Rafael Pio

Chemical composition of five loquat cultivars planted in Brazil

Loquat is a fruit with high market value cultivated in Southeast Brazil. Despite of this, there are little details about its quality characteristics. Fruits from five loquat cultivars, developed using genetic breeding, were analyzed to assess their compositional traits. The cultivars Centenaria, Mizuho, Mizumo, Nectar de Cristal and Mizauto were selected based on their high productivity and resistance to diseases. Soluble sugars, organic acids, and carotenoids were quantified using liquid chromatography. The cultivar (cv.) with the highest total sugar concentration was Mizumo and the lowest concentration was found in Centenaria. The main sugar detected was sucrose, and the malic acid was the major organic acid. Ascorbic acid was detected in small amounts. The total dietary fiber contents were almost the same in all cultivars. The major carotenoids detected were β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin, except for the cultivar Nectar de Cristal, a white pulp loquat. These results contribute to the knowledge about de physiology of loquat fruit, an interesting raw material due to its nutritional and sensorial characteristics. Furthermore, the results obtained could help to identify the most appropriate use of the loquats with different attributes either for consumption in natura or for industrial processing.

Concentrações de ácido indolbutírico e tipos de substrato na propagação vegetativa de lichia

The objective of the present research was to evaluate the effect of the IBA application and different kinds of substrates in the vegetative propagation of litchi by air layering technique. The air layering had been done in semi-hardwood, healthy and vigorous branches of cultivar Bengal, in stock plants of 12 years old. The branches had been ring-girdled, 1,5 cm of width, and the exposed wound treated with different IBA concentrations (0, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 mg.L-1), enclosed with three moistened substrates (plantmax®, humus and sphagnum moss), involved with transparent plastic and tied in the two extremities. After 84 days, it was evaluated the length of root (cm), number of root expressed in notes from 0 to 5, percentage of callus and rooting. The best results in the vegetative propagation of litchi, cultivar Bengal, by air layering technique were obtained using plantmax® and IBA between 2.166 and 2.430 mg.L-1. The use of humus combined with concentrations between 2.175 and 2.250 mg.L-1 of IBA, also gave good results in the development of air layering. The poor success independently of IBA concentration was gotten with the use of sphagnum moss.

Influência da poda de renovação e controle da ferrugem nas reservas de carboidratos e produção de pessegueiro precoce

This work aimed to verify the influence of the renewal pruning and control of the rust in the reserves of non structured carbohydrates in branches and cultivar peach tree roots Flordaprince, as well as the possible effect in the production and quality of the fruits. The work was conducted in the Vegetable Production Department at ESALQ-USP, in Piracicaba. The used experimental design was in seven random blocks, consisting of three treatments, being each part composed by four plants. The treatment 1 consisted in the renewal pruning that was done 45 days after the harvest, in October 2003. In the treatment 2, the renewal pruning was not accomplished, but the rust control was done. In the treatment 3 neither the renewal pruning nor the rust control was accomplished, making the leaves fall with anticipation. The data was submitted to the variance analyses and to the comparison of the averages by Tukeys test. The spacing pattern was of 3,0 for 1,2 m, (2777 plants/ha). The plants were conducted in the central leaders system and they received the usually cultural practices. Samples of roots and branches were collected and they were dried, crushed and submitted to the laboratory analysis to check the non structured carbohydrate contents. There is a float in the concentration of soluble carbohydrates in the roots and in the branches according to the harvest period, and the contents of soluble carbohydrates in the roots are always higher than in the ones found in branches. The treatment 2 showed larger production of fruits and larger number of fruits per plant. There was no effect of the treatments in the qualitative aspects of the fruits, such as diameter, length, coloration and content of soluble solids.

Germinação de sementes e desenvolvimento inicial de plântulas de achachairu

The achachairu (Garcinia sp), a fruit widely grown in Bolivia, has been commercialized in Brazil for many years. The fruit is globular-oblong shaped, with a white succulent pulp, mucilaginous texture and a well balanced sweet-acid flavor (oBrix 15; pH 4.1). Due to the increasing interest in its cultivation in Brazil, this work was carried out aiming to study the seeds germination and seedling development throughout the first 12 months after seed emergence. The seeds, after being extracted from full ripe fruits were placed in a B.O.D. type chamber, under the following temperatures: 25, 30, 20-30 oC, as well as under room temperature (25±2 oC). The best result was given by the steady temperature of 30oC, with a germination of 92% and a germination speed index (GSI) of 0,255. At room temperature, seeds germination was low (30%), with a GSI of 0,015. Seedling development at greenhouse conditions was very slow mainly throughout the first weeks post emergence. The first pair of leaves appeared 25 days after seedling emergence, when seedlings averaged 8cm. From the eighth month on, many lateral branches were burst out, from the seedling medial portion towards the apical one.

Estiolamento, incisão na base da estaca e uso do ácido indolbutírico na propagação da caramboleira por estacas lenhosas

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, avaliar o efeito do estiolamento, da incisao na base da estaca e do tratamento com acido indolbutirico (AIB) no enraizamento de estacas lenhosas de caramboleira. As estacas foram padronizadas com um par de folhas inteiras e 12 cm de comprimento. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento estatistico inteiramente casualizado, em arranjo fatorial 3 x 4, onde os fatores estudados foram tecnicas aplicadas nas estacas (estiolamento, ferimento na base e controle) e diferentes concentracoes de AIB (0; 3.000; 6.000 e 9.000 mg L-1). As estacas lenhosas foram utilizadas como tratamento-controle. O estiolamento foi realizado 45 dias antes da retirada da estaca no ramo, envolvendo-se a base da futura estaca com fita plastica preta. A incisao na base da estaca foi realizada no preparo das mesmas, atraves de dois cortes na base. As estacas foram mantidas em câmara de nebulizacao intermitente e, apos 75 dias, avaliaram-se as porcentagens de estacas enraizadas, de estacas vivas, de formacao de calos e o numero de raizes emitidas por estaca. Concluiu-se que as tecnicas de estiolamento e ferimento na base da estaca, e a aplicacao de AIB nao induziram a formacao de raizes em estacas lenhosas de caramboleira.

Desempenho produtivo de nespereiras enxertadas em marmeleiro 'Portugal'

The objective of this work was to compare the performance of five loquat selections grafted on quince seedlings and on loquat seedlings. The following selections were assessed: IAC 966-23, IAC 265-66, IAC 1467-25, Mizauto (IAC 167-4) and Mizumo (IAC 1567-411). The selections were grafted in rooted cuttings of quince cultivar Portugal (planted at the field with an spacing of 4x2 m, corresponding to a density of 1,250 plants ha-1) and in loquat seedlings (planted at the field with an spacing of 7x4 m, corresponding to a density of 357 plants ha-1). The experiments were carried in Monte Alegre do Sul, SP, Brazil. Production (kg and number of the fruits per plant), fruit average mass (g) and productivity (Mg ha-1), along three years of plantation at the field, were evaluated. After the last harvest, the average of all harvests was calculated. The IAC 265-66 selection showed the best performance when grafted on quince and loquat rootstocks. Despite the lower production, there was no difference in productive between quince and loquat as rootstocks. The use of quince as rootstock is an option for loquat cultivation, mainly due to the plant size reduction and consequently, the easier cultural practices.

Superfosfato simples e cloreto de potássio na formação de porta-enxerto de sapotizeiro [Manilkara zapota (L.) Von Royen]

Objetivou-se com este estudo avaliar o efeito da aplicacao de superfosfato simples e cloreto de potassio no desenvolvimento de porta-enxerto de sapotizeiro ate a epoca de enxertia. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial 4 x 4, sendo quatro doses de superfosfato simples (0; 2,5; 5 e 10 kg m-3 de substrato) e quatro doses de cloreto de potassio (0; 1; 2 e 4 kg m-3 de substrato) com quatro repeticoes e duas plantas por parcela. Os porta-enxertos foram avaliados quando atingiram o ponto de enxertia, nas seguintes caracteristicas: altura da muda (cm); comprimento de raiz (cm); numero de folhas; materia seca da raiz, da parte aerea e total (g). Pelas respostas obtidas verificou-se que na formacao de porta-enxerto de sapotizeiro ha necessidades de aplicacao dos fertilizantes cloreto de potassio e, principalmente, o superfosfato simples. Doses de superfosfato simples de ate 5 kg m-3 com 4 kg m-3 de cloreto de potassio proporcionaram, a essa frutifera, ganhos em materia seca.