Jatropha curcas L. as a Plant Model for Studies on Vegetative Propagation of Native Forest Plants.

Even though it is a forest native plant, there are already several studies evaluating the small genome of Jatropha curcas L., which belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, and may be an excellent representative model for the other plants from the same family. Jatropha curcas L. plant has fast growth, precocity, and great adaptability, facilitating silvicultural studies, allowing important information to be obtained quickly, and reducing labor costs. This information justifies the use of the species as a model plant in studies involving the reproduction of native plants. This study aimed to evaluate the possibility of using Jatropha curcas L. as a model plant for studies involving native forest plants and establish possible recommendations for the vegetative propagation of the species using hardwood cuttings. The information collected can be helpful to other native forest plant species, similar to Jatropha curcas L. To this end, the effects of hardwood cutting length (10, 20, and 30 cm) and the part of the hardwood cuttings (basal, middle, and apex) were evaluated. Moreover, the influence of immersing the hardwood cuttings in solutions containing micronutrients (boron or zinc) or plant regulators (2,4-D, GA3) and a biostimulant composed of kinetin (0.09 g L-1), gibberellic acid (0.05 g L-1), and 4-indole-3-butyric acid (0.05 g L-1). The experiments were carried out in duplicates. In one duplicate, sand was used as the substrate, and rooting evaluations were made 77 days after planting. In another duplicate, a substrate composed of 50% soil, 40% poultry litter, and 10% sand was used, and the evaluations of the saplings were performed 120 days after planting. The GA3 solutions inhibited the roots' and sprouts' emissions, while immersion in 2,4-D solution increased the number of primary roots at 77 days after planting. The hardwood cuttings from the basal part of the branch had the best results for producing saplings.

Feeding preference of Spodoptera frugiperda on different sorghum genotypes / Preferência alimentar de Spodoptera frugiperda em diferentes genótipos de sorgo

The resistance of plants to pests is a feature of great importance for agriculture, as it reduces costs with insecticides and promotes increased yield resulting in higher profits. This work aimed to evaluate the feeding preference of the Spodoptera frugiperda caterpillar by different sorghum genotypes. The experiment was carried out at the Entomology Laboratory of Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, at University Unit of Cassilândia, from March to June 2016. The experimental design was completely randomized with ten replicates. The treatments were composed by seven sorghum genotypes: Agromen 50A40, Agromen 50A50, DOW 1G100, DOW 1G220, DOW 1G233, XB 6022 and LG 6310. Evaluations were performed with 1st instar caterpillars. The number of caterpillars that settled in the genotypes at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 60 minutes and 24 hours after the infestation was recorded. The feeding preference index and the fresh leaf mass consumed were estimated. The Agromen 50A40 genotype showed lower attractiveness rating for the S. frugiperda among all evaluated sorghum genotypes.(AU)

A resistência das plantas às pragas é uma característica de grande importância para a agricultura, pois reduz os custos com inseticidas e promove o aumento da produtividade, resultando em maiores lucros. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de avaliar a preferência alimentar da lagarta Spodoptera frugiperda por diferentes genótipos de sorgo. O experimento foi conduzido no Laboratório de Entomologia da Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, na Unidade Universitária de Cassilândia, no período de março a junho de 2016. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente ao acaso, com 10 repetições. Os tratamentos foram compostos por sete genótipos de sorgo: Agromen 50A40, Agromen 50A50, DOW 1G100, DOW 1G220, DOW 1G233, XB 6022 e LG 6310. As avaliações foram realizadas com lagartas de 1° instar. Anotou-se o número de lagartas que se estabeleceram nos genótipos aos 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 60 minutos e 24 horas após a infestação. Foi estimado o índice de preferência e a massa fresca de folha consumida. O genótipo Agromen 50A40 apresentou menor atratividade para a S. frugiperda dentre todos os genótipos de sorgo avaliados.(AU)

Morphogenesis and production of tanzânia, mombaça and mulato grasses under nitrogen fertilization / Morfogênese e produção dos capins tanzânia, mombaça e mulato sob adubação nitrogenada

A field trial was conducted designed in a completely randomized block in a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement to evaluate the application of nitrogen doses (N) (0, 40, 80 and 160 kg/ha) on the morphogenical characteristics and dry matter partition of three forage grasses (Panicum maximum cvs. Mombasa and Tanzania and Brachiaria sp. Hybrid Mulato). The leaf appearance (LAR, leaf/day) and stretching (LER; mm/day) rates, the number of green leaves per tiller (NLT) and the average weight of tillers (MTW; g) presented s positive linear response to the N dose while the phyllochron (Phil; day/leaves) showed a negative linear response. The highest LER, IAL and final leaf length (FLL; cm) occurred in the Mombaça and Tanzania grasses, while the highest LAR occurred in the Mulato grass. There was a negative quadratic effect of the N dose on the stem elongation rate (SER; mm/day) and LF. The Mombaça and Tanzania grasses presented the highest SER; however, in just two forages. The production of total dry matter (TDM; kg/ha), leaves (LDM; kg/ha) and stems (SDM; kg/ha) increased linearly and quadratically with the N dose, respectively, for the Mombaça and Tanzania grasses. There was a high positive correlation among DM, LDM and SDM and the Mombaça grass MTW. The dry matter production and morphogenic characteristics were influenced by the nitrogen fertilization as a result of the substantial increase in the flow of tissues stimulated by fertilization, proving the importance of N for forage biomass accumulation.

O experimento foi conduzido sob o delineamento em blocos completos ao acaso em esquema fatorial 4x3 para avaliar a aplicação de doses de nitrogênio (N) (0, 40, 80 e 160 kg/ha) sobre as características morfogênicas e a partição de matéria seca (MS) de três gramíneas forrageiras (Panicum maximum cvs. Mombaça e Tanzânia e Brachiaria sp. híbrida Mulato). As taxas de aparecimento (TapF; folhas/dia) e alongamento de folhas (TalF; mm/folha), o número de folhas verdes por perfilho (NFVP) e o peso médio de perfilhos (PMP; g) apresentaram resposta linear positiva às doses de N enquanto o filocrono (Fil; dias/folha) apresentou resposta linear negativa. Os capins Tanzânia e Mombaça apresentaram maiores TalF, Fil e comprimento final de folhas (CFF; cm) enquanto o capim Mulato apresentou maior TapF. As produções de matéria seca total (PMST; kg/ha) de folhas (PMSF; kg/ha) e de colmos (PMSC; kg/ha) aumentaram de forma quadrática e linear com as doses de N, respectivamente, para os capins Mombaça e Tanzânia. Houve alta correlação positiva entre as PMST, PMSF e PMSC e o PMP da forrageira Mombaça. A produção de matéria seca e as características morfogênicas foram influenciadas pela adubação nitrogenada, como resultado do aumento substancial do fluxo de tecidos estimulado pela adubação, o que comprova a importância do N para o acúmulo de biomassa da forragem.