Mancha-foliar-de-Phyllosticta em gengibre. caracterização cultural do patógeno e efeito de tratamentos químicos no controle da doença em Morretes, Estado do Paraná

The objectives of this work were to determine the micelial growth curve of the pathogen and the sensitivity to some fungicides potencially efficient to disease control. The optimum temperature range for micelial growth of Phyllosticta sp, was between 25 and 27.5 degrees C. The maximum and minimum temperatures for micelial growth were 32.5 degrees C and 10 degrees C. Temperatures of 5 and 35 degrees C completely inhibited the growth of the isolates. Total inhibition of the micelial growth was observed with captan and mancozeb (1000 mg a.i./ml) and triadimenol (100 mg a.i./ml). Partial reduction of the micelial growth was observed with iprodione, methyl tiofanate and chlorothalonil until 1.000 mg/ml. The chemical control of PLS was studied in a commercial area of ginger ''Gigante'', in Morretes, PR, where 18 sprays were carried out, with a break of 7 to 10 days, from December to April. The highest reduction of the area under the disease progress curve standardized (AUDPCs) was observed with the spray of chlorothalonil. With the application of dithianon, cupper oxychloride, folpet, mancozeb and captan it was observed AUDPCs between 15.05 and 18.61 lesions/leaf. Iprodione, benomyl, triadimenol and methyl tiofanate did not control the disease (AUDPCs between 20.03 and 25.04 lesions/leaf). The AUDPCs in the check plot was 35.88 lesions/leaf. There was no significant difference of vigor and of ginger yield between fungicide treatments. The cupper oxichloride was phytotoxic to ginger.

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase: A potential target for the development of drugs to treat T-cell- and apicomplexan parasite-mediated diseases

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) catalyzes the reversible phosphorolysis of nucleosides and deoxynucleosides, generating ribose 1-phosphate and the purine base, which is an important step of purine catabolism pathway. The lack of such an activity in humans, owing to a genetic disorder, causes T-cell impairment, and thus drugs that inhibit human PNP activity have the potential of being utilized as modulators of the immunological system to treat leukemia, autoimmune diseases, and rejection in organ transplantation. Besides, the purine salvage pathway is the only possible way for apicomplexan parasites to obtain the building blocks for RNA and DNA synthesis, which makes PNP from these parasites an attractive target for drug development against diseases such as malaria. Hence, a number of research groups have made efforts to elucidate the mechanism of action of PNP based on structural and kinetic studies. It is conceivable that the mechanism may be different for PNPs from diverse sources, and influenced by the oligomeric state of the enzyme in solution. Furthermore, distinct transition state structures can make possible the rational design of specific inhibitors for human and apicomplexan enzymes. Here, we review the current status of these research efforts to elucidate the mechanism of PNP-catalyzed chemical reaction, focusing on the mammalian and Plamodium falciparum enzymes, targets for drug development against, respectively, T-Cell and Apicomplexan parasites-mediated diseases.

Effect of foliar and substrate fertilization on lady palm seedling growth and development

Lady palm, [Rhapis excelsa (Thunberg) Henry ex. Rehder] is one of the most cultivated ornamental palms in the world, for use as a vase plant or in shaded landscapes. Because limited information exists on lady palm response to fertilizers, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different types of fertilization and substrates on lady palm seedling growth and development. Three year old lady palms were planted in 8-L pots, filled with a mix of soil, manure, and sand 1:1:1 (v:v:v), placed under a 50% shade, and irrigated with microspray. Treatments were substrate fertilization with 500 g P(2)O(5) and 100 g K(2)O per m(3); fertilization with 1.8 kg of P(2)O(5) (simple superphosphate) per m3; 50 g of nitrogen (N), P(2)O(5), and K(2)O of a granulated fertilizer (10:10:10) per m(3), control (without fertilization), and a foliar fertilization in addition to these treatments using the commercial product Biofert (8:9:9). Treatments were replicated four times in a randomized block design. Each treatment plot consisted of four plants. Data were collected at 140, 170, 200, 230, 260, and 290 days after transplanting (DAT) for plant heights, stem diameter at substrate level, number of leaves, shoots, and canopy, roots fresh and dry matter samples were harvest at 290 days. Foliar fertilization resulted in significantly greater plant height in a 140, 120, 200, and 230 DAT and plant diameter on the 140, 260, and 290 DAT. There was interaction among factors for number of leaves with fertilization based on P(2)O(5) and K(2)O when leaf fertilizer was added that resulted in a greater number of leaves.

Relação entre o fluxo luminoso interceptado em diferentes épocas no índice de área foliar de diferentes forrageiras

The objective was to evaluate the leaf area index of six different grasses. The experiment was installed at the Instituto Federal de Tecnologia e Educacao of Uberaba, using a randomized block design with split plots in time. The plots were sown: Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa, Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraes, Cynodon dactylon hb. Tifton and the plots, ten seasons of evaluation in 10 x 6 factorial arrangement with four replications. Rates of leaf area of each forage at different times of year were evaluated. Compared to other forage species, Panicum maximum had a higher leaf area index when subjected to periodic fertilization and irrigation. Only in the late fall Brachiaria Xaraes IAF had increased, but did not differ significantly from the others.

Effect of constituents of the foliar wax of Didymopanax vinosum on the foraging activity of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa

Leaf epicuticular waxes may affect substrate selection by leaf-cutting ants, and host recognition by several phytophagous insects. The influence of the crude epicuticular wax of Didymopanax vinosum E. March. (Araliaceae), and its major constituents lupeol and free primary alcohols, on substrate selection by the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens rubropilosa Forel, was investigated. Two ant colonies were used in laboratory bioassays. Corn flakes (zea) were impregnated with chloroform solutions of the substances being tested and fed to the adults. One of the colonies gave results, in most of the tests, not significantly different from the controls. The other colony, however, discriminated against the crude wax, a strong deterrent effect being observed from the first of a series of eight trials. The same colony was able to discriminate against lupeol after the second trial. The fraction of primary n-alcohols (22% C28, 66% C30 and 12% C32) deterred feeding only after the fifth trial. The results demonstrate that some constituents of epicuticular waxes may deter the foraging activity of A. sexdens rubropilosa, depending, however, on the colony under observation. It is suggested that lupeol, of the foliar wax of D. vinosum, is an important deterrent to leaf-cutting ants, although with less pronounced effects than those observed in tests with the crude wax.

Uso da adubação foliar nitrogenada e potássica no algodoeiro

The present work was conducted in Selvíria county (MS-Brazil), in the agricultural year of 1998/99, for evaluating nitrogen and potassium foliar application to supplement sowing fertilization on cotton (IAC 22) crop. A randomized complete block design with 13 treatments and four replications was used. The treatments were constituted by a control (without foliar application) and nitrogen and/or potassium foliar applications two, four, six or eight weeks after beginning of flowering. The urea was used as source of N and potassium chloride as source of K. Urea in the concentration of 10% and potassium chloride at 4% were applied at a rate of 250 L.ha-1. Height of plants, nodule number, number of reproductive branches, boll per plant, 30 boll mass, yield and fiber percentage were evaluated. It is concluded that the N doses increased the yield and decreased the fiber percentage. There was no evaluated response to the application of K or NK.

Phosphorus foliar fertilization in guava trees

Currently there is very little information on the response of fruiting perennial plants to applied P. This is especially true for tropical production areas where soils have a high capacity of P fixation, and are poor in native phosphorus. An alternative to soil P fertilization, which is inefficient in fixing soils, is to apply phosphorus as a foliar spray. P is quickly absorbed by leaves, and is redistributed quite well through the plants because its phloem mobility, and foliar application may be a viable practice. The purpose of this present work, is to determine the effectiveness of foliar P application on the nutritional status and yield of guava. The experiment was done in a Typic Hapludox, for three consecutive agricultural years, in an adult orchard of 'Paluma' guava. Five treatments were tested: four rates leaf applications of P (0-0.5-1.0 and 2.0% of P2O5) and a control where P was applied to soil (200 g of P2O5/plant). Through the results it was verified that the foliar application of P altered the concentration of the nutrient in the soil (13 to 48 mg dm-3 P-resin), and in the guava leaves (1.2 to 1.8 g of P kg-1), but did not affect the production of fruits. In conclusion, in field conditions, it is viable to combine the phosphorus foliar fertilization with disease control, without increasing the operations and, consequently, the production cost.

Nutrients foliar content for high productivity cultivars of guava in Brazil

Commonly grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions, guava (Psidium guajava L.) is an important fruit crop of Brazil. It is cultivated on a large scale in São Paulo state, and covers about 6,500 hectares. As a result of the guava selection program developed at FCAV/UNESP, two new cultivars were created: 'Rica' and 'Paluma' with a high productivity, and also with higher nutritional requirement. Leaves analysis has become a powerful tool in mineral-nutrition research with fruit crops, not only to determine response to different nutrients, but also for diagnostic techniques in making fertilizer recommendations and assessing deficiency symptoms. Nutrient composition of the leaves varies depending on the leaf maturity, tree age, variety and nutrient supply. For the interpretation of analytical values, selection of the index tissue is important. The results of experiments conducted in the field during 1989-2000 were studied. The nutritional status was evaluated by annual leaf sampling, carried out at full bloom. Recent fully developed leaves, corresponding to the third pair (with the petiole) were collected, starting at the end of the branch, all around the tree, at a height of 1.5 m from the soil, with a total of 30 leaf pairs per sample. The yield was evaluated by weighing all the fruits in the useful area of each lot. Foliar chemical analysis showed excellent correlation with the fruit production. Through the results it was verified that the maximum yield was associated to the following levels: N = 22-26; P = 1.5-1.9; K = 17-20; Ca = 11-15; Mg = 2.5-3.5; S = 3.0-3.5 g kg -1; B = 20-25; Cu = 10-40; Fe = 50-150; Mn = 180-250; Zn = 25-35 mg kg-1 DW in the leaves of the 'Rica' guava and to N = 20-23; P = 1.4-1.8; K = 14-17; Ca = 7-11; Mg = 3.4-4.0; S = 2.5-3.5 g kg-1; B = 20-25; Cu = 20-40; Fe = 60-90; Mn = 40-80; Zn = 25-35 mg kg-1 DW in the leaves of the 'Paluma' guava.

Anatomia foliar com ênfase nos tricomas secretores e análise cromatográfica do óleo essencial de Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae)

Adult leaves of Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) harvested during the time of budding had been used in the study of the leaf anatomy in the identification of the secretory structures. The material was fixed in FAA 50%, dehydrated in alcoholic series (ethyl), infiltrated in paraffin, sectioned at 13 mm, staining and later analyzed through optic microscopy. Also it was carried through a study in gaseous chromatography for attainment of the rude essential oil. Analyses of transversal sections of the leaf of Melissa officinalis, has identified the presence of two types of trichomes secretory: peltate and capitate, beyond the presence of trichome tector. Trichome capitate, identified in literature as (type I), presents variations in its morphology in relation to the cells number stalk and the head secretory cells number. The chromatographic analysis of the essential oil identified the presence of monoterpenes, in two major components, responsible for more than 87.8% of the relative composition in the rude oil, beyond sesquiterpenes in smaller proportions.

Área foliar e evapotranspiração de callas cultivadas em substrato em função do nível freático

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of five different water levels on the crop development of Calla. The crop parameters evaluated were leaf area and evapotranspiration. The study was conducted in glass greenhouse with 50% of sunlight reduction. The plants were grown in PVC pots with 150 mm diameter, which were filled with substrate. The plant tubers weighed from 10 g to 12 g. The pots were placed within containers, under water level constant automatically.. The table water levels used were 10, 17, 24, 31 and 38 cm. Nine evaluations during the growth cycle checked the growth development. The evaporation varied from 26.89 to 46.14 L.plant-1 for 38 and 10 cm water levels, respectively and leaf area per plant showed 1011.6 to 2016.3 for the same levels. The substrate water was more available in the treatment 24 cm, with more restrictions in the upper and lower treatments. There was positive correlation between leaf area and evapotranspiration at the final of the culture.