Tomato yield and potassium concentrations in soil and in plant petioles as affected by potassium fertirrigation

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cv. Santa Clara was grown on a silt clay soil with 46 mg dm-3 Mehlich 1 extractable K, to evaluate the effects of trickle-applied K rates on fruit yield and to establish K critical concentrations in soil and in plant petioles. Six potassium rates (0, 48, 119, 189, 259 and 400 kg ha-1 K) were applied in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Soil and plant K critical levels were determined at two plant growth stages (at the beginning of the second and fourth cluster flowering). Total, marketable and weighted yields increased with K rates, reaching their maximum of 86.4, 73.4, and 54.9 ton ha-1 at 198, 194, and 125 kg ha-1 K , respectively. At the first soil sampling date K critical concentrations in the soil associated with K rates for maximum marketable and weighted yields were 92 and 68 mg dm-3, respectively. Potassium critical concentrations in the dry matter of the petioles sampled by the beginning of the second and fourth cluster flowering time, associated with maximum weighted yield, were 10.30 and 7.30 dag kg-1, respectively.

Reproductive biology traits affecting productivity of sour cherry

The objective of this work was to evaluate variability in reproductive biology traits and the correlation between them in genotypes of 'Oblačinska' sour cherry (Prunus cerasus). High genetic diversity was found in the 41 evaluated genotypes, and significant differences were observed among them for all studied traits: flowering time, pollen germination, number of fruiting branches, production of flower and fruit, number of flowers per bud, fruit set, and limb yield efficiency. The number of fruiting branches significantly influenced the number of flower and fruit, fruit set, and yield efficiency. In addition to number of fruiting branches, yield efficiency was positively correlated with fruit set and production of flower and fruit. Results from principal component analysis suggested a reduction of the reproductive biology factors affecting yield to four main characters: number and structure of fruiting branches, flowering time, and pollen germination. Knowledge of the reproductive biology of the 'Oblačinska' genotypes can be used to select the appropriate ones to be grown or used as parents in breeding programs. In this sense, genotypes II/2, III/9, III/13, and III/14 have very good flower production and satisfactory pollen germination.

Fly pollination and pollinator sharing in two synchronopatric species: Cordia multispicata (Boraginaceae) and Borreria alata (Rubiaceae)

The floral biology of Cordia multispicata (Boraginaceae) and Borreria alata (Rubiaceae) was studied in natural populations in a fragment of the Atlantic forest in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Both species flower during almost the whole year. Cordia multispicata is a shrubby species with white, distylous and tubular flowers. Borreria alata is a herbaceous species. Its flowers are whitish, tubular and have a polymorphism in relation to the size of their style. Floral anthesis in both species begins at 6:00 a.m. Sugar concentration in the nectar was about 16% in C. multispicata and 30% in B. alata. Nine species of flies, mainly of the genus Palpada (Syrphidae), were observed visiting flowers of the two species. Seven of them were observed visiting and pollinating flowers of both C. multispicata and B. alata. Two species visited only flowers of C. multispicata, whereas no fly was exclusive to B. alata flowers. Both species have similar flower morphology, flowering time, habitats in the forest and establish populations very close to each other. These facts can favour the pollinators’ sharing and increase pollinator attraction.

Flowering levels, harvest season and yields of cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum)

Cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum), a specie native to Amazonia, has been planted commercially in Brazil to satisfy the demand for the flavorful juice obtained from the pulp around its seeds. The trees are notorious for low and irregular fruit production. Data gathered over two seasons from trees in a germplasm collection in Pará, Brazil, showed that some of them fruited more regularly than others. Differences in fruit production correlated to differences in flower production. Tree-to-tree variation in flower production, fruit production, and consistency of both over time suggest considerable scope for improving yields by selection. Hand pollinations resulted in a much higher frequency of fruit set than open pollinations, indicating that lack of effective pollination is also a reason for low yield. However, attempts to increase the level of effective pollination are handicapped by low knowledge about the pollinators of cupuassu and their behavior.

Weather requirements and rain forecast to time fungicide application for Fusarium head blight control in wheat

The aim of this study was to determine the minimum conditions of wetness duration and mean temperature required for Fusarium head blight infection in wheat. The weather model developed by Zoldan (2008) was tested in field experiments for two wheat cultivars grown in 2005 (five sowing dates) and 2006 (six sowing dates) in 10 m² plots with three replicates. The disease was assessed according to head incidence (HI), spikelet incidence (SI), and the interaction between these two methods was called head blight severity (HBS). Starting at the beginning of anthesis, air temperature and head wetness duration were daily recorded with an automatic weather station. With the combination of these two factors, a weather favorability table was built for the disease occurrence. Starting on the day of flowering beginning (1 - 5% fully exserted anthers), the sum of daily values for infection favorability (SDVIF) was calculated by means of a computer program, according to Zoldan (2008) table. The initial symptoms of the disease were observed at 3.7% spikelet incidence, corresponding to 2.6 SVDFI. The infection occurs in wheat due to rainfall which results in spike wetting of > 61.4 h duration. Rainfall events forecast can help time fungicide application to control FHB. The name of this alert system is proposed as UPF-scab alert.

Synchrony is more than overlap: measuring phenological synchronization considering time length and intensity

The degree of flowering and fruiting synchronization is believed to have ecological and evolutionary relevance at several scales. Here we discuss some measures that have been used to estimate synchrony and propose an index that incorporates both the entire length of an individual phenophase and variation in the number of flowers or fruits over that time period. This new index describes more accurately the phenological synchrony among individuals and populations.

Flowering and fruiting of Aulonemia aristulata: a gynomonoecious woody bamboo species from Atlantic Forest in Brazil

Aulonemia aristulata (Döll) McClure is a lignified bamboo species endemic to Brazil. This species occurs in southeastern forests and can reach high density at forest edges, dominating the understory of canopy-disturbed forest patches. The goal of this study was to describe the flowering period, floral biology, fruiting and seedling recruitment of A. aristulata in natural conditions in two areas located in a segment of the Atlantic Forest. Data on the morphology of the synflorescences and florets, timing and sequence of the anthesis events and floral visitors were recorded. Natural pollinators (open pollination or control) as well as spontaneous self-pollination were also checked. Pollen viability was estimated using the acetocarmine technique. Aulonemia aristulata is monocarpic (semelparous) with gregarious flowering. All culms in both studied areas blossomed and fruited between August and November 2007, dying subsequently between December 2007 and April 2008. Two types of synflorescences and flowers were observed: terminal with bisexual and protandric florets, with the anthesis lasting for 3-4 days; and axillary, with morphologically bisexual, but functionally female, florets and anthesis lasting for 3-4 days. The latter were also observed in the rhizome of plants whose aerial portion had been removed. The presence of axillary synflorescences with pistillate flowers is described here for the first time in Aulonemia species. Moreover, this is the first report of gynomonoecy in woody bamboo. Fruiting from bisexual florets under natural conditions (35%) was superior to that obtained from bagged synflorescences (11.5%). Fruiting from functional female florets was around 20%. Pollen viability was on the average of 90%. The results suggest that Aulonemia aristulata is anemophilous. The massive bamboo seedling recruitment observed after dieback with the ability to colonize open areas could promote the regeneration of Aulonemia aristulata.

Influence of foliar fertilization with manganese on germination, vigor and storage time of RR soybean seeds

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to evaluate the influence of foliar fertilizer doses containing Mn of phenological stages of suggested application in RR soybeans, to recover management damages with glyphosate at postemergence application on seed vigor in post-harvest and post six months storage. The seeds originated from a field experiment conducted , which included two applications of glyphosate, concomitant with foliar fertilizer in growth stages V4 and V6, with 0.00, 113.50 and 227.00 mg ha-1doses of Mn2+. Germination, GSI (Germination Speed Index), electrical conductivity tests and the first count of seeds were conducted. The application of Mn did not affect the physiological quality of RR soy in postharvest. However, in post-storage, higher doses of Mn had a negative effect on tests of abnormal seedlings, GSI and electrical conductivity. The applications of Mn, regardless of the developmental stage, did not interfere in the germination and first count tests, with and without storage. The electrical conductivity test showed a higher correlation with the seed germination test in the post-harvest treatment.

THE ROLE OF EARNINGS PERSISTENCE IN VALUATION ACCURACY AND THE TIME HORIZON

ABSTRACT Based on the assumption that earnings persistence has implications for both financial analysis and compensation contracts, the aim of this paper is to investigate the role of earnings persistence assuming that (i) more persistent earnings are likely to be a better input to valuation models and (ii) more persistent earnings are likely to serve as a proxy for long-term market and managerial orientation. The analysis is based on Brazilian listed firms from 1995 to 2013, and while we document strong support for the relevance of earnings persistence in financial analysis and valuation, we fail to document a significant relationship between earnings persistence and long-term value orientation. These results are sensitive to different specifications, and additional results suggest that firms' idiosyncratic risk (total risk) is relevant to explain the focus on short-term outcomes (short-termism) across firms. The main contribution of this paper is to offer empirical evidence for the relevance of accounting numbers in both valuation and contractual theories in an emergent market.

Health, sleep and lack of time: relations to domestic and paid work in nurses

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether reported morbidity and complaints of lack of time and sleep are associated with the burden of professional work and housework among nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out among female nurses and nurse assistants (N=206) of a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire. The prevalence ratio and 95% confidence intervals were estimated. RESULTS: Mean duration of professional work and housework time was 40.4 and 31.6 hours/week, respectively. Long professional working time (over 44 hours/week) were associated with mild emotional disorders (PR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.05-1.80), complaints of lack of time for resting/leisure (PR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.31-1.97), housework (PR=1.48; 95% CI: 1.12-1.97), and childcare (PR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.51-2.63). Long housework time (over 28 hours/week) was associated with lower prevalence of lack of time for childcare (PR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.46-0.84). High housework load was associated with lack of personal time and complaints of varicose veins (PR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.14-1.50 and PR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.08-1.58, respectively). Complaints of varicose veins were also frequent among female nurses with a total work load above 84 hours (PR=1.30; 95% CI: 1.05-1.61), though this group has shown a lower prevalence of arterial hypertension and recurrent headaches (PR=0.35; 95% CI: 0.15-0.83 and PR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.32-0.89, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that both professional and home environments are relevant in the evaluation of work overload on nurses' health and their family and social life. It is stressed the need for instruments for analyzing total workload among female populations.

Leisure-time physical activity during pregnancy in the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: Physical activity during pregnancy is a poorly investigated subject on population level. The study aimed to describe duration, type and frequency of leisure-time physical activity during pregnancy, and to explore its associated factors. METHODS: A population-based study was carried out during 2004 in Southern Brazil. A total of 4,471 mothers were interviewed soon after delivery. Physical activity was measured using a questionnaire, developed for the study. Results were obtained by Poisson regression. RESULTS: In the sample, 14.8% of women reported to engage in some type of physical activity prior to pregnancy and 12.9% during pregnancy. In the first trimester, 10.4% of all mothers engaged in some type of physical activity; 8.5% in the second trimester and 6.5% in the third trimester. Only 194 mothers (4.3%) were active during the whole pregnancy. In the adjusted analysis, leisure-time physical activity was positively associated with schooling, physical activity advice during prenatal care, and family income (p<0.001), being employed during pregnancy (p=0.05), and number of pregnancies (p=0.02). Walking was the most frequent activity. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of leisure-time physical activity is low among Brazilian pregnant women. Although physical activity is not perceived as being pregnancy-threatening, and current guidelines recommend it, this population's behavior does not seem to be changing. Active lifestyle for both pregnant women and future mothers should be encouraged.

Adaptação cultural da versão brasileira do Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire

OBJETIVO: Realizar adaptação cultural para versão brasileira do questionário de atividade física no tempo de lazer e avaliar a validade de conteúdo, praticabilidade, aceitabilidade e confiabilidade.MÉTODOS: Foram realizadas as etapas de tradução, síntese, retrotradução, avaliação por comitê de especialistas e pré-teste, seguidos pela avaliação da praticabilidade, aceitabilidade e confiabilidade (teste-reteste). Os juízes avaliaram as equivalências semântico-idiomática, conceitual, cultural e metabólica. A versão adaptada foi submetida ao pré-teste (n = 20) e teste-reteste (n = 80) em indivíduos saudáveis e pacientes com doenças cardiovasculares, em Limeira, SP, entre 2010 e 2011. A proporção de concordância do comitê de juízes foi quantificada por meio do Índice de Validade de Conteúdo. A confiabilidade foi avaliada segundo critério de estabilidade, com intervalo de 15 dias entre as aplicações, a praticabilidade pelo tempo gasto na entrevista e a aceitabilidade pelo percentual de itens não respondidos e proporção de pacientes que responderam a todos os itens.RESULTADOS: A versão traduzida do questionário apresentou equivalências semântico-idiomática, conceitual, cultural e metabólica adequadas, com substituição de algumas atividades físicas mais adequadas para a população brasileira. A análise da praticabilidade evidenciou curto tempo de aplicação do instrumento (média de 3,0 min). Quanto à aceitabilidade, todos os pacientes responderam a 100% dos itens. A análise do teste-reteste sugeriu estabilidade temporal do instrumento (Índice de Correlação Intraclasse = 0,84).CONCLUSÕES: A versão brasileira do questionário apresentou propriedades de medida satisfatórias. Recomenda-se sua aplicação a populações diversas em estudos futuros, a fim de disponibilizar propriedades de medida robustas.