O estado de Pernambuco é responsável por quase toda a produção de gesso no Brasil, que está concentrada na região do Araripe, onde há minas de gipsita com elevada pureza e facilidade de exploração. O ...Polo Gesseiro do Araripe representa um importante recurso para a região em que está inserido. No entanto, alguns fatores colocam em alerta a continuidade e o desenvolvimento desse setor, merecendo destaque a matriz energética, notadamente baseada no uso de lenha. Nesse contexto, o presente artigo analisa a relação entre os ciclos econômicos e o estado da arte da atividade, a legislação como parâmetro regulatório e a relação destes com a conservação do bioma Caatinga. Observa-se que a atividade sempre foi dependente da utilização de recursos lenhosos em sua cadeia produtiva, fator que levou a uma severa degradação desse bioma na região e que, devido à alta demanda por lenha, expande esse problema para outros estados do Nordeste. Embora exista uma vasta legislação relativa à questão ambiental, essa não é amplamente seguida, além de ser ainda pouco fiscalizada. Essa situação traz uma instabilidade nesse segmento produtivo, podendo acarretar perda gradual de competitividade.
The genetic improvement program for Opuntia spp. aims to select new genotypes to meet the demands of rural producers in the Brazilian Semiarid region and to expand the genetic base of the crop. The ...aim of this study was to select accessions of Opuntia spp. with foraging potential and resistance to false cochineal carmine. The research was carried out at the Active Germplasm Bank (BAG) of Opuntia spp. of Paraíba Company Research, Rural Extension and Land Regularization (EMPAER), Pendência Experimental Station, Soledade, Paraíba, Brazil. Accessions were cultivated in rainfed and evaluated in August 2019, 12 months after the implementation of the BAG. The measurement of the Total Green Mass weight of the plants of 121 accessions of the BAG was carried out and the productivity (ton/ha-1) was estimated in a dense cultivation of 100 thousand plants/ha-1. The accessions of Opuntia spp. nº 10, 110, 115 and 119 have growing potential in the Brazilian Semiarid region, as a function of productivity (532.6, 118, 164 and 481 tons/ha-1, respectively) and resistance to false carmine cochineal, in addition to genetic divergence (specific agronomic characteristics) in relation to currently cultivated varieties.
Gibberellin is a plant hormone capable of enhancing the productivity of plant’s productivity rants, due to its action in plant physiology, mainly in fruit formation. In this sense, this study aimed ...to evaluate gibberellic acid levels and application times on the growth and quality of ‘Pérola’ pineapple. The experiment was conducted under field conditions in the municipality of Pedras de Fogo, state of Paraíba, Brazil. The treatments consisted of five levels of gibberellic acid (0.0, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, and 12.0 mg/plant), distributed in a randomized block experimental design, with four repetitions, in which three applications were made at 50, 80, and 110 days after flower induction. The soluble solids content, fruit height, fruit diameter, and weight were evaluated. The period of application and the levels of gibberellic acid altered the responses for the variables analyzed. The level of 7.5 mg/plant of gibberellic acid promoted an increase in the weight and diameter of the fruit. The application at 110 days after floral induction induced an increase in fruit weight and a greater concentration of sugar in the fruit. Further studies on the application of gibberellic acid and periods of application in different soil and climatic conditions should be carried out to determine more consistent results with this crop.
No Semiárido Brasileiro, espécies do gênero Opuntia detêm relevante importância como reserva forrageira. No entanto, algumas pragas, como Dactylopius opuntiae, representam um entrave para essa ...cultura. Nesse sentido, avaliou-se 15 acessos de Opuntia com resistência esta praga, quanto aos aspectos morfológicos, produtivos e de trocas gasosas. As avaliações foram feitas 180 dias após o plantio, sendo mensuradas variáveis como altura e largura de plantas, índice de área de cladódio, sobrevivência, produtividade de matéria fresca, taxa de captação de CO2, eficiência instantânea de uso da água, eficiência intrínseca do uso de água e eficiência de carboxilação instantânea. Os resultados demonstraram elevada variabilidade entre os acessos para as variáveis morfológicas e produtivas. A análise de componentes principais evidenciou forte associação entre as características morfológicas e a taxa de captação de CO2, eficiência instantânea de uso da água, eficiência intrínseca do uso de água e eficiência de carboxilação instantânea. Neste estudo foram identificados acessos de Opuntia com características superiores, como os acessos 48, 49, 75, 91 e 100.
Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a polyphagous insect responsible for severe damage to fruit crops worldwide. Control strategies require laboratory studies in which ...large quantities of individuals of this pest are required, thus requiring the implementation of mass rearing. The success of these rearing's is dependent on the use of artificial diets, which represent one of the main costs of this system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and development of C. capitata under different artificial diets. The inoculation of C. capitata eggs was performed in artificial diets based on sweet potato, yam, carrots, pumpkin, and cassava, all raw and cooked, totalizing 10 treatments, with raw carrots being the control treatment. We observed the following biometric and biological variables of C. capitata: larval and pupal viability, fecundity, fertility and sex ratio, as well as pre-oviposition, oviposition, and adult lifetime. Promising results were obtained with sweet potato and pumpkin, providing larger and heavier insects, good fecundity and fertility, longer oviposition time, and greater longevity, whose results were similar or superior to those obtained with the raw carrot-based diet. In contrast, the raw cassava diet did not allow the larvae to hatch. Unsatisfactory results were also obtained with the raw and cooked cassava-based diets, making it unfeasible to recommend them for use in artificial diets for this insect. The artificial diets derived from raw or cooked pumpkin and sweet potato were efficient as carrot substitutes in artificial diets for C. capitata.
Cashew farming is an activity of great economic importance for many areas of the Northeast of Brazil. In the state of Paraíba, the seventh-largest producer of cashew nuts in Brazil, a municipality ...of prominence in cashew culture is Jacaraú, known regionally for its production of cashew nuts. In this sense, this study aimed to analyse the productive dynamics of cashew production in Jacaraú in the period from 2001 to 2020, seeking to analyse the performance and the factors that interact in this production chain. The data were obtained from the database of the Municipal Agricultural Survey of the IBGE, from which five variables were extracted: harvested area – the percentage of the total, harvested area, quantity produced, productivity, and value of production. The cashew culture is an agricultural activity of great relevance for Jacaraú, with strong participation in the total percentage of the areas harvested with permanent crops in this municipality; however, a strong reduction in the area harvested with this crop was registered, as well as in the quantity produced. The results together show improvements in the production variables in the last two years of the period under analysis, derived mainly from improved productivity and that are a consequence of government efforts to strengthen this production chain. However, these actions need to be continuous and focus on the introduction of more productive and early materials, as well as management strategies suitable for this crop.
The forage cactus represents one of the main sources of fodder for livestock in the semi-arid region. However, although it is cultivated on a large scale in several regions, there are still few ...studies addressing issues of improved management, especially about irrigation and fertilization of recently used varieties, such as those resistant to false carmine cochineal. Thus, this research aimed to evaluate the effect of different levels of irrigation and sources of organic fertilizer on the productive performance of forage cactus variety Mexican Elephant’s Ear (Opuntia stricta). The experiment was set up at Fazenda Riachão, municipality of Boa Vista, Paraíba. Two types of manure (bovine and caprine) and the control were used, associated with the absence of irrigation and five different depths, which varied from 1.5 to 5.5 L of water per week per plant. A 3x6 factorial design with five repetitions was used in a randomized block design. The depths of water applied promoted a significant increase in the variables analyzed. The goat manure was the most effective in obtaining better values of the number of cladodes per plant and productivity.
Medicinal plants, since antiquity, have been relevant due to their therapeutic properties, are widely used for the prevention and treatment of diseases. However, the growth and production of these ...plants are impacted by a notorious environmental stressor, salinity. In this sense, this study aimed to review the impacts of salinity on plant development, the deleterious effects of this environmental stressor on the production of medicinal plants, and the production strategies of these species in saline conditions. Areas with salt excess problems have been increasing all over the planet, mainly due to human actions such as inadequate irrigation management. Salinity impacts plants at different times, the first phase results from osmotic stress, while the second derives from the ionic toxicity of the salt constituents. In medicinal plants, saline stress causes damage from germination to changes in morphological characteristics, physiology, nutrient concentration, and productivity. However, in some species, exposure to moderate degrees of salinity was positive for medicinal quality, with an improvement in the constitution of the essential oil. Strategies for the production of medicinal plants in saline conditions are reported in the literature, such as the use of amino acids (such as proline and betaine glycine), salicylic acid, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, resistance inducing genes, and projected nanoparticles. These strategies may represent an option for agricultural production in marginal areas and with waters with higher levels of salts.
Currently, Brazil is the world's largest sugarcane producer, with a planted area of approximately 8.59 million hectares. For being a crop of great prominence in the world economy, sugarcane has been ...widely researched, especially in the study of the causes that limit its productivity, with emphasis on water availability, an important factor to be considered in Brazil, because much of the cultivation takes place in drought regions, and the producing locations are limited to seasonal rainfall. However, sugarcane may present certain mechanisms for tolerance to water stress, especially with the use of foliar fertilization for that tolerance. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the effects of foliar fertilization as a form of tolerance to water deficit in sugarcane crop. Water stress is the responsible factor for promoting physiological changes in the crop, enabling structural and functional alterations at various organizational levels of the plant. Furthermore, another approach to minimize the effects of water stress in sugarcane is to explore the plant's defense mechanisms, especially with the use of foliar fertilization as an alternative to tolerance to water deficit, considering the several benefits caused by this application method. Plant regulators are a viable option for reducing the negative physiological causes of water stress in plants, besides helping the plant to maintain physiological processes with a rapid recovery after overcoming water stress.
A cultura do sorgo forrageiro vem apresentando um enorme crescimento nos últimos anos, devido ao grande potencial produtivo e forrageiro. Paralelo ao seu crescimento há também um aumento na demanda ...por herbicidas que viabilizam sua produção. Neste sentido, objetivou-se avaliar a eficiência do uso de herbicidas no controle de plantas daninhas e sua influência nas características de crescimento e produção do sorgo forrageiro. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos casualizados, com 4 repetições e 9 tratamentos Testemunha; Capinado; 2,4-D (100%); 2,4-D (150%); Pendimetalina (100%); Pendimetalina (150%); 2,4-D (100%) + Pendimetalina (150%); 2,4-D (150%) + Pendimetalina (100%); 2,4-D (150%) + Pendimetalina (150%) aplicados aos 15 dias após a semeadura. Foram analisadas as seguintes variáveis: altura de plantas, diâmetro do caule, número de folhas, controle de plantas daninhas, fitotoxidade e produtividade. Os dados foram submetidos a análise de variância usando o software Sisvar. Para os dados qualitativos, utilizou-se o teste de Scott-Knott a 5% de probabilidade e para os dados quantitativos, regressão polinomial. O uso dos herbicidas isolados ou em associação, influenciou nas variáveis produtivas da cultura do sorgo. Os herbicidas 2,4-D (100%) e Pendimetalina (100%) se mostraram com potencial para utilização na cultura do sorgo.
