Fertilization management is essential for forage production. However, excessive use of synthetic fertilizers causes environmental imbalances. An alternative to reduce these effects is to seek alternative fertilizers, such as wood ash produced from agro-industrial waste, when integrated with appropriate base saturation management. This study aims to compare the effects of fertilization with wood ash (WA), organomineral (OM), and mineral (M) fertilizers associated with different levels of base saturation on the growth and water productivity of Panicum maximum cv. BRS Zuri. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, using a randomized block design in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement. The treatments consisted of three types of fertilization (WA, OM and M) and three levels of base saturation (0, 25%, and 50%). Leaf area, chlorophyll index, shoot dry mass and root dry mass, water consumption, and water productivity of Zuri grass were evaluated. The results showed significant increases in leaf area, with values of up to 4564.5 cm².pot⁻¹ and a chlorophyll index of up to 36.2 units. In addition, the dry mass of the aerial part reached up to 46.7 g.pot⁻¹, and the dry mass of the roots reached 21.7 g.pot⁻¹ with the use of OM fertilizers. These values represent an increase of between 43.1% and 69.6% compared to the values of conventional fertilizers. In addition, water productivity reached 4.9 g.L⁻¹ with WA-based fertilizers, an increase of around 39% compared to the values of mineral fertilizers.

Plant resistance to drought stress is a parameter that should be studied with more emphasis in the search for higher agricultural yields. In this scenario, research within breeding programs should be directed toward specific mechanisms of action and important agricultural crops in worldwide agribusiness. From this perspective, this study carried out a bibliographic investigation regarding the advances in genetic improvement aimed at drought stress in crops using a hybrid model of analysis of scientific articles. The analysis employed bibliometric parameters for qualitative and quantitative discussion of scientific production and the methodological process of systematic review for the synthesis of the results obtained. The work was divided into four stages: the search for articles in databases, meta-analysis, bibliometric analysis, and systematic analysis. Scientific articles were searched for on the Scopus, Scielo, and Web of Science databases within a 20-year timeframe. Most authors and institutions were from Asian countries, demonstrating the need for global expansion of research on the subject. With regard to the co-occurrence networks between the keywords used in the search, a focus was observed on the following terms: drought resistance, drought stress; drought, and drought tolerance. Evidently, the primary mechanism of tolerance or even resistance studied in breeding programs is associated with the expression of genes and genetically modified organisms that confer resistance to plants. Also, the crops addressed in the research retrieved are highly diverse.

The use of agro-industrial waste, such as wood ash or biomass ash, has been adopted as an alternative to synthetic fertilizers for providing nutrients to plants. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of primary and secondary macronutrients in soil cultivated with chrysanthemum under different types of fertilization management: organic, organomineral, and mineral, with and without liming. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse for 185 days, using a randomized blocks design in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme: five fertilization types (incubated and unincubated wood ash, organomineral fertilizer, mineral fertilizer, and control) and two levels of liming (without liming and 70% base saturation) with five replicates. The soil used was Oxisol. The phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur contents in the soil after cultivation were analyzed. There was a 77% increase in potassium in treatments with ash compared to treatments without ash. The corrected soil presented 173.2 mg dm⁻³ of potassium, compared to 153.6 mg dm⁻³ in the uncorrected soil, an increase of 11.6%. The calcium levels increased by 60% with the application of ash (incubated or not) and organomineral fertilizer, compared to soils without ash. Liming increased calcium by 1.12 cmol_c dm⁻³. Fertilizers with ash associated with liming resulted in higher magnesium levels. The sulfur content varied according to the fertilizer, with non-incubated ash showing the highest value (69.11 mg dm⁻³) compared to the control (11.08 mg dm⁻³), a difference of 83.96%. Organomineral fertilizer is an alternative for increasing the availability of macronutrients in the soil, allowing a second cropping cycle without the need to manage soil fertility, contributing to sustainable agriculture, encouraging the reuse of waste, and reducing the use of mineral fertilizers.

The field capacity of Oxisol was evaluated using the flux density in the field, Arya-Paris model, and Richards pressure chamber with non-deformed samples, and the water retention curve and soil moisture were determined using the Arya-Paris model at a pressure of 10 kPa. The research was conducted at the Federal University of Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The soil evaluated was Oxisol at depths of 0-10 and 10-20 cm. Using the flux density method, at a water flux density q = 0.10 mm per day and 1.0 mm per day, soil moisture values at field capacity were 0.30 and 0.32 m³ m^-3, respectively, at a depth of 0-10 cm and 0.28 and 0.31 m³ m^-3, respectively, at a depth of 10-20 cm. Comparing the results obtained with the pressure chamber with those of the field capacity obtained for q = 0.1 mm per day, the mean absolute error and bias were 0.880 and -0.218, respectively, for the 0-10 cm depth and 2.57 and -2.57, respectively, for the 10-20 cm depth. Field capacity of Oxisol can be obtained by subjecting undeformed 50 cm³ samples to a pressure of 10 kPa. The Arya-Paris model is an alternative for determining the soil water retention curve and the field capacity of Oxisol.

This study aimed to evaluate substrates enriched with wood ash in the performance of three cherry tomato cultivars regarding vegetative development, productivity, and fruit quality in a protected environment. The study was conducted at Universidade Federal de Rondonópolis in a randomized block design in a 2x3 factorial scheme, with two types of substrates (substrate 1: mechanized Oxisol+wood ash; substrate 2: Oxisol from a preserved area + commercial compost + wood ash) and three cherry tomato cultivars (Carolina, Red Cherry, and Cherry), with eight replications. Substrate 2 contains approximately 54% more organic matter than substrate 1, which significantly contributes to greater fruit mass, leaf area, and water use efficiency in the cherry tomato cultivars. In substrate 2, fruit mass exceeded 600 g per plant, while leaf area surpassed 2000 cm² per plant. Additionally, for each liter of water supplied, fruit mass increased by 87 g. The titratable acidity of the fruit was higher in the fruit grown in substrate 1. The growing medium did not alter the total soluble solids content. The Carolina and Red Cherry cultivars had the highest average fruit mass, leaf area, and water use efficiency. Keywords: cherry tomatoes; fruit quality; sustainable horticulture; alternative substrate; water use efficiency; agro-industrial residue.

This study pioneers the integration of the water sensitivity coefficient (Ky) with cotton yield performance under varying water regimes in the Brazilian Cerrado. The objective was to evaluate the productive performance and fiber yield of cotton cultivars under different water regimes during the tropical dry season. The experiment followed a randomized block design in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme with four replications, totaling 80 plots. Treatments consisted of five irrigation levels based on crop evapotranspiration (25%, 50%, 75%, 100% and 125% of ETc) and four cultivars (TMG44B2RF, FM944GL, IMA5801B2RF and IMA709B2RF). Increasing water supply enhanced cotton lint yield, reaching 3209.4 kg ha⁻¹ at the highest regime. Water regimes between 25 and 125% of the ETc significantly improved yield components, leading to an increase of up to 221% in lint yield. Fiber quality remained stable across irrigation levels and was mainly genotype-dependent. Among the cultivars, FM944GL showed high productivity and fiber yield, while IMA5801B2RF demonstrated greater water resilience (Ky = 0.73), making it suitable for water-limited environments. The findings reflect the specific conditions of the evaluated growing season. Thus, long-term studies under diverse environmental conditions are recommended to confirm these trends and enhance understanding of cotton responses to water regimes in the Cerrado.