gramnegative bacterium Acidovorax citrulli is a serious threat to cucurbit industry worldwide. Since late 1980`s after devastating outbreaks in watermelon fields in southern United States, BFB has spread worldwide and has been reported in other cucurbit crops such as melon, pumpkin, cucumber and squash. To date, there is evidence for the existence of at least two genetically and pathogenically distinct populations of A. citrulli. In Brazil, the first report of BFB was in 1991, in a watermelon field in São Paulo. Although widespread in the country, BFB has been a major problem to melon production. More precisely, BFB has caused significant yield losses to melon production in northeastern Brazil, which concentrates > 90% of the country`s melon production. Despite the management efforts and the recent advances in A. citrulli research, BFB is still a continuous threat to the cucurbit industry, including seed producers, growers and transplant nurseries. To better understand the population structure of A. citrulli strains in Brazil, and to provide a basis for the integrated management of BFB, we used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of housekeeping and virulence-associated genes and pathogenicity tests on different cucurbit seedlings to characterize a Brazilian population of A. citrulli strains from different hosts and regions. Additionally, we conducted for the first time a comparative analysis of the A. citrulli group I and II population at genomic level and showed that these two groups differ on their genome sizes due to the presence of eight DNA segments, which are present in group II and absent in group I genomes. We also provide the first evidence to suggest that temperature might be a driver in the ecological adaptation of A. citrulli populations under nutrient-rich or -depleted conditions. Finally, in order to improve the routine detection of A. citrulli on melon seedlots, we designed a new primer set that is able to detect the different Brazilian haplotypes, thus minimizing the risk of false-negatives on PCR-based seed health testing.