RCAAP Repository

The use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) may be a promising agronomic practice to improve the growth and productivity of vegetables. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of inoculation of Azospirillum brasilense on plant growth and tomato fruit production. Two experiments were carried out: the first one evaluating the growth of the plants in a greenhouse and the second one evaluating the production of fruits under field conditions. The experimental design used in two experiments was the completely randomized 2 x 5 factorial scheme, with four replications. The treatments resulted from the combination of two tomato cultivars (Gaúcho Melhorado and San Marzano) and four inoculant doses (0; 2; 4; 6 e 8 mL kg-1 of seed) containing the Ab-V5 and Ab-V6 strains of A. Brasilense. The application of inoculant containing A. brasilense improved the growth and dry matter production of tomato cultivars Gaúcho Melhorado and San Marzano. The highest values of plant height, stem diameter, root length, root volume, relative chlorophyll content and dry matter of shoots and roots are obtained with the dose of 4 to 6 mL kg-1 of inoculant, allowing to infer that the maximization of plant growth and the production of tomato fruits with the application of inoculant containing Azospirillum brasilense can be obtained with the use of approximately 5.0 mL kg-1 of seeds for tomato cultivars.

Lippia lacunosa is a Brazilian savanna plant that belongs to the Verbenaceae family. It has been used in folk medicine as a treatment for different diseases. This species represents an endangered Brazilian medicinal plant, and this is the first report documenting a reliable protocol for the in vitro propagation and regeneration of L. lacunosa. Axenic explants were cultivated in MS medium containing different concentrations of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) to induce root growth. The mean shoot length and the number of roots were highest with 0.06 mg·L-1 NAA. The highest number of buds in shoot regeneration was induced with 2 mg·L-1 6-benzylaminopurine (BA). To obtain a long-term culture, the dwarf shoots were elongated on MS media containing 0.5 mg·L-1 BA alternated with MS containing 2 mg·L-1 BA every 40 days. In the present protocol, the long-term shoots retained the ability to root even after long periods of BA treatment. In addition, we evaluated the nuclear DNA content and ploidy levels, including the occurrence of endopolyploidy, in long-term micropropagated plant leaves using flow cytometry analysis. The plants propagated in vitro over several years possessed nuclear DNA contents ranging from 2.940 to 3.095 pg, and no differences in DNA content were found among in vitro plants or between these plants and the control (L. lacunosa from a greenhouse with a DNA content of 3.08 pg). The flow cytometry analysis also demonstrated that there was no polyploidization. The present study will be useful for biotechnological approaches and provides the first estimate of the nuclear DNA content of this species using flow cytometry.

Vitamin application can optimize plant growth and grain yield of rice crop due to its beneficial effect on many plant physiological characteristics. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of niacin and thiamin applied as seed soaking or foliar spray on the morphological and productive characteristics of upland rice crop (Oryza sativa L., cv. Primavera), grown under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme, with four replicates. The treatments consisted of the application of vitamins (control; 200 mg L-1 thiamin; 200 mg L-1 niacin; and 100 mg L-1 thiamin + 100 mg L-1 niacin) and two application methods (seed soaking and foliar spraying). Morphological and productive characteristics of the rice plants were evaluated. The exogenous application of thiamin and niacin, regardless of the application method, has a beneficial effect on the growth of upland rice plants, but does not increase the grain yield of the crop.

The method and temperature of storage of a product are the basic agents that make it possible to prolong the post-harvest life of strawberries. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the use of different packages with the passive modified atmosphere in the post-harvest quality of strawberry (cv. Camarosa). The strawberries were harvested and subsequently transported to the Laboratory of Drying and Post-harvest Storage of Agricultural Products, where they were stored in BOD, at 0ºC, and 90±5% relative air humidity. A completely randomized design was used, in a 3 x 5 factorial scheme (three packages: expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging + polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film at 0 °C; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging at 0 °C; and without packaging at 0 °C (control) x five analysis: at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days of storage), with four replications per day for each treatment. Averages were compared by Tukey test at 5% probability. The variables, fresh mass loss, pulp firmness, pH, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA) and SS/TA ratio were analyzed. The tested packages had better results when compared to the control treatment. The use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packages at 0ºC had a less fresh mass loss during storage days, lower acidity reduction, and no significant decrease in pulp firmness.

Heat is one of the major abiotic stresses that affect wheat yield and quality in many parts of the world. To overcome this problem, the development of heat tolerant cultivars has been shown to be one of the main targets of breeding programs, especially for the conditions of Central Brazil. The present study was developed with objective of identifying promising populations for tolerance to heat stress, in order to obtain lines adapted to the conditions of Central Brazil. The experiment was carried out in the summer of 2011 in Coimbra/MG where 36 segregating populations with different numbers of families per population were evaluated in an augmented block design, determining the cycle, plant height and grain yield. Genetic variability for heat tolerance was observed among the wheat populations. The vegetative development stage of wheat was more sensitive to the effect of heat stress. The most promising segregating populations were IAC364/BRS207, IAC24/Aliança IAC24/Pioneiro that associated high yield with a large number of families selected among the most productive, demonstrating the possibility of selecting heat stress-tolerant lines.

 This research investigated the toxicity effects of cadmium chloride (0, 100, 200 and 300 μM) and its interactive effects with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) (0, 0.01 and 0.1 mM) on growth parameters, cadmium (Cd) accumulation, and Allene-Oxide Cyclase (AOC) gene expression in wheat seedling (Sivand cultivar). According to the results, Cd at concentrations of 200 μM and 300 μM reduced the growth traits of the wheat. Under exposure to 300 μM Cd, root and shoot cadmium content was 30 and 17 times greater than the base level, respectively. Under 100 μM Cd exposures, bioaccumulation factor (BCF) for root and shoot increased by 46 and 25 times respectively. The spraying of MeJA on Cd-stressed plants showed a positive effect on growth parameters, increasing them by 10-40%. The treatment with 0.01 mM  jasmonate decreased the accumulation of cadmium in root and shoot by about 30%. The same amount of decrease was observed in BCF after the jasmonate treatment of the specimens exposed to Cd. But application of 0.1 MeJA increased the BCF in most Cd concentrations. Under exposure to 200 μM Cd, AOC expression showed an approximately three fold increase. The use of 0.1 mM MeJA also resulted in a fourfold increase in AOC gene expression. It can conclude that MeJA showed a substantial impact on Cd accumulation and AOC gene expression in wheat seedling.

Association mapping has proven to be a powerful approach for dissecting the genetic basis of complex traits. In this study, QTLs controlling flag leaf characteristics under drought stress were detected in a set of 148 modern spring barley cultivars using AM analysis. Flag leaf length (FLL), flag leaf width (FLW), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, and maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) which are important in photosynthetic rate, were evaluated under normal irrigation and drought stress conditions at grain filling stage. Population structure was estimated using Structure2.3 and linkage disequilibrium (LD) was estimated by the ‘Full Matrix LD’ using Tassel5.0. Significant marker/trait associations were investigated based on K-Q matrix using Tassel3.0. The analysis of population structure divided the cultivars into two sub-groups. Significant LD values (P < 0.01) between polymorphic sites with regions of high and low LD were observed. A total of 84 significant putative genomic regions were identified, which delineated into 37 QTLs under two water treatments. Two stable QTLs on 2H and 3H were detected for FLL in drought stress treatment. A QTL for FLL were detected on 2H in normal treatment, which alone explained around 11% of phenotypic variance of FLL. This QTL was also associated with the expression of FLW and explained around 7.5% of phenotypic variance. The results suggest that major loci are located on chromosomes 2H, 3H, 4H and 5H involved in the development of flag leaf characteristics and could be used as selection criteria in barley breeding for drought tolerance.

Arsenic is one of the common toxins in the environment that enters the environment through natural and artificial sources and causes stress in plants through various ways, including the effect on growth and metabolism of the plant. Further, the absorbance of this element in plants and the entry into the food chain create toxicity for humans. On the other hand, Selenium is a non-biological stress reliever and has a considerable impact on improved plant growth and photosynthesis and reduced stress. Due to the interaction of Arsenic and Selenium in soil and different plants and the importance of Basil plant, an experiment was performed to investigate the effect of Selenium on growth and some physiological traits of Basil plant (Ocimum basilicum L.) under Arsenic stress conditions. To implement this plan, a factorial pot experiment was carried out based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in Damghan Islamic Azad University. Arsenic concentrations of 0, 100, 200 and 300 micromoles with irrigation water were applied three times at regular intervals and Selenium concentrations of 0, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg L-1 were applied three times by solution spraying at regular intervals. In this experiment, it was found that growth traits decreased by increasing Arsenic. The lowest performance was related to Arsenic concentration of 300 μm, resulting in a 45% decrease in growth and by applying Selenium treatment, Arsenic toxicity effect was reduced. The best performance was associated with Selenium concentration of 5 mg L-1. 

The cagaita is a native fruit of the cerrado, of high perishability, and for postharvest conservation of the fresh fruit, methods are used to increase its life cycle. In the present study, edible coatings are used, a technique that aims to control the loss of mass through transpiration reduces gas exchange, increases the shelf-life, improves the appearance, preserves the structural integrity and mechanical properties. The study aims to evaluate the influence of coatings based on biopolymers on the maturation of cagaita during storage. The factorial scheme 3 x 4 was used, with three treatments - without coating, polysaccharide coating and protein coating, four evaluation points - with an interval of 2 days, stored at 25 ºC. The fruits were submitted to weight loss, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, and ascorbic acid evaluations. There was no influence of the time factor in the present study, and for titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, soluble solids, and pH, there was no significant difference between treatments. Observing the content of soluble solids, the main indicator of ripeness, which varies from 5 to 7 ºBrix, it was concluded that the fruits did not ripen.

The objective was to evaluate the quality of ornamental pepper seedlings, cultivar Pyramid, in different substrate volumes, with foliar application of paclobutrazol (PBZ).The experiment was carried out at the Mato Grosso do Sul State University - UEMS, in Cassilândia - MS. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a 2 x 2 factorial scheme (growth container x foliar application of PBZ) with four replicates of 36 seedlings each. Plastic trays (cells with a volume of 50 mL) and polystyrene trays (Isopor®, 100 mL cells) were used as containers. The treatments were: polystyrene tray with PBZ application; polystyrene tray without PBZ application; plastic tray with PBZ application and plastic tray without the application of PBZ. Plant height, root length, stem diameter, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, total dry mass, height/stem diameter ratio (H/D), shoot/root ratio (S/R) and Dickson quality index were evaluated. Foliar application of paclobutrazol resulted in robust pepper seedlings with reduced size, suitable and desirable characteristics for ornamental purposes. The polystyrene trays with higher volume cells (100 mL) contributed to the higher quality of ornamental pepper seedlings.

The radish is a Brassicaceae with small size, adapted to regions with mild temperatures between 13 and 20 °C and short days. However, there are cultivars adapted to high-temperature conditions, which has allowed the cultivation of this tuberous vegetable throughout the year, even in tropical regions. The present work had as objective evaluate the agronomic performance and yield of six cultivars of radish, in Uruçuí - PI. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four replicates and six cultivars. Harvest was performed according to the cycle of each cultivar. Number of leaves per plant, fresh and dry mass of shoot and root, diameter, and root length and yield were evaluated. The cultivars Margaret Queen and Crimson Gigante presented better root development, both in diameter and length, and obtained higher productivity per ha, being these two the most indicated for the region. The Sparkler cultivar was one of the ones that produced the highest fresh mass of the aerial part, but it obtained lower commercial roots yield, being the least indicated for the municipality of Uruçuí-PI.

This work aimed to evaluate the phytosociology of weeds and the fruit yield of banana (cv. Tropical) in different soil coverings. The experimental design used was randomized blocks, with eight treatments and three replications. The treatments consisted of sowing of Canavalia ensiformis, Cajanus cajan, Crotalaria juncea, Stylosanthes 'Campo Grande', Crotalaria spectabilis, Sorghum bicolor, and Phaseolus lunatus between the rows of the banana trees. A control treatment was also used without cover crops. Weed phytosociology was evaluated in four treatments. The number of hands per bunch, the number of fruits per hand, the number of fruits per bunch, and the fruit yield were estimated in all treatments. In the phytosociological survey, 23 species were identified, in 13 families, especially Asteraceae and Poaceae families. Compared to the control, the coverage with C. cajan, C. juncea, and C. ensiformis provided a reduction in weed density of 108%, 71.7%, and 14.6%, respectively. C. ensiformis and C. cajan provided the highest yield of banana fruits, with an increase of 51.2% about the control. It is concluded that C. ensiformis and C. juncea provided the most significant suppression of weeds, while C. cajan and C. ensiformis provided the highest fruit yield.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the glyphosate doses in the suppression of Urochloa ruziziensis, to avoid the excessive competition of forage, intercropped with corn in an integrated crop-livestock system. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Escola de Agronomia, of the Universidade Federal de Goiás with glyphosate-resistant corn (Zea mays L.) and Urochloa ruziziensis. The experimental design was randomized blocks with five treatments and four replications in a factorial scheme, with five herbicide doses x three evaluation periods. Treatments were control - non-sprayed, glyphosate herbicide at doses of 72, 144 and 288 g a.e. ha-1, and standard treatment of 8 g a.i. ha-1 of the nicosulfuron herbicide. The sowing was carried out in alternate rows of corn and forage with a spacing of 0.45 m between rows. The treatments were applied with corn at V6 vegetative stage and forage with 4-6 tillers, with evaluations at 7, 14, and 21 days after application. The dose of 72 g a.e. ha-1 of glyphosate, had no efficiency in forage suppression. The dose of 144 g a.e. ha-1 of glyphosate equaled the dose of 8 g a.i. ha-1 of nicosulfuron, which is the standard treatment in this intercropping system. Glyphosate at the dose of 288 g a.e. ha-1 caused the forage's death. 

In forest stands, the ideal planting spacing can provide each tree with enough space for its establishment, aiming at greater growth and wood quality, according to the objective of planting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth in height, diameter, and volumetric production of three eucalyptus clones planted in different spacings. The experiment was carried out in an area belonging to Campo Bom Farm, in Chapadão do Sul, MS. A randomized block design was used in a factorial scheme, combining six spacings (2.5 x 0.5 m; 2.5 x 1.0 m; 2.5 x 2.0 m; 3.0 x 0.5 m; 3.0 x 1.0 m and 3.0 x 2.0 m) and three clone of Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla (GG 680, GG 157 and GG 100) with three replications. The diameter at breast height (DBH) and height of all plants were evaluated at 12, 18, 24, and 32 months after planting. At 32 months, the cubage of a tree per plot was performed to obtain the volume of wood per tree and hectare. In the largest spacings, the highest average plant heights were observed. The growth of plant height was reduced from 24 months of age, except for the GG 680 clone, at 2.5 x 2.0 m and 2.5 x 1.0 m spacings, and in GG 100 clone, at 2.5 x 1.0 m spacing. The average diameter and volume per tree increased with the spacing for the three clones, while the volume per area was higher in the denser spacing. Wood volume production per area was dependent on the spacing used for the three clones.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is a species highly appreciated in Brazilian cuisine and of high nutritional importance due to the presence of vitamins, calcium, and iron. Leafy vegetables are considered nutritionally demanding as their cycles are relatively short and the lack of any essential element affects their growth, yield and quality. This study aimed to evaluate the response of coriander plants (Coriandrum sativum L.) to foliar spraying of boron doses. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse at The State University of Goiás, Campus Ipameri, in Ipameri-GO. The experimental design was completely randomized, with five treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of five boron doses applied by foliar spray (0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 kg ha-1) using boric acid (17% of Boron) as the source. Fresh and dry matter of shoot and root and leaf boron contents were evaluated. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (F test) and the effect of boron doses were evaluated by regression analysis. The application of 3.0 kg ha-1 of boron increases the boron content of coriander plants, and the fresh and dry matter of roots and shoots was not significantly increased.

The pepper crop is cultivated in all Brazilian regions,and the planting system with the arrangement of plants in the single-row prevails. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance and physiological quality of the seeds of different pepper genotypes according to the planting systems. The experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Uberlândia, in Monte Carmelo, in a randomized blocks experimental design, in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme, four genotypes (UFU-62-5M; UFU-28-1M; UFU-58-6D and UFU-5-3BD) under two planting systems (Single-row planting - SRP and Double-row planting - DRP), with four repetitions. The spacing of 0.6 m between plants and rows was used in the SRP. In the DRP, the spacing of 0.6 m between rows and 1.20 m between plants were used. Each plot was composed of six plants, the two central plants were considered for the evaluations of total production; fruit mass; fruit diameter; fruit length; electric conductivity of seeds; 1000-seeds weight; fruit production; first germination count; and chlorophyll a and b. The double-row planting had significant increases in the physiological quality of pepper seeds; thus, for seed production, this would be the best system. Because there are no differences in productivity between the systems, the double-line system would be advantageous to facilitate the harvesting and allow future mechanization.

Arugula is mainly cultivated by small producers, being a leafy vegetable susceptible to water loss and wilting after harvest, which may result in changes in appearance, texture, color (yellowing), and nutritional value of the product. Hydrocooling is a cooling method that stands out for being simple, practical and efficient. Its use is to reduce the temperature and respiratory rate of vegetables after harvesting by immersion in ice or cold water, so they can be packed and stored. This study was conducted to evaluate the hydrocooling efficiency when associated with the storage period in the postharvest shelf life of arugula leaves. Arugula leaves were subjected to ten days of storage, and measurements were taken at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3 × 6 factorial scheme, consisting of three hydrocooling treatments [control (without cooling), and hydrocooling at 0 °C and 10 °C] and for six storage periods (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days) with three replicates. Fresh mass loss, soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH and subjective evaluation of product appearance were measured. Hydrocooling at 0 °C proved to be the most appropriate treatment when compared to control, as reported by the values of fresh mass loss, soluble solids, and titratable acidity. Hydrocooling to 0 °C slowed leaf water loss (lower respiratory rate) and resulted in better overall leaf appearance up to the sixth day of storage, thereby increasing shelf life of arugula leaves.

This study evaluated the effect of different supplements during winter on the performance of heifers in a native Pampa biome field using deferred grazing and evaluated the economic viability of each treatment. A total of 124 heifers from Brangus and Angus breeds, 18 months old, and with an average weight of 301.6 kg were included in this experiment. The treatments applied were: control with only native grassland, native grassland + 80P mineral salt treatment (MS), native grassland + protein salt treatment (PS), and native grassland + protein/energy salt treatment (PES). Besides the productive, botanical, and bromatological characteristics of the pasture, the average daily gain and the live weight gain per hectare were evaluated. The economic viability of the treatments was evaluated through partial budgeting. Weight loss was observed in all treatments. However, only the PES treatment differed from the others, with an average daily gain of -0.046 kg dia-1 (p value < 0.005). The MS treatment was the best regarding economic viability. Despite that, the smallest weight loss was observed in the PES treatment, which may be a determinant in the development and future performance of heifers. Despite the small net margin, this treatment did not incur additional costs to the system.

Demand for agricultural products with zero or reduced amounts of agrochemicals leads to increasingly healthy production alternatives. Thus, seedling formation and fruit yield of three cucumber cultivars were evaluated on different organic substrates in a protected environment. Marketer, Caipira and Verde Comprido cultivars were grown on five substrates: 100% cassava stems + 0% cattle manure; 75% cassava stems + 25% cattle manure; 50% cassava stems + 50% cattle manure; 25% cassava stems + 75% cattle manure and 0% cassava stems + 100% cattle manure. A completely randomized design in a 5 x 3 factorial scheme (5 substrates X 3 cultivars) was used, with six replications of four seedlings in the seedling formation phase and five replications of two plants in the fruit production phase. The seedlings were produced in trays with 72 cells, and fruit production was conducted in 13-liter pots. There was a little influence of the substrates on the emergence of cucumber cultivars: the substrates with 75 and 100% of cattle manure provided the best conditions for seedling formation, as well as the highest yield and the largest amount of fruits. On the best substrates, the cultivar Caipira had fruits with higher mass and larger average fruit diameter, but in smaller numbers.

The study aimed to determine the optimal population density for mung bean crop by defining row spacing, and number of plants per meter. The experimental design was a randomized block with treatments arranged in a split-plot scheme with four replications. Two row spacings (25 and 50 cm) were allocated in the plots, and six number of plants per meter (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 plants) were allocated in the subplots. The experimental units had 4.0 m long, and 2.5 m wide, with 4.0 m2 of useful area. In the useful area of plot, plant height, stem diameter, number of pods per plot, pod length, pod width, number of grains per pod, 100-pods weight, 100-grains weight, final plant population, and grain yield were evaluated. Plant height, pod length, pod width, number of grains per pod, and 100-pod weight were not influenced by row spacing and number of plants per meter. There was influence of significant interaction between the factors studied on 100-grains weight and final plant population. There was a significant effect only of number of plants per meter on stem diameter, number of pods per plot, and grain yield. The row spacing of 50 cm and 24 plants per meter increased mung bean grain yield, revealing itself as a strategy of gain in the grain yield of the crop.