José Carlos Fachinello

Situação e perspectivas da fruticultura de clima temperado no Brasil

Fruticulture is present in all Brazilian states, and as economic activity, involves around five million people, directly and indirectly. Brazil is the third largest fruit producer, with output of around 40 million tons a year, but has only 2% of global trade industry, which demonstrates the high domestic consumption. The Brazilian fruit growing area is approximately 1.9 million hectares of which 1,034,708 hectares of tropical fruits, 928,552 ha of subtropical fruits and 135,857 ha of temperate species. Among the fruits of temperate climate, are table and wine grapes (81,677 ha), apples (39,081 ha), peaches, plums and nectarines (19,102 ha), persimmons (8,740 ha), strawberries, blackberries, raspberries , blueberries (3,560 ha), figs (3,072 ha), pears (1,404 ha) and quinces (211 ha). Even with a smaller area than the species of tropical and subtropical climate, the temperate fruits have a social importance, highlighted in several regions of southern Brazil, which corresponds to the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana, of southeastern Brazil, Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais, and in the Sao Francisco Valley region, in northeasten Brazil, either as fresh crops, agribusiness and/or agrotourism. Brazilian exports of fruits in recent years have been very positive, both in volume and in value. In 1998 Brazil exported 294,222 tons of fruits, whereas in 2008 exported 887,978 tons, representing a 201.8% increase in export volume. The main fruits that contributed to this significant increase were melon, mango, banana, apple and grape, with an increase in export volume between 1998 and 2008 of 226, 242, 91, 948 and 1766% respectively. The production of quality fruits in the temperate regions of southeastern Brazil needs genetic and breeding programs and studies on agricultural management, as well as on plant physiology to adapt them to the mild winter and to the range of temperatures, very frequent in major Brazilian regions. The long summers and precipitation excess cause many diseases and pests, which often requires pesticide treatments in excess. The management of the orchards with integrated fruit production is enabling the production of high quality fruits and at the same time is reducing the environmental impact of the activity. The challenges are related to climate changes, the necessity of pesticide use reduction and supplies, the fruit handling pre-and post-harvest, and to the need for logistics to suit the different markets, the control of pests and diseases and the breeding programs, in order to meet the new demands of each temperate species.

Non-destructive evaluation of ripening and quality traits in apples using a multiparametric fluorescence sensor.

BACKGROUND The detection of pigments and colourless flavonoids in apples can provide a useful indication of fruit quality. Optical methods are preferable because they are fast and non-destructive. In this study, a fluorescence-based portable sensor was used in order to non-invasively determine the content of chlorophylls, anthocyanins and flavonols in Fuji, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apple cultivars. The aim was to define new non-destructive optical indices of apple quality. RESULTS The anthocyanin index (ANTH) in Fuji was higher in the sunny (i.e. sun-exposed) side of the fruit compared to the shady side. For all cultivars, the flavonol index (FLAV) was higher in the sunny side compared with the shady side. The chlorophyll index (CHL) for the shady sides of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious was significantly higher than for the sunny sides. Fine linear regressions were found between the ANTH, FLAV and CHL indices and the actual anthocyanin, flavonol and chlorophyll concentrations, respectively, which were determined destructively on the apple peel extracts. A negative correlation was found between the apple sugar content and the chlorophyll fluorescence in the far-red spectral band. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that a single multiparametric fluorescence-based sensor can provide valuable non-destructive markers of ripening and quality in apples.

Cutting time, indolebutyric acid and tryptophan in rooting of peach tree cuttings

The use of seeds to obtain rootstocks originates individuals different from the mother plant. Genetical homogenous material can be obtained by cutting. This work evaluates the effects harvest time of peach branches, tryptophan levels and the application of indolebutyric acid (IBA) on the rooting of cuttings kept in greenhouse under intermittent mist. Cuttings of Diamante, Capdeboscq and BR-2 cultivars were taken from branches half way in the growing season and prepared to be 12cm long, with two basical lateral incisions and one pair of apical leaves (except during winter). The cuttings were treated by immersion of the base for 5 seconds in indolebutyric acid solution at concentrations of 0, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 mg L-1, and kept for 60 days in vermiculite-filled polyethylene bags under intermittent mist. Branches were collected and evaluated for endogenous tryptophan level and their correlation on cultivar rooting capacity. There were rooting differences among cultivars. Treatment with indolebutyric acid increased rooting percentual, number and dry matter weight of roots. The best results of rooting and number of roots per cutting were obtained in the spring and summer time; greater dry matter weight of the roots occurred during spring time. A negative correlation between endogenous tryptophan levels and rooting cuttings percentual was observed.The use of seeds to obtain rootstocks originates individuals different from the mother plant. Genetical homogenous material can be obtained by cutting. This work evaluates the effects harvest time of peach branches, tryptophan levels and the application of indolebutyric acid (IBA) on the rooting of cuttings kept in greenhouse under intermittent mist. Cuttings of Diamante, Capdeboscq and BR-2 cultivars were taken from branches half way in the growing season and prepared to be 12cm long, with two basical lateral incisions and one pair of apical leaves (except during winter). The cuttings were treated by immersion of the base for 5 seconds in indolebutyric acid solution at concentrations of 0, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 mg L, and kept for 60 days in vermiculite-filled polyethylene bags under intermittent mist. Branches were collected and evaluated for endogenous tryptophan level and their correlation on cultivar rooting capacity. There were rooting differences among cultivars. Treatment with indolebutyric acid increased rooting percentual, number and dry matter weight of roots. The best results of rooting and number of roots per cutting were obtained in the spring and summer time; greater dry matter weight of the roots occurred during spring time. A negative correlation between endogenous tryptophan levels and rooting cuttings percentual was observed.

Avaliação de populações de Butia capitata de Santa Vitória do Palmar

ABSTRACT - The genus Butia belongs to the Arecaceae family and shows five species occurring in the state of Rio Grande de Sul. The specie Butia capitata requires special attention, not just for its use as fresh consumption but also as processed product. However, even having its use recorded since the pre-historic period this specie has been explored only in an extrativist way as most species of native fruits. Moreover, the specie is seriously committed in the short term by the absence of natural regeneration and a very high risk of extinction in the future. Therefore, the objective of this work was to compare the fruits, from chemical and physical parameters, and as well as to observe the productive data of the trees of three different popula-tions of pindo palm tree in Santa Vitoria do Palmar. The data were obtained in experiments carried out in the 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 seasons at three sites located in Santa Vitoria do Palmar. The results allowed verifying that the populations of Butia capitata assessed in Santa Vitoria do Palmar showed variability for length of cycle, fruit epidermis color, juice volume, relationship between total soluble solids and total titrat-able acidity, biometric characteristics of fruit and yield. The population denominated Celina showed the highest yield and industrial income. Celina and Sao Jose showed the best biometric characteristics of fruit. The population Aguiar had the better relationship between total soluble solids and total titratable acidity.Index terms: Pindo palm tree, yield, fruit quality.

Efeito de auxinas e condições de cultivo no enraizamento in vitro de porta-enxertos de macieira 'M-9'

The utilization of trees with desirable characteristics, genetics and sanitary, is an important factor for the success in plant propagation. The micropropagation, in comparison with the traditional vegetative propagation methods, helps to increase the production and to get trees with higher sanitary quality. In this technique rooting is a crucial stage to the development of the plants propagated in vitro. In such context, it was aimed to test cultivation conditions and types and concentrations of auxin for the rooting in vitro of the cv. M-9 apple tree root-stook. Shoots (1cm) were used, and they were cultivated in half MS. medium, with the addition of gelrite for their solidification. The auxins used were IAA, NAA and IBA, in 0.5; 1.0; 5.0; 10.0; 20.0; 50.0 and 100.0 mM concentrations. Two different incubation conditions were tested. In the first one, the explants were kept into the light (30 days), and in the second one, the explants were kept for 5 days in the dark with further transfer to light (25 days). In both conditions, the explants were exposed to plant growth regulators during all the time, or just for ten days, with further transfer to a medium without plant growth regulator. The variables analysed were as follows: rooting percentage; number, length and kind of root, while in the shoot test, apart from these, the survival percentage in the stage of aclimatization was evaluated. IAA induced higher rooting percentage, plants with better root system and leaves in the highest concentrations, but when it was used IBA and NAA these characteristics were observed in the lowest concentrations. When the explants were cultivated for just ten days in medium added writh auxins, they presented, in general, better results.

Efeito do ácido indolbutírico e da cultivar no enraizamento de estacas lenhosas de mirtilo

Dentre os metodos de multiplicacao do mirtilo, a propagacao por meio de estacas e uma tecnica de baixo custo, que proporciona resultados variaveis, de acordo com a cultivar e outros fatores. Objetivou-se, com este trabalho, avaliar o efeito do AIB no enraizamento de estacas lenhosas de mirtilo das cultivares Powderblue, Delite, Climax, Bluebelle e Woodard. O material vegetativo utilizado, oriundo de matrizeiro, constituiu em segmentos de ramos principais, com 15 cm de comprimento e diâmetro aproximado de 6 mm. Apos o preparo das estacas, as bases das mesmas foram imersas, por 15 segundos, em uma solucao com fitorregulador (AIB), nas concentracoes de 0; 1.000; 2.000; 4.000 e 8.000 mg.L-1 , sendo colocadas para enraizar em areia de granulometria media, sob irrigacao intermitente, por microaspersao. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repeticoes e dez estacas por parcela. Apos oito meses da instalacao do experimento, avaliaram-se a porcentagem de estacas enraizadas, o numero medio de raizes por estaca, o comprimento da maior raiz, o numero medio de brotacoes e o comprimento da maior brotacao. A resposta das diferentes cultivares de mirtilo ao enraizamento das estacas variou com a concentracao de acido indolbutirico (AIB). Independentemente do uso de AIB e da cultivar, na maioria dos tratamentos, a porcentagem de enraizamento foi superior a 55%.

Microsatellite markers for identification of Prunus spp. rootstocks

Cultivar characterization for fruit trees certification requires fast, efficient and reliable techniques. Microsatellite markers (SSR) were used in the molecular characterization of 29 Prunus spp. rootstocks. The DNA from the rootstocks was analyzed using five pre-selected SSR primers (UDP96-005, UDP96-008, UDP96-013, UDP96-18 and UDP98-414) and revealed 81 alleles, which allowed each genotype to be identified. The UDP96-005 marker generated the most information, i.e., 23 well-distributed, polymorphic alleles among all genotypes. The 21 polymorphisms produced by UDP96-013 occurred mainly as a result of high degree of variability among genotypes of the Prunophora subgenus. In the dendrogram, the five markers allowed the 29 rootstocks to be grouped into subgroups corresponding to the subgenus they belong to, either Prunophora or Amygdalus. Suitable cophenetic correlation coefficient (r=0.82) and good bootstrapping fitting value among the Prunophora subgroup cultivars were obtained. SSR markers proved to be efficient and reliable for the molecular characterization of Prunus spp. rootostocks.

Manejo de pragas e doenças na produção integrada e convencional de pêssegos

A Producao Integrada de Pessego (PIP) esta sendo desenvolvida na regiao de Pelotas-RS, desde o ano de 1999, com o objetivo de avaliar, agronomicamente, o sistema de Producao Integrada (PI) comparado com o sistema de Producao Convencional (PC), em pomar de pessegueiro cv. Diamante. Foram analisados os dados de cinco safras (1999-2003), onde as avaliacoes compreenderam danos causados por pragas: grafolita, mosca-das-frutas, gorgulho e cochonilha; ocorrencia de doencas: podridao-parda, bacteriose, sarna e outras doencas; e numero de aplicacoes de agrotoxicos. Os danos por grafolita foram de 1,11% e de 1,69%, para os sistemas PI e PC, respectivamente. Os danos decorrentes do ataque pelo gorgulho do milho foram de 2,12% na PI e 0,86% na PC. No sistema PI, o percentual de frutas com podridao-parda foi de 26,27% e na PC foi de 30,55%, sendo a maior causa das perdas nos pomares. A ocorrencia de sarna foi muito elevada na area com PC, no ano de 2003, atingindo 33,82% dos frutos analisados. O numero de tratamentos fitossanitarios foi maior na PC, em 1999 e 2000 e, posteriormente, houve similaridade nos tratamentos efetuados nos dois sistemas PI e PC. A avaliacao conjunta dos resultados demonstra uma superacao do sistema PI, quando comparado com o sistema PC, nos parâmetros analisados, indicando que e possivel conduzir os pomares de pessegueiro de acordo com as Normas de Producao Integrada de Pessego.

RAPDs na caracterização genético-molecular e no estudo da variabilidade genética de cultivares de ameixeira

Molecular markers have been used thoroughly in many fruit crops species for fingerprinting analysis during the vegetal material certification process, and as an auxiliary tool in breeding programs to access genetic variability among genotypes. The plum is an important crop in Southern Brazil. The present paper aims to contribute for the genetic-molecular characterization of 17 plum cultivars, which were analyzed with 12 RAPD markers that produced 187 polymorphisms. The OP A20 marker was the most polymorphic, producing 26 different profiles. The cluster analysis was represented by a dendrogram using the UPGMA method, and showed a clear cultivar separation in to three groups corresponding to the species, Prunus salicina, Prunus domestica and Prunus cerasifera, respectively. A high degree of polymorphism was detected by the RAPD markers in the plum. This confirms the potential of the techanique of fingerprinting analysis and its usefulness in the estimate of the genetic variability among plum cultivars.

AVALIAÇÃO DA COMPATIBILIDADE DA ENXERTIA EM Prunus sp.

The work was accomplished aiming to quantify the peroxidase activity and total phenols, in order to verify the physiological and biochemical processes in grafting of Prunus sp. cultivars. The samples were processed and obtained in bark and wood of the peach rootstocks (GF 677, Okinawa, Capdeboscq and Aldrighi) and plum rootstocks (Mirabolano and Marianna), after they had or not been grafted with the stock Diamante, Eldorado and Santa Rosa. It could be concluded that the peroxidase and the total phenols activity influenced the union between stock and rootstock; after grafting, the incompatibility degree is related with high peroxidase activity and total phenols in the rootstock Marianna and Mirabolano. The Santa Rosa plum graft is as compatible to plum rootstocks as to the peach ones.