Chemical desiccation is widely used in agriculture to anticipate harvest and mitigate the effects of adverse environmental conditions. It is applied to both grains and seeds. Although this practice is widely used, there are still significant gaps in understanding the effects of different herbicide application times on seed quality and plant physiological responses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different herbicide application times on cowpea, focusing on seed quality, physiological responses, and biochemical composition, including chlorophylls, carotenoids, sugars, and proline, under nocturnal desiccation. In the first experiment, eight herbicides and two mixtures were applied at night: diquat, flumioxazin, diquat + flumioxazin, glufosinate ammonium, saflufenacil, carfentrazone, diquat + carfentrazone, atrazine, and glyphosate. All of the tested herbicides caused a reduction in normal seedling formation, with the diquat + carfentrazone combination resulting in 100% abnormal seedlings. A significant decrease in chlorophyll levels (chlorophyll a: 63.5%, chlorophyll b: 50.2%) was observed using diquat, which indicates damage to photosynthetic processes, while the carotenoid content increased. Total soluble sugars and proline were also negatively impacted, reflecting physiological stress and metabolic changes in seedlings. In the second experiment, three application times were tested with diquat, diquat + flumioxazin, and diquat + carfentrazone. Nocturnal application showed the most significant reduction in chlorophyll levels and increased carotenoid levels. Application at noon and late afternoon also significantly changed the soluble sugar and proline levels. These results indicate that the herbicide application time directly influences the seeds’ physiological quality.

Grafting is an effective method for pathogen control in various crops and improved several plant and fruit characteristics. This technique has been successfully adopted in melon cultivation, particularly using rootstocks resistant to multiple diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the compatibility of melon scions with rootstocks resistant to Stagonosporopsis cucurbitacearum, Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica, and M. enterolobii, and to assess the effects of grafting on rootstock biometry, fruit yield, and fruit quality. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with four replications, 16 treatments, and seven plants per plot. Production, quality, and biometric parameters were assessed. Grafting increased epicarp and mesocarp firmness, fruit shape index, and vitamin C content, while reducing fruit length, fruit width, and locule length. Compatibility analysis revealed variability in the effects on measured traits, based on the general combining ability observed for scions JAB20-11 and 'Olimpic Express'. Grafting did not affect the total number of fruits or total fruit weight, while rootstock PI482398 exhibited the most favorable general combining ability for fruit length.

Pitaya (Selenicereus spp., Cactaceae) has gained popularity among fruit consumers due to its distinctive flavor, shape, color, as well as vitamin C and B contents. However, recent studies have reported pitaya as a host for economically important nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne. These nematodes exhibit a wide host range and are distributed across Brazil. This study assessed the susceptibility of six pitaya genotypes (S. undatus, S. polyrhizus, S. undatus subsp. lithocarpus, S. megalanthus, S. setaceus, and S. megalanthus × S. costaricensis 'Orange') to Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 20 replicates. The total numbers of eggs and second-stage juveniles (J2), as well as eggs and J2 per gram of root, were used to calculate the reproduction factor and reproduction index. Plant assessments included measurements of shoot and root fresh weights. The pitaya genotypes S. undatus, S. polyrhizus, S. undatus subsp. lithocarpus, S. megalanthus, S. setaceus, and S. megalanthus × S. costaricensis 'Orange' were classified as susceptible to M. incognita and M. javanica, as their reproduction factors exceeded 1. Further studies are necessary to identify pitaya genotypes resistant to plant-parasitic nematodes, as genetic resistance remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient strategies for nematode control in agricultural systems.

Luffa cylindrica, known as sponge gourd, stands out for its potential for use in several cosmetic, domestic and aircraft upholstery segments stands out. However, each segment requires specificity, so that genetic variability of the species can become a limiting factor in its exploitation. Thus, this study aimed to morphologically characterize 13 accessions and molecularly characterize 24 accessions of sponge gourd belonging to the Cucurbit Germplasm Collection of the Center for Agricultural Sciences of the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region. A field experiment was installed.. At ripening, were evaluated for 15 descriptors. For molecular characterization, ISSR primers were used. The data obtained with the morphological and molecular characterization separated the accessions into different cluster configurations, denoting wide genetic variability. Considering the morphological descriptors, the medial circumference of the fruit (26.7%) had the most significant contribution to the divergence found. Accessions A12, A19, A23 and A24 are indicated for the dermo-cosmetic sector, while accessions A19 and A23 are the most indicated for the vegetable sponge market since light fibers with soft texture are indicated for the cosmetic and cleaning sector. For the molecular data, 103 bands were amplified, 80% polymorphic, and the polymorphic information content showed an average of 0.28, classifying them as moderately informative. The accessions were considered distinct, which indicates that the cucurbit germplasm collection contains loofah genotypes with significant genetic diversity.