Strawberry yield submitted to different root pruning intensities of transplants

This study aimed to evaluate the growth of plants and the precocity of strawberry production under different root pruning intensities at planting time. Bare roots plants with 12 millimeters crown diameter produced in nurseries from the Patagonia region, Argentina were used. The planting was carried out on May 12th 2010 into experimental plots with non-fumigated soil. The treatments consisted of three cultivars (Camarosa, Florida Festival and Camino Real) and three pruning intensities (1/3, 2/3 and no pruning) on the total root length of the plants. The experimental design used was a randomized block design in a 3x3 factorial arrangement with three replications and 12 plants per plot and density of 11.1 plants m-2. Mature fruits were harvested from July 15th to December 14th 2010 and the production of fresh fruit was determined. There was no significative interaction between cultivars and pruning intensity. 'Camarosa' and 'Florida Festival' plants showed precocity and had the most abundant and heavier fruits during the precocity period. The different root pruning intensities did not affect the assessed variables. It was concluded that, in order to facilitate strawberry planting of the cultivars Camarosa, Florida Festival and Camino Real root pruning is possible, with no damages on plant growth and development, precocity and early fruit production.

Growth and production of irrigated vitória pineapple grown in semi-arid conditions

This study aimed to evaluate the growth characteristics of irrigated Vitória pineapple plants grown in semi-arid conditions and determine its developmental stages based on those characteristics. It was used a randomized block design with four replicates. The experimental treatments were: plant harvest at 270, 330, 390, 450, 510, 570, 690, 750, and 810 days after planting (DAP). The following variables were determined: plant height, stem diameter, D-leaf length, D-leaf fresh and dry mass, biomass production of plants and plant parts (organs), and vegetative biomass. Five phenological stages are proposed based on vegetative biomass production: < 20% biomass production (V1); 21-40% (V2); 41-60% (V3); 61-80% (V4); and > 80% (V5). The maximum growth rate for plant height, D-leaf length, and stem diameter was observed at the end of the phenological stage V1 (390-411 DAP), and at the end of stage V5 these plant traits had average values of 106, 82, and 7 cm, respectively. The maximum biomass accumulation rates were observed at stages V4 and V5, resulting in a final fruit yield and total fresh biomass of 72 t ha-1 and 326 t ha-1, respectively. Finally, we estimated that 80% of the accumulated biomass may remain in the field after fruit and slip harvest, and could be incorporated as plant residue into the soil.

Intraspecific variability of Holostylis reniformis: concentration of lignans, as determined by maceration and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE-CO2), as a function of plant provenance and plant parts

Maceration and supercritical fluid extraction were used to prepare extracts from parts of plants (Holostylis reniformis) collected in two different regions of Brazil. ¹H NMR, HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS, HPLC-DAD, GC-MS, and chemometric techniques were used to analyse lignans in the extracts and showed that yields of SFE-CO2 were less than or equal to those of hexane maceration extracts. These analyses, in conjunction with the concentrations of aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids and their methyl and ethyl derivatives in the extracts, also allowed the chemical composition of parts and provenance of the plant to be differentiated.

Immunolocalisation of secreted-excreted products of Meloidogyne spp. using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies

Molecules expressed at the surface cuticle (SC) of plant parasitic nematodes represent the primary plant-nematode interface, and together with secreted-excreted (S-E) products are probably the first signals perceived by the host. These molecules, which are released into plant tissue, probably play important roles in the host-parasite interactions. Characterisation of these antigens will help in the identification of nematode targets useful for novel control strategies, which interfere with the nematode infection of plants. Three monoclonal (MAbs) and three polyclonal (PAbs) antibodies produced to S-E products of Meloidogyne spp. and Heterodera avenae were used to examine their reactivity towards M. incognita and/or M. arenaria second stage juveniles and adult females. The three PAbs showed cross-reactivity with M. incognita and M. arenaria. Antibody Roth-PC 373 strongly recognised molecules present in the SC, amphids and intestine, antibody Roth-PC 389 recognised the nematode amphids and metacorpus, while antibody Roth-PC 419 bound to molecules present in the subventral glands. Reactivity of the MAbs was only tested against M. arenaria. Monoclonal antibody Roth-MAb T116C1.1 showed intense reactivity with molecules present in the amphidial and phasmidial glands. Monoclonal antibodies Roth-MAb T46.2 and T42D.2 labeled the nematode amphids and molecules present in the nematode oesophagus (metacorpus), respectively.

Characterization of Citrus tristeza virus isolates from grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.) accessions of Citrus Active Germplasm Bank

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates from 35 grapefruit accessions belonging to Citrus Active Germplasm Bank of the "Instituto Agronômico de Campinas" located at the "Centro APTA Citros Sylvio Moreira", Cordeirópolis, São Paulo state, Brazil, were characterized and evaluated through symptoms in the trees, biological indexing, immunological diagnosis with different monoclonal antibodies and SSCP analysis (single-strand conformation polymorphism) of the coat protein gene. Symptomatology indicated that, in general, the group of plants with smaller canopy volume and severe stem pitting differed significantly from the group that presented greater vegetative development and mild to moderate stem pitting. However, the isolates from most of the accessions induced mild reaction on Mexican lime. The serological evaluation through the DAS-ELISA using monoclonal antibodies did not reveal any association between virus titer in the plant tissue and symptoms. The reaction with different monoclonal antibodies and the distinct electrophoresis patterns obtained through SSCP showed that there is a high degree of diversity among the isolates that infect these grapefruit accessions. High complexity within the same isolate was also observed in the SSCP profiles. This finding indicates that the CTV isolates from these plants are a complex mixture of CTV haplotypes. Similar SSCP banding patterns were observed among some plants with strong stem pitting symptoms, and among some plants with weak or moderate stem pitting symptoms.

Management of crotalaria and pigeon pea for control of yam nematode diseases

Management of plant-parasitic nematodes with the use of nematicides has not been recommended for small farmers that grow yam in the Northeastern region of Brazil, due to its high cost and residue toxicity. The use of plants with antagonistic effect to nematodes and green manure which improves soil chemical, physical and biological characteristics can be a viable and low cost alternative to control parasitic nematodes. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea) and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) plants on the control of yam nematodes. Three experiments were carried out. The first was conducted under in vitro conditions to evaluate the nematostatic and nematicide effect of extracts from fresh and dry matter of the above ground parts of crotalaria, pigeon pea, and the combination of both. The second experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions to evaluate the effect of soil amendment with crotalaria, pigeon pea, and the combination of both in the infectivity of Scutellonema bradys, using tomato plants as the host plant. The third experiment was conducted under field conditions to evaluate the effect of crotalaria, pigeon pea, and the combination of both, cultivated between yam planting rows and incorporated to soil surface, on yam nematodes. The aqueous extract obtained form fresh matter of crotalaria had a nematicide effect of 100% for S. bradys. Extracts from dry matter of both crotalaria and pigeon pea did not have any nematicide effect, but had a nematostatic effect. Incorporation of crotalaria to soil inhibited infectivity of S. bradys in tomato seedlings. These results showed that planting crotalaria alone or in combination with pigeon pea, between the yam planting rows, is an efficient method for controlling S. bradys and Rotylenchulus reniformis associated with yams. Crotalaria can be used for controlling these plant-parasitic nematodes in soil.

Etiology of phomopsis root rot in soybean

In a survey of damages caused by soybean root rot to crops in the south of Brazil for several years, a root rot caused by Phomopsis sp has been found with increasing frequency. The primary symptoms are seen when the main root is cut longitudinally, including the death of the wood which shows white coloration and well-defined black lines that do not have a defined format. Thus, based on similarity, it has been called geographic root rot due to its aspect resembling irregular lines that separate regions on a map. In isolations, colonies and alpha spores of Phomopsis have prevailed. Pathogenicity test was done by means of inoculation in the crown of plants cultivated in a growth chamber. The geographic symptoms were reproduced in plants and the fungus Phomopsis sp. was reisolated. In soybean stems naturally infected with pod and stem blight, geographic symptoms caused by Phomopsis phaseoli are found. To the known symptoms on stems, pods and grains, that of root rot caused by P. phaseoli is now added.

Biomass of tree species as a response to planting density and interspecific competition

Planting trees is an important way to promote the recovery of degraded areas in the Caatinga region. Experiments (E1, E2, and E3) were conducted in a randomized blocks design, with three, three, and five replicates, respectively. The objectives were to evaluate biomass of the shoots of: a) gliricidia (G) and sabiá (S), as a response to planting density; b) G, S, and neem (N) in competition; c) G, and S in agroforestry. E1 was conducted in split-plots, and planting densities (400, 600, 800, 1000, and 1200 plants ha-1) as subplots. E2 consisted of a factorial comprising the following plots: GGG, NGN, SGS, NNN, GNG, SNS, SSS, GSG, NSN (each letter represents a row of plants). E3 was conducted with G and S in agroforestry experiment. The trees were harvested after 54, 42, and 27 months old, in E1, E2 and E3, respectively. In E1, G presented higher green biomass of the stems and leaf at smaller densities than S, but lower green biomass of branches at most densities. The species did not differ for mean stem dry biomass and leaf dry biomass, but G showed higher branch dry biomass at most densities. Higher planting densities increased green and dry biomass of stems, branches, and leaves in S, but decreased those characteristics in G, with the exception of leaf dry mass, which was not influenced by density. In E2, the behavior of each species was identical in plots containing the same or different species. Griricidia showed the highest green biomass of stems and branches, and the highest values for geren biomass of the leaf were observed for gliricidia and neem. The highest stem, branch, and leaf dry biomass values were obtained for G, S, and N, respectively. In E3, G was superior for stem and leaf green biomass, and for stem and branch dry biomass. There were no differences between species for the other biomass values.

ASSESSMENT OF A 5-YEAR-OLD REHABILITATED RIPARIAN FOREST: IS IT ALREADY SUSTAINABLE?

ABSTRACTAs important as the establishment of projects of ecological restoration is its assessment post-implementation to know whether the area is becoming self-sustainable or need to be redirected. In this way, this study aimed to know the current situation of a 5-year-old rehabilitated riparian forest,inserted in an anthropogenic impacted region,at the das Velhas River, Minas Gerais State, studying the canopy openness and recruitment of seedlings as plant indicators. 15 plots were allocated in the forest, where hemispherical photographs were taken to analyze the canopy openness and evaluate all seedlings from 0.30 m to 1.30 m height.Canopy openness ranged from 23.7% to 38.8% between seasons and only 192 seedlings were found,from 13 species, five of them exotic and aggressive. Although canopy openness was low, it seems that lateral penetration of light has been favoring the development and dominancy of plants from invasive species, whereas few native ones have been recruited. The exotic/invasive plants may compromise the success of restoration mainly by competition with native planted species. The outcomes evidenced an unsustainability of the riparian forest and the requirement of some management actions to control exotic and invasive plants and ensure the preservation of the area and its ecological roles over time.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLIMATE VARIABLES, TRUNK GROWTH RATE AND WOOD DENSITY OF Eucalyptus grandis W. Mill ex Maiden TREES

ABSTRACT Climatic conditions stimulates the cambial activity of plants, and cause significant changes in trunk diameter growth and wood characteristics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of climate variables in the diameter growth rate of the stem and the wood density of Eucalyptus grandis trees in different classes of the basal area. A total of 25 Eucalyptus trees at 22 months of age were selected according to the basal area distribution. Dendrometer bands were installed at the height of 1.30 meters (DBH) to monitor the diameter growth every 14 days, for 26 months. After measuring growth, the trees were felled and wood discs were removed at the DBH level to determine the radial density profile through x-ray microdensitometry and then re-scale the average values every 14 days. Climatic variables for the monitoring period were obtained and grouped every 14 days. The effect of the climate variables was determined by maximum and minimum growth periods in assessing trunk growth. These growth periods were related with precipitation, average temperature and relative air humidity. The re-scaled wood density values, calculated using the radial growth of the tree trunks measured accurately with steel dendrometers, enabled the determination of the relationship of small changes in wood density and the effect of the climatic variations and growth rate of eucalyptus tree trunks. A high sensitivity of the wood density to variation in precipitation levels was found.

Efficiency of pneumatic and horizontal perforated disk meter mechanism in corn no-tillage seeders in soil with different mobilization reports

This work objectified to evaluate the efficiency of two meter mechanism of corn seeds when submitted to different forward speed and soil management system during the non-tillage seeding. It was used a factorial design in randomized blocks. The factors whose effects were examined were related to the seeders with pneumatic and horizontal disk meter mechanisms for the distribution of the seeds, to the set tractor-seeder forward speeds (4.4; 8.0 and 9.8 km h-1), and to the soil management system considering the corn no-tillage seeding over minimum tillage with chisel plow and the no-tillage system for the seeding of oat culture (Avena strigosa Schreb). It was verified that the forward speed didn't influence the initial and final stands of plants but it interfered in the regularity of longitudinal distribution of plants. The smallest speed provided the largest percentile of normal spacing between plants. The pneumatic meter mechanism presented better performance than the horizontal disk perforated in the longitudinal distribution of plants. About corn productivity aspect it's indifferent the recommendation of use for pneumatic and perforated horizontal disk meter mechanism of seeds.

Estimation of transpiration of the 'Valencia' orange young plant using thermal dissipation probe method

Most studies on measures of transpiration of plants, especially woody fruit, relies on methods of heat supply in the trunk. This study aimed to calibrate the Thermal Dissipation Probe Method (TDP) to estimate the transpiration, study the effects of natural thermal gradients and determine the relation between outside diameter and area of xylem in 'Valencia' orange young plants. TDP were installed in 40 orange plants of 15 months old, planted in boxes of 500 L, in a greenhouse. It was tested the correction of the natural thermal differences (DTN) for the estimation based on two unheated probes. The area of the conductive section was related to the outside diameter of the stem by means of polynomial regression. The equation for estimation of sap flow was calibrated having as standard lysimeter measures of a representative plant. The angular coefficient of the equation for estimating sap flow was adjusted by minimizing the absolute deviation between the sap flow and daily transpiration measured by lysimeter. Based on these results, it was concluded that the method of TDP, adjusting the original calibration and correction of the DTN, was effective in transpiration assessment.

Seasonality of net radiation in two sub-basins of Paracatu by the use of modis sensor products

The net radiation (Rn) represents the main source of energy for physical and chemical processes that occur in the surface-atmosphere interface, and it is used for air and soil heating, water transfer, in the form of vapor from the surface to the atmosphere, and for the metabolism of plants, especially photosynthesis. If there is no record of net radiation in certain areas, the use of information is important to help determine it. Among them we can highlight those provided by remote sensing. In this context, this work aims to estimate the net radiation, with the use of products of MODIS sensor, in the sub-basins of Entre Ribeiros creek and Preto River, located between the Brazilian states of Goiás and Minas Gerais. The SEBAL (Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land) was used to obtain the Rn in four different days in the period of July to October, 2007. The Rn results obtained were consistent with others cited in the literature and are important because the orbital information can help determine the Rn in areas where there are not automatic weather stations to record the net radiation.

Fragment size of corn silage according to the dry matter and forage harvester adjustments

In Brazil, the best results in milk production are found in the state of Paraná. Such results are reached through genetic selection of the animals and management of their diets, in which whole plant corn silage is widely used. Aiming the silage quality, it was evaluated the influence of dry matter content of the corn culture as forage and the harvester adjustments on the fragment size of whole plant corn silage. The fragment size of two corn hybrids silage (SPEED and 2B688) was evaluated using a 5x3 factorial, with 4 repetitions. The first factor was the harvest time of the plants (105, 108, 112, 118, and 123 days after sowing (DAS)), which determines the forage dry matter (DM) content. The second factor was the harvester adjustments (2, 6.5 and 11mm of theoretical fragment length (TFL)). The DM content did not affect the average fragment size of 2B688. For SPEED, however, the real fragment size decreased as the maturation of plants increased. The conclusion is that the DM content and harvester adjustments can affect the real fragment sizes, according to different plant genotypes. The alterations of the harvester adjustments resulted in different fragment sizes, however, it were different from those indicated by the manufacturer.

Drought resistance of sugar-cane crop for different levels of water availability in the soil

Soil water availability is the main cause of reduced productivity, and the early development period most sensitive to water deficit. This study aimed to evaluate the drought resistance of the varieties of sugar-cane RB867515 and SP81-3250 during the early development using different levels of water deficit on four soil depths. The experiment was conducted at the Department of Biosystems at Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" (ESALQ/USP) in a greenhouse in soil classified as Oxisol, sandy loam texture (Series "Sertãozinho"). Once exhausted the level of available water in the soil, the dry strength of the studied strains are relatively low. Water balance with values less than -13 mm cause a significant decrease in the final population of plants, regardless of the variety, and values below -35 mm, leads to the death of all plants.