Fig tree orchard formation using organic fertilization

The present work aimed at evaluating the effects of cattle manure fertilization on the growth and yield of fig trees. The cultivar 'Roxo de Valinhos' was used. One-, two-, three-and four-year-old trees were treated with cattle manure containing 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150% of the recommended nitrogen level per plant. The experiment was carried out using randomized blocks with 7 treatments, 5 replicates and 5 plants per experimental plot. The evaluated characteristics were: plant height, stem diameter, secondary branch length and diameter, yield per plant (kg plant-1), besides some quality characteristics of fruits such as pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids and texture. Manure application enhanced plant growth and fruit production. Significant differences were observed only for soluble solids content, pH and texture, which varied according to the crop cycle. After four crop cycles (2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06), the best results (about 5.0 kg of fruits per plant) were obtained with 100% of the recommended nitrogen dose, which corresponded to 14.3 kg of cattle manure per plant, in the last crop cycle (2005/2006).

Use of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) latex biomembrane in diaphragmatic injuries in rabbits - an experimental study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical use of the natural latex biomembrane in diaphragmatic injuries produced experimentally in rabbits. Fifteen healthy adult male and female New Zealand rabbits were employed. The rabbits were assigned to the experimental groups I, II, III, IV and V and analyzed on the 15th, 30th, 45th, 60th and 90th days post surgery, respectively. The surgical procedure consisted in the access to the diaphragm at the eighth right intercostal space, removal of a circle portion of approximately 1.5 cm in diameter following surgical repair with a latex membrane. Macroscopically, it was observed an excellent healing process during the experimental period. The clinical observations, complemented by the histological analysis, indicate that the latex membrane is useful for repair of traumatic inuries of the diaphragm of rabbits.

Substitution of corn and soybean oil by cassava meal and African palm tree oil in diets of laying hens

Fourty-two White Leghorns laying hens, from the commercial Cuban hybrid L-33, were used for eight weeks during the laying peak (36 to 43 weeks of age), to assess the substitution of corn by cassava root meal (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and the crude soybean oil by crude oil of African palm tree (Elaeis guineensis J.) in the diets of laying hens. Analysis of variance was conducted, according to simple classification design, with three treatments and 14 repetitions (a cage with a hen). The treatments consisted of three diets (1- corn meal + soybean oil; 2- 25 % cassava meal + African palm tree oil; 3- 53 % cassava meal + African palm tree oil), with 15.71 % CP; 3.83 % Ca and 0.36 % P available. The viability was of 100 % in all treatments. No differences were found for laying (92.21, 92.09 and 91.59 %), which surpassed the potential of this hybrid during the laying peak (90 %), conversion (118g feedstuff/egg in the three treatments), egg mass produced (3066, 3114 and 3071 g/bird) and mass conversion (1.99, 1.95 y 1.98 feed consumed/egg mass). The pigmentation of the egg yolk was reduced as the level of cassava meal increased in the diets (6, 4 and 3 at Roche's scale), as well as the cost of the feed consumed in 56 d per hen (2.56, 2.15 and 1.83 USD/bird). The possibility of substituting, totally, corn meal by that of cassava and soybean oil by that of the African palm tree in the diets of laying hens during the laying peak was determined, with positive economic effect and without damaging the productive performance of birds.

Broadband NIR emission in novel sol-gel Er3+-doped SiO 2-Nb2O5 glass ceramic planar waveguides for photonic applications

This paper reports on the sol-gel preparation and structural and optical characterization of new Er3+-doped SiO2-Nb 2O5 nanocomposite planar waveguides. Erbium-doped (100-x)SiO2-xNb2O5 waveguides were deposited on silica-on-silicon substrates and Si(1 0 0) by the dip-coating technique. The waveguides exhibited uniform refractive index distribution across the thickness, efficient light injection at 1538 nm, and low losses at 632 and 1538 nm. The band-gap values lied between 4.12 eV and 3.55 eV for W1-W5, respectively, showing an excellent transparency in the visible and near infrared region for the waveguides. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy analysis evidenced SiO2-Nb2O5 nanocomposite formation with controlled phase separation in the films. The HRTEM and XRD analyses revealed Nb2O5 orthorhombic T-phase nanocrystals dispersed in a silica-based host. Photoluminescence (PL) analysis showed a broad band emission at 1531 nm, assigned to the 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 transition of the Er3+ ions present in the nanocomposite, with a full-width at half medium of 48-68 nm, depending on the niobium content and annealing. Hence, these waveguides are excellent candidates for application in integrated optics, especially in EDWA and WDM devices. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Irrigation management in pruned coffee tree crop

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Population Fluctuation and Damage Caused by Phytophagous Mites on Three Rubber Tree Clones

Our aim was to investigate the population fluctuation and the damage caused by the phytophagous mites Calacarus heveae Feres, Tenuipalpus heveae Baker, and Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor) on clones FX 2784, FX 3864, and MDF 180 in rubber tree crops from southeastern Bahia, Brazil. Moreover, we tested for the influence of climatic variables on occurrence patterns of these species throughout weekly samples performed from October to April. The infestation peaks was between mid-January and late February. The clones FX 2784 and FX 3864 had the highest infestations and more severe damage possibly caused by C. heveae, which was the most frequent and abundant species in all clones. We found that sunlight duration and rainfall were the most important factors for C. heveae while T. heveae was affected by rainfall and temperature. Eutetranychus banksi was only affected by sunlight duration. However, the best models had low goodness of fit. We concluded that the clones FX 2784 and FX 3864 had a higher susceptibility to mite attack, and the association between climatic variables and favorable physiological conditions were determinant for the population increase of the species from January to April. © 2012 Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil.

Sequential Sampling Plan for Tenuipalpus heveae Baker (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) on Rubber Tree

The objective of the present study was to develop a sequential sampling plan for the decision-making process to control Tenuipalpus heveae Baker (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), an important pest of the rubber tree crop. The experimental area was represented by 1,000 plants of the RRIM 600 clone divided in 100 plots with 10 plants each. Leaves were collected and the number of mites determined under laboratory conditions. The sequential sampling plan was developed in accordance with the Sequential Test Likelihood Ratio. The value 0.10 was pre-established for α and β representing type I and type II errors, respectively. The level of control adopted was six mites per 12 cm2. The operating characteristic curve and the curve of maximum expected sample were determined. Two lines were generated: the upper one, when the condition for chemical control is recommended (S1 = 23.3080 + 2.1972); and the lower, when chemical control is not recommended (S0 = -23.3080 + 2.1972). Sample size for the decision-making process to control T. heveae requires 6 to 18 plants. © 2013 Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil.

Population structure and canopy use by Coussapoa microcarpa, a strangler hemiepiphyte from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

We studied density, size structure, and establishment sites of Coussapoa microcarpa in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest. This species is a hemiepiphyte that begins its life in the tops of trees and survives the death of its host to become a free-standing tree. All individuals of C. microcarpa already rooted in the ground were recorded in a 3.43 ha (1.75 ha in lowland and 1.68 ha in submontane) sample of forest plots. Data on total height, root diameter at breast height, host height and diameter at breast height, as well as height, type and diameter of the establishment site were collected. Coussapoa microcarpa present a high density (36.5 ind. ha-1) and the population studied was composed mainly of young individuals. Young and adults differed in establishment sites. The diameter of establishment sites of young was narrower than the diameter of establishment sites of adults, which points out to a limiting factor (diameter of establishment site) regulating the establishment of C. microcarpa. © 2013 Cambridge University Press.

Mangrove habitat partitioning by Ucides cordatus (Ucididae): Effects of the degree of tidal flooding and tree-species composition during its life cycle

Environmental factors strongly affect mangrove crabs, and some factors modulate population structure and habitat partitioning during the crabs' life cycle. However, the effect of these environmental factors on habitat selection by mangrove crabs is still unknown. We evaluated habitat selection by the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus in mangrove forests with different degrees of predominance of Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemosa or Avicennia schaueriana, two tidal flooding levels (less- and more-flooded), and two biological periods (breeding and non-breeding seasons). Sampling was conducted in four mangrove forests with different influences of these biotic and abiotic parameters. We used the data for sex ratio to explain environmental partitioning by this species. Females predominated in R. mangle mangroves, independently of the biological period (breeding or non-breeding seasons), and males predominated only in the less-flooded L. racemosa mangroves. The flooding level affected the sex ratio of U. cordatus, with a predominance of males in less-flooded mangroves, independently of the biological period; and a gender balance in the more-flooded mangroves only during the breeding season. Outside the breeding season, the largest specimens were recorded in the R. mangle mangroves, but in the breeding season, the largest crabs were recorded in the L. racemosa mangroves with a higher level of flooding. These results suggest that tree-species composition and tidal flooding level can have a significant effect on the habitat partitioning of sexes and sizes of the mangrove crab U. cordatus both during and outside the breeding season. © 2012 Springer-Verlag and AWI.

Rubber tree early selection for yield stability in time and among locations

Rubber production in the rubber tree [Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex Adr. de Juss.) Muell. Arg.] can be expressed differently in different environments. Thus the objective of the present study was to select productive progenies, stable and responsive in time and among locations. Thirty progenies were assessed by early yield tests at three ages and in three locations. A randomized block design was used with three replications and ten plants per plot, in 3 × 3 m spacing. The procedure of the mixed linear Reml/Blup model-restricted maximum likelihood/best non-biased linear prediction was used in the genetic statistical analyses. In all the individual analyses, the values observed for the progeny average heritability (ĥpa 2) were greater than those of the additive effect based on single individuals (ĥa 2) and within plot additive (ĥad 2). In the joint analyses in time, there was genotype × test interaction in the three locations. When 20 % of the best progenies were selected the predicted genetic gains were: Colina GG = 24.63 %, Selvíria GG = 13.63 %, and Votuporanga GG = 25.39 %. Two progenies were among the best in the analyses in the time and between locations. In the joint analysis among locations there was only genotype × location interaction in the first early test. In this test, selecting 20 %, the general predicted genetic gain was GG = 25.10 %. Identifying progenies with high and stable yield over time and among locations contributes to the efficiency of the genetic breeding program. The relative performance of the progenies varies depending of the age of early selection test. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

User-producer interaction in the Brazilian oil industry: The relationship between petrobras and its suppliers of wet Christmas tree

The objective of this work is to analyze the importance of the user-producer interaction for the innovative process of the Brazilian oil industry from the 2000s. To do so, we selected two of the three providers installed in Brazil that produce the set of valves used in the oil wellhead to control its production, set which is called wet Christmas tree (WCT), the Norway's Aker Solutions and the American FMC Technologies. The results of this analysis indicate not only the development of the oil industry in Brazil is marked by a strategy of cooperative innovation, but they also reveal the importance of geographical proximity and direct cooperation, especially between the centers of engineering and research and development of companies. Furthermore, these partnerships are not limited to the adaptation of products to new needs, but they also include the development of new systems. © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economía y Negocios.

Leaf anatomical traits are correlated with tree dominance in a Neotropical deciduous forest

Deciduous forests from the neotropics are one of the most endangered forest types in the world due to the exploitation of their natural resources by mankind. Many aspects of these ecosystems have been studied; however, there is a lack of information about leaf structure and the effects of tree dominance on their structural leaf patterns. In this article, we examine leaf anatomy and specific leaf areas (SLA) in 13 tree species differing in their dominance in a Dry Forest site in Central Brazil, relating leaf anatomical traits with phytosociological aspects. Leaf anatomical traits differed according to tree dominance: greater leaf thickness (achieved through greater thickness of the mesophyll), low values of SLA and bigger stomata were found for the most dominant species, whereas the less dominant species showed thinner leaves with high SLA, as well as numerous and small stomata. These responses suggest that tree dominance is an important indirect effect associated with vertical light availability in the forest. These strategies are probably related to the accomplishment of a high performance in carbon gain and water economy, given the distinction in irradiance that the leaves of different species are subject to in the dry forest. © 2013 Copyright The Royal Society of New Zealand.

Prospects for the use of municipal tree pruning wastes in particleboard production

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of particleboard made with pruning wastes from Ipê (Tabebuia serratifolia) and Chapéu-de-Sol (Terminalia catappa) trees. Particleboards were prepared with both wood species, using all the material produced by grinding the pruning wastes. The particleboards had dimensions of 45×45 cm, a thickness of approximately 11.5 mm and an average density of 664 kg/m3. A urea-formaldehyde adhesive was used in the proportion of 12% of the dry particle mass. The particleboards were pressed at a temperature of 130 C for 10 mins. The physical and mechanical properties analyzed were density, moisture content, thickness swelling, percentage of lignin and cellulose, modulus of resilience, modulus of elasticity and tensile strength parallel to the grain, accordingly to the standards NBR 14810 and CS 236-66 (1968). The particleboards were considered to be of medium density. The particle size significantly affected the static bending strength and tensile strength parallel to the grain. Ipê presented better results, demonstrating a potential for the production and use of particleboard made from this species. © The Author(s) 2013.

Um algoritmo para a construção de superfícies potenciais de falha em sólidos tridimensionais

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Propagação vegetativa de Tamarindus indica L

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS