Root system and root and stem base organic reserves of pasture Tanzania grass fertilizer with nitrogen under grazing

The goal of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) and of total nitrogen (N), as well as, to evaluate the root system in Tanzania-grass pastures fertilized with doses of urea in fall, spring and summer. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm of Iguatemi, Maringa, Parana, Brazil, from March 2007 to March 2008. The experimental design was complete random blocks with subplots and four repetitions. The plots showed doses of N (50, 100 e 150 kg ha(-1) of N) plus the control (no N fertilization), and the subplots the season of the year. Root samples were taken at depths of 0-10, 10-20 and 20-40 cm. Root biomass showed a trend for mass accumulation up to a dosage of 100 kg ha(-1) for all seasons evaluated. Also, about 80% of the root system of Tanzaniagrass plants was found on the 0-10 cm layer for all dosages of N. Nitrogen fertilizer above 100 kg ha(-1) may foster fast forage plant growth reducing its NSC root storage capacity although favoring NSC and total N storage at stem base. NSC and total N concentrations were highest in fall, demonstrating that its usage is greater in spring due to the weather conditions being favorable to plant growth. In the regrowth, the largest reserve of total N was at the 0-10 cm root layer and the largest NSC reserve is at stem base.

Metabolismo da videira ‘syrah’ no semiárido nordestino sob três estratégias hídricas

The almost complete absence or misdistribution of water as a natural resource frequently constitute a limiting factor for plant growth and development in the semi-arid northeastern Brazil. In this context, the use of appropriate irrigation techniques is an essential and indispensable factor for proper functioning of the primary and secondary metabolisms in plants. This study aimed to assess the metabolism of the Syrah grapevine in the semi-arid northeastern Brazil, by using three irrigation strategies (controlled deficit irrigation [CDI], deficit irrigation [DI], and full irrigation [FI]). The research was conducted at Embrapa Semiarid (Embrapa-Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), Experimental Field of Bebedouro, municipality of Petrolina, state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The statistical design was randomized blocks, with a 3 x 6 factorial scheme. Six samplings were performed throughout the experiment cycle at 54, 60, 73, 87, 101, and 115 days after pruning (DAP). We analyzed the total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, total soluble protein, and invertase activity. Analysis of variance and the F test were performed for all analyzed variables. The means were compared using the Tukey test at 5% significance. At the end of the experiment cycle, DI was found to increase the average acid invertase activity in the plant cell wall. Further, by the end of the experiment cycle, the total soluble sugars and reducing sugars increased in all plants in the three irrigation strategies. Thus, we conclude that it is possible to reduce water consumption in vineyards of the semi-arid northeastern Brazil, without significantly affecting the protein and sugar metabolisms in the plants.

Overexpression of UCP1 in tobacco induces mitochondrial biogenesis and amplifies a broad stress response

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

Aggressiveness of pratylenchus brachyurus to sugarcane, compared with key nematode p. zeae

Pratylenchus zeae, Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita are considered key species of nematodes in sugarcane in Brazil, but P. brachyurus is also frequently found. This study was conducted to determine the aggressiveness of P. brachyurus compared with P. zeae to sugarcane. Plants were grown in pots (100 L) in an open area with initial inoculation of 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000/plant for P. brachyurus and P. zeae. The nematode inocula were from in vitro, carrot-cylinder cultures. Sampling was performed every 60 days until 300 days after inoculation. At harvest, we evaluated the population dynamics of the nematodes and plant growth characteristics. The population for the initial levels of 10 and 100,000 specimens/plant, for P. brachyurus and P. zeae at 300 days after inoculation were similar. This fact shows that, upon detection of nematodes in a certain place during the planting of sugarcane, the ratoon on this area should be treated so as to control populations of P. brachyurus and/or P. zeae. The damage caused by the initial population of 10 specimens of P. brachyurus was similar to those of 10.000 specimens of P. zeae. The variety CTC 2 was classified as susceptible to P. zeae and intolerant to P. brachyurus. Compared to the control, the losses as measured by the volume and fresh weight of shoots by the nematode species were 29.82% and 40.34%, respectively. Pratylenchus brachyurus was more aggressive than P. zeae to the CTC 2 sugarcane variety.

Qualidade de frutos de tomate ‘giuliana’ tratados com produtos de efeitos fisiológicos

The present work evaluated the effect of strobilurins, boscalid, plant growth regulators and vegetal extracts on the physico-chemical quality of tomato fruits (Solanum lycopersicum L.), hybrid Giuliana. The fruits from each treatment were selected and separated in 4 repetitions: control, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, pyraclostrobin + boscalid, IBA + GA(3) + kinetin, GA(4+7) + benzylaminopurine and vegetal extract. The first application was carried out at 30 days after transplant and the following at every 15 days. The evaluations were: weight loss, titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids (SS), SS/TA relation, pH, ascorbic acid content, texture, total soluble sugars (TSS), activity of pectin methyl esterase (PME) and polygalacturonase (PG). The SS content, responsible for fruit flavor, varied accordingly to the treatment, being highest for GA(4+7) + benzylaminopurine and lowest for the control. The same occurred regarding the SS/AT relation. The fruits were kept on the shelf for 9 days, at room temperature, being that at the end of this period several treatments still presented fruit in optimal consumption conditions, notably the boscalid treatment, which presented lowest weight loss, followed by pyraclostrobin. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of the treatments did not modify the values for pH, AT and AST of the fruits. The highest PME activity was observed for the treatments with boscalid and the mixture of boscalid and pyraclostrobin, while the lowest PG activity occurred in the control and the pyraclostrobin treatment, indicating that some products accelerated the process of demethylation of pectins by PME, facilitating the action of PG.

Rice-Straw Mulch Reduces the Green Peach Aphid, Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Populations on Kale, Brassica oleracea var. acephala (Brassicaceae) Plants

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Do woody and herbaceous species compete for soil water across topographic gradients? Evidence for niche partitioning in a Neotropical savanna

Savannas are characterized by sparsely distributed woody species within a continuous herbaceous cover, composed mainly by grasses and small eudicot herbs. This vegetation structure is variable across the landscape, with shifts from open grassland to savanna woodland determined by factors that control tree density. These shifts often appear coupled with environmental variations, such as topographic gradients. Here we investigated whether herbaceous and woody savanna species differ in their use of soil water along a topographic gradient of about 110 m, spanning several vegetation physiognomies generally associated with Neotropical savannas. We measured the delta H-2 and delta O-18 signatures of plants, soils, groundwater and rainfall, determining the depth of plant water uptake and examining variations in water uptake patterns along the gradient. We found that woody species use water from deeper soil layers compared to herbaceous species, regardless of their position in the topographic gradient. However, the presence of a shallow water table restricted plant water uptake to the superficial soil layers at lower portions of the gradient. We confirmed that woody and herbaceous species are plastic with respect to their water use strategy, which determines niche partitioning across topographic gradients. Abiotic factors such as groundwater level, affect water uptake patterns independently of plant growth form, reinforcing vegetation gradients by exerting divergent selective pressures across topographic gradients. (C) 2013 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Eficiência agronômica de bactérias diazotróficas na cultura da cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.)

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Fenologia e mistura de reguladores vegetais e de fertilizante foliar no metabolismo da videira cv. sweet sunshine em clima semiárido

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Horticultura) - FCA

Avaliação do crescimento de plantas de milho em função de doses de potássio e estresse hídrico

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

Desenvolvimento de cultivares de beterraba sob diferentes tensões da água no solo

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

Cana-de-açúcar com irrigação por gotejamento em dois espaçamentos entrelinhas de plantio

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

Germinação de sementes de romäzeiras (Punica granatum L.) de acordo com a concentração de giberelina

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

Interação fungo micorrízico arbuscular e adubação fosfática no crescimento e absorção de nutrientes pelo porta-enxerto limoeiro Cravo

Estudou-se o efeito da inoculação com fungo micorrízico arbuscular (FMA), Glomus etunicatum, Glomus clarum, ou Scutelospora heterogama, e da adição de fósforo solúvel (15, 30, 45, 60, 120 e 240 mg de P kg-1 de terra) sobre as variáveis altura, número de folhas, diâmetro do caule, massas vegetais aérea e radicular, teores de nutrientes nas folhas e colonização micorrízica no porta-enxerto limoeiro Cravo (Citrus limonia (L.) Osbeck). Os FMAs, Glomus etunicatum e Glomus clarum, e doses crescentes de fósforo exerceram efeitos significativos sobre essas variáveis. O efeito da inoculação sobre as variáveis de crescimento vegetal foi mais acentuado nos tratamentos com adição de 30 a 60 mg de P kg-1 de terra. Para o teor de P foliar, o efeito da inoculação foi mais acentuado nos tratamentos adicionados de 120 a 240 mg de P kg-1 de terra. A inoculação com estes FMAs aumentou a eficiência do limoeiro Cravo em absorver nutrientes, tanto que as variáveis estudadas em plantas inoculadas na ausência de adubação fosfática superaram às de plantas não inoculadas em substrato adicionado de 240 mg de P kg-1 de terra.

Rhizospheric streptomycetes as potential biocontrol agents of Fusarium and Armillaria pine rot and as PGPR for Pinus taeda

Pinus taeda is one of the main timber trees in Brazil, occupying 1.8 million ha with an annual productivity of 25-30 m(3) ha(-1). Another important species is Araucaria angustifolia, belonging to the fragile Rainforest biome, which for decades has been a major source of timber in Brazil. Some diseases that affect the roots and/or the stem of these trees and cause "damping-off" of the seedlings, with economic and environmental losses for the forest sector, are caused by the plant pathogenic fungi Fusarium sp. or Armillaria sp. This research project intended to isolate actinobacteria from the Araucaria rhizosphere, which present an antagonistic effect against these fungi. After the selection of the best pathogen inhibitors, morphologic characteristics, enzyme production, and their effect on the growth of Pinus taeda were studied. The actinobacteria were tested for their antagonistic capacity against Fusarium sp. in Petri plates with PDA as substrate. The inhibition zone was measured after 3, 5, 7, and 10 days. Of all the isolates tested, only two of them maintained inhibition zones up to 4 mm for 10 days. The inhibition of Armillaria sp. was tested in liquid medium and also in Petri dishes through the evaluation of the number of the fungal rhizomorphs in dual culture with the actinobacteria. It was found that all five isolates were able to inhibit the rhizomorph production, with the best performance of the isolate A43, which was capable of inhibiting both fungi, Fusarium and Armillaria. In a greenhouse experiment, the effect of five isolates on the growth of Pinus taeda seedlings was tested. Plant height, stem diameter, root and shoot dry matter were determined. The Streptomyces isolate A43 doubled plant growth. These results may lead to the development of new technologies in the identification of still unknown bacterial metabolites and new management techniques to control forest plant diseases.