The objective of this work was to evaluate the initial growth of Bauhinia variegata L. when inoculated and fertilized with different proportions of organic compost. The experiment was performed in greenhouse in a completely random factorial (2 x 5) + 1 design, with 9 replicates, constituted by the presence or absence of inoculation, five proportions of organic compost:soil (0:100, 20:40, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20; v/v) and one additional treatment with chemical fertilization without inoculation. Ninety days after sowing, the plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, radicular length, dry mass of the aerial portion, dry mass of roots, total dry mass, Dicksosn's quality index (IQD), contents of nitrogen and carbon and the C/N ratio of the dry mass of the aerial portion, were evaluated. The inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria stimulated growth in height, stem height/diameter ratio, dry mass of the aerial portion, dry mass of roots, total dry mass and the foliar contents of nitrogen and carbon in seedlings of B. variegata L. Seedlings grown using organic compost showed better development when compared to seedlings grown only in soil with or without chemical fertilization. Seedlings grown with formulated substrate at a proportion of 16:84 (organic compost:soil + inoculation) exhibited higher IQD, therefore, this constitutes the recommended proportion for production of B.variegata L. seedlings.

Embora avanços tecnológicos tenham ocorrido no setor florestal brasileiro, ainda não há uma padronização quanto à quantidade de água a aplicar nas diferentes etapas de desenvolvimento das plantas, e de doses de condicionadores de umidade do solo, visando a redução do déficit hídrico em solos sob cultivo do Eucalyptus urograndis. Diante disso, objetivou-se avaliar o uso do hidrogel em Eucalyptus urograndis associado a níveis de umidade do Latossolo Amarelo distrocoeso. O estudo foi conduzido em casa de vegetação da Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia. Os tratamentos foram constituídos por quatro níveis de umidade no solo (50, 75, 100 e 125%), a partir da água disponível no solo, e quatro doses de hidrogel (0; 1,5; 3,0 e 4,5 g L-1), em delineamento inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 4 x 4, com 16 tratamentos e 4 repetições. As variáveis avaliadas foram: altura (H), diâmetro do caule (DC), índices de clorofila A, B e total, massa seca do caule (MSC), massa seca de folhas (MSF), massa seca da parte aérea (MSPA), massa seca de raízes (MSR), massa seca parte aérea/massa seca raiz (MSPA/MSR), massa seca total (MST) e altura/diâmetro (H/DC). O uso de hidrogel aumenta a disponibilidade de água em Latossolo Amarelo distrocoeso e reduz o efeito do déficit hídrico na cultura. A dose de 3,0 g L-1 de hidrogel proporciona melhor crescimento e produção de fitomassa do Eucalyptus urograndis, quando o nível de umidade inicial do solo está em torno da capacidade de vaso.

The addition of adequate proportions of organic residues to formulate substrates with soil, render positive results on germination and seedling growth by providing benefits to the physical and chemical attributes of the soil. Determining an adequate proportion of such residues is essential to obtain seedlings exhibiting morphophysiological quality. This study aims to evaluate seed emergence and the development of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Swartz and Cassia grandis L. f. seedlings in organic substrates. The experiment was set in a completely randomized design arranged in 2 x 3 x 5 factorial scheme, consisting of two soil classes (Oxisol and Entisol), three types of organic substrate (COP (organic compost from tree pruning + cattle and goat manure), CLU (urban waste compost), RES (residue from the extraction of sisal fiber) and five percentages of organic residues (0, 20, 40, 60, 80). The percentage of emergence and emergence speed of seeds, plant height, number of leaves, root length and dry mass were determined. The species showed better results for these variables when adding organic residues to the substrate. The addition of 80% COP or CLU to the substrate provided higher mean values for percentage of emergence in seeds of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, and the substrate constituted by only soil provided higher dry mass in seedlings of this species. The combination of 50% COP and 50% soil (Oxisol and Entisol) resulted in higher means for the percentage of seed emergence, velocity of emergence and biomass production in Cassia grandis L. f. seedlings.

The objective of this work was to verify the influence of light environments combined with rhizobia inoculation on cowpea growth and productivity. A completely random design was used in a 4x4 factorial scheme, with four light environments, four nitrogen sources and eight replicates in split plot parcels. Light environments were set by means of photo-conversion and thermo-conversion nettings (Aluminet®, red net and black net) and control treatment without shading (full sun). Nitrogen sources were constituted by the strains INPA 03-11B - SEMIA 6462 (Bradyrhizobium elkanni) and UFLA 03-84 - SEMIA 6461 (Bradyrhizobium viridifuturi), and two control treatments: with 70 kg ha-1 of mineral nitrogen and without N. Plant height, indices of chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophill, the number of leaves, number of nodules, dry matter of nodules, dry matter of the aerial portion, dry matter of roots and total dry matter, relative efficiency, gathering of nitrogen in the aerial portion, number, length and matter of pods per plant and dry matter of 100 grains, were evaluated. . There was interaction between light conditions and nitrogen sources for the number of nodules. Individual effect was observed in all other variables. Strain INPA 03-11B was able to promote higher nodulation in cowpea plants in light environments under full sun and Aluminet and the strain UFLA 03-84 only under full sun conditions. However, the efficiency of diazotrophic bacteria to promote vegetative growth, nitrogen gathering and production was not influenced by different light environments. Thus, full sun cultivation is recommended, independently of the nitrogen source used.

Substratos orgânicos formulados a partir de adições de solo a compostos orgânicos de diferentesorigens podem interferir no crescimento inicial e qualidade de mudas de espécies arbóreas. Avaliamos ainteração entre tipos e proporções de compostos orgânicos (CO) na nodulação e produção de mudas deClitoria fairchildiana. O experimento foi disposto em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com fatorial2 x 5, dois tipos de CO [COP (de poda de árvore) e CLU (de lixo urbano)] e cinco proporções de compostoorgânico:solo (0:100; 20:80; 40:60; 60:40; 80:20; v:v), com cinco repetições. Avaliaram-se: a nodulaçãonatural (NN), altura da planta (H), diâmetro do caule (DC), número de folhas (NF) e comprimento da raiz(CR), massa seca da parte aérea (MSPA), massa seca de raízes (MSR), massa seca total (MST), relaçõesentre altura sobre massa seca da parte aérea (H/MSPA), massa seca da parte aérea sobre massa seca da raiz(MSPA/MSR) e o Índice de Qualidade de Dickson (IQD). As proporções de CO influenciaram H, NF, DC,CR, MSPA, MSR, MST, H/MSPA, MSPA/MSR e IQD das mudas de C. fairchildiana. Houve interação entreos tipos e proporções de CO para H, MSPA, MSR, MST, H/MSPA, IQD e CR. Substratos constituídos porproporções de COP ou de CLU adicionados a Latossolo reduzem o crescimento inicial e a nodulação naturaldas mudas. O substrato indicado para o crescimento inicial de mudas de C. fairchildiana pode ser constituídoapenas por Latossolo Amarelo.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of artificial defoliation on vegetative and productive stages of cowpea inoculated with diazotrophic bacteria, in two experiments. The first experiment was performed in a greenhouse with 5 × 5 factorial (five defoliation percentages and five N sources), with four repetitions. N sources consisted of bacterial inoculation with strains INPA 03-11B, UFLA 03-84, UFRB FA34C2-2, and two control treatments: i - with N fertilization and ii - blank control, without N fertilization and without inoculation. The second experiment was performed in the field, in a 3 × 5 factorial scheme, with three repetitions. Treatments consisted of three N sources: with N fertilization, with bacterial strain INPA 03-11B that was selected in the first experiment, and five percentages of artificial defoliation. Defoliation percentages for both experiments were 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%. Artificial defoliation during the vegetative stage caused reduction in the dry mass of bacterial nodules. Inoculation increased plant tolerance to defoliation and enhanced grain nutrient concentration (N and P). Inoculation with the strain INPA 03-11B allowed cowpea plants to tolerate 50% defoliation in the vegetative stage. The mean productivity of cowpea was reduced under > 50% defoliation during the productive stage; therefore, control of defoliating pests until the productive stage is not necessary under field conditions.