Priming has been used to improve the performance of germination at the field, and potassium nitrate (KNO 3 ) is a promising compound for this purpose. The nitrate (NO 3 ) could be absorbed, being used in the metabolism of the embryo, through the enzyme nitrate reductase (NR). Besides, the priming could also activate the response of the antioxidant system, becoming the primed seeds more prepared for possible stresses. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic effect of nitrate in tomato seed germination by the quantification of NR activity, and also evaluate the activity of some antioxidant enzymes as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Tomato seeds were primed using solutions of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) -1,1MPa, 50 mM KNO 3 and PEG+KNO 3 . The variables analyzed were germination (germinability, mean germination time, mean germination rate, coefficient of variation of the germination time, uncertainty and synchrony) nitrogen, total proteins and enzymes. The germination data were analyzed using an ANOVA, comparing the averages by Scott-Knott test (P < 0.05). To analyze the nitrogen, protein and enzymatic activities, we used a Kruskal-Wallis test (P < 0.05). The results show an increase in the NR activity, as well as in the antioxidant enzymes. The germination time ( t ) and germination rate ( v ) primed in KNO 3 had a better performance compared to the other treatments. In conclusion, the observed benefits in tomato seeds primed with KNO 3 were related to the activity of the enzyme nitrate reductase in the production of nitrite/nitric oxide, which acted promoting a faster germination.

The phenotype of an individual emerges from the interaction of its genotype with the environment in which it is located. Phenotypic plasticity (PP) is the ability of a specific genotype to present multiple phenotypes in response to the environment. Past and current methods for quantification of PP present limitations, mainly in what constitutes a systemic analysis of multiple traits. This research proposes an integrative index for quantifying and evaluating PP. The multivariate plasticity index (MVPi) was calculated based on the Euclidian distance between scores of a canonical variate analysis. It was evaluated for leaf physiological traits in two cases using Brazilian Cerrado species and sugarcane varieties, grown under diverse environmental conditions. The MVPi was sensitive to plant behaviour from simple to complex genotype–environment interactions and was able to inform coarse and fine changes in PP. It was correlated to biomass allocation, showing agreement between plant organizational levels. The new method proved to be elucidative of plant metabolic changes, mainly by explaining PP as an integrated process and emergent property. We recommend the MVPi method as a tool for analysis of phenotypic plasticity in the context of a systemic evaluation of plant phenotypic traits.

The main objective of this paper is to verify which economic and cultural-industrial factors influence the diffusion of ISO/TS 16949 certificates in the world. The use of multiple regression models for certification data is not new, the characterisation and quantification of the factors influencing the diffusion of ISO/TS16949 have not yet been addressed in other studies. In addition, the use of social and governmental factors makes this work more applicable to managers and decision makers. Data were collected from the ISO Survey, World Bank and Global Competitiveness Index. Twenty countries were assessed. China, Republic of Korea, India, USA and Germany were the ones with the highest number of ISO/TS 16949 certifications. The factor that most influenced the diffusion of ISO/TS 16949 was the Global Competitiveness Index. The influence was observed in the models for thirteen countries, followed by IDH. Other factors that showed influence in the of ISO/TS 16949 were: GDP_pc, Total Reserve, Foreign Direct Investment, Corruption Perceptions Index, Combating Corruption, ISO9001 (n–1) and ISO9001. Briefly, this study has several implications for the academy and industry, with the proposal of new concepts, guidelines and implementation on the factors that assist in ISO/TS 16949 certification in the world.