Micronutrients structurally constitute several enzymes and act as a cofactor of essential proteins to maintain cell function, thereby contributing to crop growth and yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the leaf content, growth, accumulation of micronutrients, classification and yield of onion as a function of fertilization with boron, cooper and zinc in two years of cultivation. The experiments were carried out from June to November in 2018 and 2019, in a soil classified as Ultisol, both at the Rafael Fernandes Experimental Farm, belonging to the Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, in the municipality of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with 15 treatments and four replicates. The treatments consisted of application of doses of B, Cu and Zn, in two experiments. Contents of B, Cu and Zn in the diagnostic leaf, growth, accumulation of B, Cu and Zn in the leaf, bulb and total, classification and commercial, non-commercial and total yields were evaluated. Application of B, Cu and Zn did not influence the number of leaves, relation of bulb shape, leaf, bulb, and total dry mass and yield of onion. Application of B, Cu and Zn, respectively at doses of 1-2-1 kg ha-1 favored a greater accumulation of B, Zn and Cu in the bulb. Higher number of leaves, leaf dry mass, bulb dry mass, total dry mass, class 1 bulbs and non-commercial yield were produced in Experiment 1.

In regions with high temperatures, carrot cultivation is difficult because high temperatures tend to reduce the size and pigmentation of the root and, consequently, the yield and quality of the product. However, with the advent of summer cultivars, the cultivation of quality carrots under high temperatures has been viable. The aim of this work was to evaluate the postharvest quality of ten carrot cultivars as a function of different planting dates. The experiments were carried out on the Rafael Fernandes Experimental Farm of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (UFERSA). Four experiments were carried out in May, June, July and August 2017. The experimental design was a randomized block with ten treatments and four replications. The following was evaluated: white halo percentage, soluble solids content, total soluble sugars, total titratable acidity, soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio and beta-carotene content. The interaction between the carrot cultivars and planting date had a significant influence on the postharvest quality of carrot roots. The hybrid cultivars had an overall better post-harvest quality. The carrots sown in July had better quality traits; however, they were more affected by the “white halo” disorder.

The cultivation of onion in the Brazilian Northeast region has been gaining prominence due to the favorable edaphoclimatic conditions and the use of technology. However, the increase in production costs, price fluctuations and the suppression of sulfur in fertilizer formulations constitute a risk for the farmers. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the productive and economic aspects of onion production as a response to sulfur fertilization. Two experiments were carried out from June to November 2018 and 2019, at the Rafael Fernandes Experimental Farm, belonging to the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-árido, in the municipality of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, in an Ultisol. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks with 14 treatments and four replicates, corresponding to the combination of two onion cultivars and seven doses of sulfur. The following characteristics were evaluated: sulfur content in the diagnostic leaf, bulb yield, total operating costs, gross revenue, net revenue, rate of return and yield index. Regardless of the cultivar, input costs add up to higher expenses, reaching approximate values of 60.6 and 48.4% of the total operating cost for the Rio das Antas and IPA 11 cultivars, respectively. Rio das Antas was more sulfur efficient, achieving greater bulb yield and net revenue. The 34 kg ha-1 sulfur dose promoted maximum yield and net revenue for Rio das Antas. The application of sulfur did not influence the yield of the IPA 11 cultivar.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the use of phosphorus by maize cultivars for the production of green ears. Two experiments were carried out, one in the rainy season (March to June) and the other in the dry period (August to December), both at the Rafael Fernandes Experimental Farm, in the community of Alagoinha, belonging to the Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, in the municipality of Mossoró, RN, Brazil. The treatments consisted of a combination of three levels of phosphorus (low, medium and high) and eight corn cultivars (Dona Josélia, Carrapateira, Pontinha, Cruzeta, Potiguar, BRS 2022, Status and AG 1051). A randomized block design was used in a 3 × 8 factorial scheme, with four repetitions. The evaluated characteristics were: number and total mass of green ears, number and mass of tradable, stuffed and depleted green ears, agronomic and physiological efficiency of production of recovery and use of phosphorus. The cultivars showed better productive performance when fertilized with phosphorus. The cultivars Cruzeta, Potiguar, BRS 2022, Status, AG 1051 and Carrapateira were the most efficient in the use of phosphorus to produce green maize.

Objetivou-se avaliar os componentes de produção do feijão-caupi e gergelim, consorciado com a mamoneira no semiárido paraibano. O experimento foi desenvolvido no período de março a novembro de 2011 em condições de campo em Pombal, Paraíba. Realizou-se sob delineamento experimental em blocos ao acaso com três sistemas de cultivo em dois ensaios experimentais: feijão-caupi (cv. BRS Novaera) e gergelim (cv. BRS Seda) em monocultivo, consórcio com mamona cv. IAC 2028 e consórcio com mamona cv. BRS Nordestina, com 4 repetições, totalizando 12 parcelas experimentais em cada ensaio. O consórcio com a mamoneira reduz os componentes de produção e produção do feijão-caupi e gergelim, sendo a cv. BRS Nordestina mais competitiva. Considerando as variáveis estudadas, a melhor opção para cultivo consorciado do feijão-caupi ou gergelim na região é a cv. IAC 2028. Production of cowpea and sesame intercropped with castor bean in semiarid region of Paraiba Abstract: The objective was to evaluate yield components of cowpea and sesame grown as secondary crops, intercropping with castor bean in the semiarid region of Paraiba. The experiment was carried out from March to November 2011 under field conditions in Pombal, Paraíba state. Three experimental systems were used in a randomized block design in two experimental trials: cowpea (cv. BRS Novaera) and sesame (cv. BRS Seda) in monoculture, intercropping with castor bean cv. IAC 2028 and intercropping with castor bean cv. BRS Nordestina, with 4 replicates, totaling 12 experimental plot in each trial. The intercrop with castor bean reduces yield components and yield of cowpea and sesame, with an cv. BRS Nordestina more competitive. Considering the variables studied, the best option for intercropping cowpea or sesame in the region is the cv. IAC 2028.

Maize is a crop of significant economic importance. In the northeast region of Brazil, it serves as the foundation of family support for the majority of farmers. However, achieving high levels of productivity requires an adequate water supply throughout its growth cycle. The northeast semi-arid region experiences low rainfall and high potential evapotranspiration, directly affecting maize development and leading to severe declines in productivity. In this study, genetic selection and proteomic analysis are proposed as a strategy to identify the tolerance of maize cultivars against water stress. The experiments were conducted under two water regimes using randomized block designs with three replicates. Development and productivity traits were evaluated, and genetic parameters were estimated using mixed linear models. Selection for water stress tolerance was based on the harmonic mean of the relative performance of genotypic values. Total protein extraction from maize leaves followed the protocol established by the phenol method, and peptides were analyzed through mass spectrometry. The AG8677P cultivar demonstrated remarkable productivity under drought stress conditions, and proteins related to various fundamentally important biological processes for the tolerance mechanism were identified. The combination of genetic selection with proteomic analysis proves to be an efficient strategy, even in the face of limited resources and a small number of treatments.