Calcium carbonate solubilization through H-proton release from some legumes grown in calcareous saline-sodic soils

Increasing levels of CO2 and H+ proton in the rhizosphere from some legumes may play an important role in calcite dissolution of calcareous salt affected soils. Soils planted with white and brown varieties of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) and hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab L.) relying on either fertilizer N (KNO3) or N-fixation were compared against soils to which gypsum was applied and a control without plants and gypsum application to study the possibility of Ca2+ release from calcite and Na+ leaching. As compared to plants relying on inorganic N, leachates from all pore volumes (0·5, 1·0, 1·5, 2·0 pore volume) in lysimeters planted with N-fixing hyacinth bean contained significantly higher concentrations of HCO with lower concentrations from lysimeters planted with white cowpea relying on N-fixation. However, the lowest concentrations of HCO were recorded in the gypsum and control treatments. In initial leaching, lysimeters planted with N-fixing plants maintained similar leachate Ca2+ and Na+ concentrations compared to gypsum amended soils. However, gypsum amended soils were found to have a prolonged positive effect on Na+ removal. It might be concluded that some legumes that are known to fix N in calcareous salt affected soils may be an alternative ameliorant to the extremely expensive gypsum through calcite solubilization and a consequent release of Ca2+.

Isolation of a lectin and a galactoxyloglucan from Mucuna sloanei seeds

A lectin and a galactoxyloglucan were characterized from Mucuna sloanei seed cotyledons. The galactoxyloglucan, isolated by water extraction and ethanol precipitation, had Glc:Xyl:Gal proportions in a molar ratio of 1.8:1.7:1.0 and a molar mass (M(w)) of 1.6 x 10(6) g mol(-1). The lectin (sloanin), isolated from the same seed by affinity chromatography on cross-linked Adenanthera pavonina galactomannan, gave two protein bands by SDS-PAGE (36 and 34 kDa) and one peak by gel filtration (63.6 kDa). Its N-terminal sequence indicated similar to 69% identity with soybean agglutinin to leguminous lectins. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra established that sloanin predominantly contains beta-sheet structures. Sloanin has similar to 5.5% carbohydrate and displayed hemagglutinating activity against rabbit and enzyme treated human erythrocytes, inhibited only by D-Gal containing sugars. The interaction between sloanin and storage cell-wall galactoxyloglucan was tested by affinity chromatography and fluorescence spectroscopy. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consorciação e plantas daninhas afetando a produtividade e a qualidade de sementes de sorgo

This research aimed to study competition effects of legumes intercropping and weeds on seeds yield and quality of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. The experiment was carried out in a Rhodic Nitisol, under field condition in Botucatu region, São Paulo State, Brazil. Ten treatments were tested: sorghum (cv. A-6304) intercropped with Dolichos lablab L., Mucuna aterrima (Piper et Tracy) Holland, Canavalia ensiformis D. C. or Crotalaria juncea L., that were sown in the same time of sorghum or 20 days after the sorghum sowing, and sorghum weed-free and sorghum without weeding. The experimental design employed was the completely randomized blocks with four replications. There were evaluated sorghum seeds yield and some characteristcs of seed quality: purity, hectolitric weight, 1000 seeds weight, insect infestation, germination and vigor (by first counting of germination test and accelerated ageing test). The competition caused by legumes intercropping and weeds affected the yield and the physical and physiological characteristics of sorghum seeds, but the intensity of prejudicial effects depended on the time and the species of legume intercropping.

Biomassa e extração de nutrientes por plantas de cobertura

With the objective of evaluating the biomass production and nutrient removal by plant cover in the Agreste region of Alagoas, an experiment was conducted in the experimental field of the Federal University of Alagoas - Campus Arapiraca. Randomized block design was used, with eight treatments and four replications. The treatments were: Crotalaria juncea, Crotalaria spectabilis, Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp., Cajanus cajan, Canavalia ensiformis, Dolichos lablab, Mucuna aterrima and the spontaneous local vegetation (control). The green matter in an area of 1 m(2) during the flowering of each species was evaluated, and biomass was then dried in an oven at 65 degrees C until constant weight for dry matter, in which the contents of macro and micronutrients were extracted. Leguminous plant showed potential for use as green manure in the Agreste region of Alagoas, with N contents higher than the spontaneous vegetation and not being different from one for the accumulation of P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Mn and Zn. The spontaneous vegetation was similar to dry matter of legumes production. Among the treatments Cajanus cajan showed higher dry matter production and N accumulation in the aerial part.

Physical quality of an Oxisol cultivated with maize submited to cover crops in the pre-cropping period

The intensive use of land alters the distribution of the pore size which imparts consequences on the soil physical quality. The Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) allows for the visualization of the effects of management systems upon either the improvement or the degradation of the soil physical quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical quality of a Red Latosol (Oxisol) submited to cover crops in the period prior to the maize crop in a no-tillage and conventional tillage system, using porosity, soil bulk density and the LLWR as attributes. The treatments were: conventional tillage (CT) and a no-tillage system with the following cover crops: sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) (NS), pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) (NP) and lablab (Dolichos lablab L.) (NL). The experimental design was randomized blocks in subdivided plots with six replications, with the plots being constituted by the treatments and the subplots by the layers analyzed. The no-tillage systems showed higher total porosity and soil organic matter at the 0-0.5 m layer for the CT. The CT did not differ from the NL or NS in relation to macroporosity. The NP showed the greater porosity, while CT and NS presented lower soil bulk density. No <= 10 % airing porosity was found for the treatments evaluated, and value for water content where soil aeration is critical (theta(PA)) was found above estimated water content at field capacity (theta(FC)) for all densities. Critical soil bulk density was of 1.36 and 1.43 Mg m(-3) for NP and CT, respectively. The LLWR in the no-tillage systems was limited in the upper part by the theta(FC), and in the bottom part, by the water content from which soil resistance to penetration is limiting (theta(PR)). By means of LLWR it was observed that the soil presented good physical quality.

Reprodução de Meloidogyne javanica em olerícolas e em plantas utilizadas na adubação verde

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Crescimento aéreo e radicular da soja e de plantas de cobertura em camadas compactadas de solo

O cultivo de plantas de cobertura com sistema radicular vigoroso em rotação de culturas pode melhorar a qualidade física de solos compactados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o crescimento aéreo e radicular da soja e de cinco espécies utilizadas como plantas de cobertura de verão (guandu, guandu anão, mucuna preta, labe labe e crotalária juncea), em solo submetido a três níveis de compactação em subsuperfíce. Utilizou-se um Nitossolo Vermelho argiloso em vasos montados com anéis de PVC sobrepostos, com diâmetro interno de 20 cm e altura de 50 cm. A camada compactada localizada de 20-30 cm de profundidade foi caracterizada pelas densidades do solo de 1,13, 1,34 e 1,56 g cm-3 e 0,26, 0,66 e 1,98 MPa de impedância mecânica, respectivamente. Aos 60 dias da emergência das plantas, determinaram-se as massas da matéria seca da parte aérea e das raízes, a densidade do comprimento radicular e o diâmetro médio radicular. Apesar de alterar a distribuição do sistema radicular ao longo do perfil do solo, o impedimento físico em subsuperfície não diminuiu a produção total de raízes da soja e dos adubos verdes, com exceção da crotalária juncea. A mucuna preta foi a leguminosa mais tolerante e a soja a mais sensível à compactação do solo. O sistema radicular da crotalária juncea apresentou potencial de formação de bioporos compatível ao da mucuna preta, apesar de ter sido relativamente mais sensível à compactação do solo. O diâmetro médio das raízes da soja e da crotalária juncea apresentou correlação significativa com o crescimento radicular dentro da camada de solo compactado.

Sistemas de adubação e consórcio de culturas intercalares e seus efeitos nas variáveis de colheita da cultura do milho

A colheita é a operação final de campo do processo produtivo, e por isso os fatores que interferem na mesma devem ser observados e avaliados atentamente para reduzir ao mínimo as perdas nessa etapa. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência dos sistemas de adubação (em pré-semeadura e na semeadura) e dos consórcios de culturas intercalares (milho+mucuna-cinza-anã, milho+guandu-anão e milho+lablab) nas variáveis de colheita da cultura do milho em sistema plantio direto. O experimento foi realizado na UNESP de Jaboticabal - SP, no período de safra normal, utilizando-se do delineamento em blocos ao acaso, no esquema fatorial (2 x 3), com quatro repetições. Os componentes avaliados na colheita foram: diâmetro do colmo, altura de inserção da primeira espiga, altura da planta, número de espigas por planta, índice de espiga, número de fileiras na espiga, biomassa seca da palhada no solo, estande final, produtividade de grãos, fluxos de grãos, de palha e de sabugo e perdas na colheita. Os resultados demonstraram que o diâmetro do colmo, a altura de inserção da primeira espiga e a altura de plantas apresentaram maiores valores para o sistema de adubação na semeadura. O número de fileiras, espigas viáveis, índice de espiga, estande final, biomassa seca da palhada, produtividade, fluxos de palha, de sabugo, de grãos e as perdas na colheita não foram afetados pelos sistemas de adubação e os consórcios.

Comunidade infestante no consórcio de milho com leguminosas

Estudou-se o consórcio de milho com adubos verdes: Cajanus cajam, Stizolobium aterrimum, Crotalaria spectabilis e Dolichos lablab, e avaliou-se os efeitos das relações entre comunidade infestante, milho e legumiinosas. Os tratamentos estudados foram: (i) milho em monocultivo mantido no limpo; (ii) milho em monocultivo mantido no mato; (iii) consórcio de milho com leguminosas em semeadura simultânea; (iv) cultivo consorciado de milho com leguminosas semeadas 21 dias após o milho. Brachiaria plantaginea foi a principal planta daninha da área experimental. A produção de matéria seca pelas plantas de milho foi afetada pela presença das plantas daninhas e leguminosas quando a semeadura do milho e leguminosas foi simultânea. A produção de matéria seca pelas leguminosas foi maior quando semeadas 21 dias após o milho. C. espectabilis foi a leguminosa menos apta para conviver no consórcio. Stizolobium aterrimum foi a leguminosa com maior produção de matéria seca, nos dois sistemas de consórcio, a que menos afetou as plantas de milho e, quando semeada simultaneamente ao milho reduziu a densidade de plantas daninhas em relação ao milho em monocultivo. A altura de plantas, a altura de inserção da primeira espiga e a produtividade de milho foram reduzidas pela presença de plantas daninhas e leguminosas quando a semeadura foi simultânea à do milho. As leguminosas reduziram a população de plantas daninhas sem afetar as plantas de milho e nem sua produtividade, quando semeadas 21 dias após o milho.

Espermidina exógena atenua os efeitos do NaCl na germinação e crescimento inicial de leguminosas forrageiras

Objetivou-se nesse estudo avaliar o papel atenuador da espermidina exógena sobre a germinação, vigor de sementes e crescimento de plântulas de cultivares das forrageiras alfafa, guandu e labe-labe submetidas ao estresse salino. A semeadura foi realizada em caixas de plástico tipo gerbox forradas com papel de filtro umedecidos com soluções salinas nas concentrações de 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 e 120 mM de NaCl contendo 0 ou 0,5 mM de espermidina. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 3 x 6 x 2 (forrageiras x salinidade x espermidina) com cinco repetições de 25 sementes. As avaliações da germinação foram realizadas no quarto e décimo dias, juntamente com o índice de velocidade de germinação (IVG), avaliado até o nono dia após a semeadura. Determinou-se a concentração salina que reduz em 50% a germinação e a massa seca da parte aérea e raiz no décimo dia após a semeadura. A aplicação de espermidina exógena proporcionou maior acúmulo de massa seca das raízes de labe-labe cv. Rongai, além de ter possibilitado a germinação de 50% das sementes de guandu cv. Caqui até a concentração salina de 72,09 mM de NaCl, assim como maior IVG nas sementes das leguminosas alfafa cv. Crioula e labe-labe cv. Rongai.

Purification of a PHA-Like chitin-binding protein from Acacia farnesiana seeds: A time-dependent oligomerization protein

A lectin-like protein from the seeds of Acacia farnesiana was isolated from the albumin fraction, characterized, and sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry. The albumin fraction was extracted with 0.5 M NaCl, and the lectin-like protein of A. farnesiana (AFAL) was purified by ion-exchange chromatography (Mono-Q) followed by chromatofocusing. AFAL agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes and did not agglutinate human ABO erythrocytes either native or treated with proteolytic enzymes. In sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis under reducing and nonreducing conditions, AFAL separated into two bands with a subunit molecular mass of 35 and 50 kDa. The homogeneity of purified protein was confirmed by chromatofocusing with a pI=4.0+/-0.5. Molecular exclusion chromatography confirmed time-dependent oligomerization in AFAL, in accordance with mass spectrometry analysis, which confers an alteration in AFAL affinity for chitin. The protein sequence was obtained by a liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight experiment and showed that AFAL has 68% and 63% sequence similarity with lectins of Phaseolus vulgaris and Dolichos biflorus, respectively.

Rhizoctonia solani AG groups in northeast India

Rhizoctonia solani isolates collected from different crops in northeast India belonged to anastomosis group AG 2-2 IIIB (Canavalia ensiformis, Sechium edule, Glycine max and Dolichos lablab). AG 11A was detected on Zea mays, Rhizoctonia solani on Sechium edule and AG 4HG-II on a weed, Galinsoga parviflora, which are new records from India. © Australasian Plant thology ociety 2010.

Tolerância de Espécies de Mucuna a Herbicidas Utilizados na Cultura da Cana-de-Açúcar

The emergence of Mucuna species in sugarcane plantations, even after herbicide spraying for weed management, allowed us to elaborate the hypothesis that these plants are tolerant to the herbicides commonly used in the culture. Thus, to prove this hypothesis, this work was carried out to study the tolerance of Mucuna aterrima, Mucuna cinerea and Mucuna deeringiana to application of herbicides with different mechanisms of action in pre- and postemergence. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with 9 treatments and five replications in a factorial 3 × 3, plus controls. At pre-emergence, the first factor was constituted by the herbicides sulfentrazone (800 g ha-1), imazapic (245 g ha-1), and amicarbazone (1,400 g ha-1), and the second factor by the Mucuna species, besides the additional control for each species studied. At post- emergence, the herbicides tested were clomazone (1,100 g ha-1), ametryn+trifloxysulfuronsodium (1,463 + 37 g ha-1), and 2,4-D (1,209 g ha-1). In the chemical management at pre-emergence, the species were sensitive to amicarbazone, followed by sulfentrazone, and tolerant to imazapic. At post-emergence, all species were sensitive to ametryn + trifloxysulfuron-sodium and 2,4-D, but tolerant to clomazone.

Controle biológico de Brachiaria decumbens Stapf em área de reserva legal em processo de recuperação, na região do Pontal do Paranapanema, São Paulo, Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Detecção de glicoconjugados de lecitinas em neoplasias mamárias caninas

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FCAV