The monitoring of plants growth constitutes an important activity during the crops formation, including the yellow passion fruit. In this direction, an experiment was carried out in Remigio, Paraiba State, Brazil, to evaluate the effects of saline water irrigation, bovine biofertilizer and potassium on yellow passion fruit growth plants and soil salinity. Treatments were arranged in randomized block with three replications and 12 plants per plot, using factorial design 2 x 2 x 2, relative electrical conductivity of irrigation water of 0.35 to 4.00 dS m-1, in soil with and without biofertilizer and potassium chloride (KCl) conventional and coated with polymers. The variables studied were electrical conductivity of the soil at depths of 0-20 and 21-40 cm, plant height at 30 days after transplanting (DAT), period of the seedlings transplanting to pruning of the main haste and lateral branches, number of productive branches and stem diameter at 30, 90, 150, 210 and 270 DAT. The interaction between water salinity, biofertilizer and potassium increased the soil salinity. The biofertilizer and the slow release of KCl increased the plant growth in height, anticipating the main stem pruning and productive side branches, productive branches number and stem diameter of the plants. Key words: Passiflora edulis, electrical conductivity, organic input.

The poor chemical quality of water, especially in arid and semiarid regions, almost always precludes the practice of irrigated agriculture, thus demanding the adoption of techniques that mitigate the deleterious effects of excess salt on soil and plants. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of nitrogen fertilization in mitigating the negative effects of excess salt in irrigation water on the growth of yellow passion fruit seedlings grown in a greenhouse in plastic tubes containing 0.65 dm3 of substrate. The treatments were organized in randomized blocks, in accordance with a 5 × 3 factorial scheme – five electrical conductivities of irrigation water (0.3, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 dS m?1) combined with three levels of nitrogen fertilizer (no nitrogen fertilization and 150 mg dm?3 of N derived from either ammonium sulfate or urea). Evaluations were performed 80 days after sowing and consisted of measuring the seedling height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, leaf nitrogen content, leaf concentration of chlorophyll a and b and total chlorophyll, specific leaf area, leaf area ratio, and Dickson quality index. An increase in the electrical conductivity of irrigation water hindered the production of yellow passion fruit seedlings. Nitrogen fertilization, with urea or ammonium sulfate, mitigated the effects of irrigation water salinity and favored the growth and quality of yellow passion fruit seedlings. Yellow passion fruit seedlings with a minimum quality standard (DQI) can be produced with irrigation water with salinity of 1.8 dS m?1, which means they can be considered as moderately sensitive. The higher quality provided by nitrogen to the yellow passion fruit seedlings made them more tolerant to salinity, allowing the use of water with salinity of 2.1 and 2.5 dS m?1 under fertilization with ammonium sulfate and urea, respectively.

The sunflower is among the top five crops in the world for the production of edible vegetable oil. The species displays rustic behavior, with an excellent edaphic and climatic adaptability index, being able to be cultivated throughout Brazil. Seed quality is the key to increasing production and productivity in the sunflower. The objective of this work was to monitor the viability of sunflower seeds with a view to their conservation when stored in different environments and packaging. The seeds were packed in paper bags, multilayered paper, black polyethylene and PET bottles; and stored for a period of twelve months in the following environments: dry cold room (10 ºC and 55% RH), the ambient conditions of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil (30-32 ºC and 75% RH), refrigerator (4 ºC and 38-43% RH) and freezer (-20 ºC). Every three months, the water content of the seeds was determined and germination, accelerated ageing, speed of emergence index, and seedling dry weight were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a scheme of split-lots, with four replications. It can be concluded that the natural environment is not suitable for the storage of sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds remain viable for 12 months when stored in a dry cold room, refrigerator or freezer, irrespective of the type of packaging used.

A aplicação de biofertilizantes de esterco fresco de gado bovino pode atenuar os efeitos negativos do excesso de sais na germinação das sementes e crescimento inicial das plantas. Nessa direção, foi desenvolvido um experimento em abrigo telado do Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, município de Areia-PB, para avaliar os efeitos de biofertilizantes durante a formação de mudas de maracujazeiro amarelo irrigadas com água salina. Os tratamentos foram organizados em esquema fatorial 2 x 3 x 5, referente à salinidade da água de irrigação (0,43 e 4,5 dS m-1), no substrato sem e com biofertilizantes (comum e quimicamente enriquecido) nas concentrações de 0,0; 2,5; 5,0; 7,5 e 10,0%, diluído em água não salina. As épocas de aplicação dos biofertilizantes foram uma dia antes da semeadura e aos 15, 22, 29 e 36 dias após a emergência das plântulas (DAE), em um volume de 250 mL por aplicação. Foi adotado o delineamento de blocos casualizados com cinco repetições. Aos 60 DAE avaliaram-se o crescimento em diâmetro caulinar e altura da haste principal, número de folhas e área foliar, biomassa seca das raízes, caule e folhas. Os dados foram submetidos a análise de variância e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey (p ≤ 0,05). Os biofertilizantes nas concentrações utilizadas não inibiram a ação degenerativa do aumento da salinidade da água no crescimento em diâmetro do caule, altura da haste principal e na formação de biomassa das raízes, caule e folhas das mudas de maracujazeiro amarelo.

Bovine manure biofertilizers can exert physical, chemical, and biological effects on the soil and the phytoprotective, physiological, and productive actions in horticultural crops. The literature review was performed to compile information on the production, uses, and effects of bovine manure biofertilizers on soil properties and plants. Biofertilizers are produced by organic components, minerals, and inoculants. Among the organic sources, the bovine manure is the most used. The fermentation of the bovine manure in water constitutes the Vairo biofertilizer, the most employed in Brazilian horticulture. With the chemical enrichment of this preparation came the Supermagro, Agrobio, and Agrobom biofertilizers. In the soil, it can act in the improvement of soil fertility, physical properties, and in the diversity and abundance of the biota. Also, it can act in control of pests and diseases, leaf composition concerning macro and micronutrients, and in the production and post-harvest quality of horticultural crops. Therefore, this review describes the preparation, chemical composition, and utilization of bovine manure biofertilizers in both soil and plants, offering perspectives of research on the formulations, application, and effects of these inputs on horticultural species.

ÁGUA SALINA E BIOFERTILIZANTE DE ESTERCO BOVINO NA FORMAÇÃO E QUALIDADE DE MUDAS DE MARACUJAZEIRO AMARELO SHERLY APARECIDA DA SILVA MEDEIROS1; LOURIVAL FERREIRA CAVALCANTE2; MARLENE ALEXANDRINA FERREIRA BEZERRA1; JOSÉ ADEILSON MEDEIROS DO NASCIMENTO3; FRANCISCO THIAGO COELHO BEZERRA4 E STELLA DA SILVA PRAZERES5 1Doutoranda PPGA/CCA/UFPB, email: sherly.agro@hotmail.com; marlene_agro@hotmail.com2Professor do PPGA/CCA/UFPB e Pesquisador do INCTSal, Fortaleza, CE. E-mail: lofeca@cca.ufpb.br3 Professor Dr. IFCE/ Tianguá - CE. Email: adeilsonagro@bol.com.br4Doutorando do PPGA/CCA/UFPB, Areia-PB. Email: bezerra­‑ftc@yahoo.com.br5 Doutoranda do PPGCS/CCA/UFPB, Areia-PB. Email: stella­_prazeres@hotmail.com 1 RESUMO No período de janeiro a março de 2013, um experimento foi conduzido, em estufa telada do Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia-PB, Brasil, para avaliar os efeitos da salinidade da água de irrigação e esterco líquido fermentado de bovino na formação e qualidade de mudas de maracujazeiro amarelo. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, adotando o esquema fatorial 2 x 5 x 2, referente a dois genótipos de maracujazeiro amarelo (genótipo local tradicionalmente cultivado na cidade de Nova Floresta Paraíba, conhecido por Guinezinho e o genótipo BRS Gigante Amarelo), cinco níveis de salinidade da água de irrigação de 0,3; 1,0; 2,0; 3,0 e 4,0 dS m-1, no solo sem e com esterco líquido fermentado de bovino. As variáveis analisadas foram índice de velocidade de emergência, emergência, altura, diâmetro caulinar, área foliar, massa seca da raiz e da parte aérea das mudas e índice de qualidade de Dickson. O biofertilizante líquido de bovino proporcionou a formação de mudas de qualidade adequada ao plantio, em ambos os genótipos de maracujazeiro amarelo, comparadas às obtidas no solo sem o respectivo insumo, independentemente do nível de salinidade das águas de irrigação. Palavras-chave: Passiflora edulis, estresse salino, insumo orgânico. MEDEIROS, S.A.S; CAVALCANTE, L.F.; BEZERRA, M.A.F.; NASCIMENTO, J.A. M.; BEZERRA, F.T.C; PRAZERES, S.S.SALINE WATER AND BOVINE MANURE BIOFERTILIZER IN THE FORMATION AND QUALITY OF YELLOW PASSION FRUIT SEEDLINGS 2 ABSTRACT During the period of January to March 2013, an experiment was carried out in greenhouse conditions at the Agrarian Sciences Centre, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia municipality, Paraíba State, Brazil, in order to evaluate the effects of irrigation water salinity and liquid fermented cattle manure during formation and quality of yellow passion fruit seedlings. The experimental design was in randomized blocks adopting a factorial design 2 x 5 x 2 referring to two genotypes of yellow passion fruit (Local genotype known as Guinezinho and BRS Yellow Giant genotype), five levels of water salinity irrigation of 0.3; 1.0; 2.0; 3.0 and 4.0 dS m-1 in soil with and without fermented liquid cattle manure. The variables analyzed were emergency speed index, emergency, plants height, stalk diameter, root dry mass and shoot, leaf area, and Dickson quality index. The liquid cattle biofertilizer provided the formation of seedlings with suitable quality for plantation, in both passion fruit genotypes compared to those obtained on the substrate without biofertilizer, regardless of the salinity of irrigation water. Keywords: Passiflora edulis, salt stress, organic input.