Black fly is a pest of Asian origin that causes direct and indirect damages to citrus, damaging the development and production of plants. For the development of efficient management strategies of the pest, the integration of control methods is necessary, and biological control is the most appropriate. Among the agents that can be used, entomopathogenic fungi are considered one of the most important and wide-ranging use. This work investigated the occurrence of Purpureocillium lilacinum (Thom.) Luangsa-ard et al. (= Paecilomyces lilacinus), attackingnymphs of citrus black fly, Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). The fungus was isolated from infected Black fly nymphs, present on Citrus spp leaves in the municipality of Morros, Maranhão. After isolation, purification and morphological and molecular characterization, pathogenicity test was performed with A. woglumi nymphs. Morphological and molecular correspondence was verified between inoculum and the reisolated, proving the pathogenicity of P. lilacinum.

Brazil is the third largest fruit producer in the world, but many native fruits remain underexploited, as is the case for mangabeira (Hancornia speciosa Gomes). Little is known about general aspects of this species in its naturally occurring environment. Thus, this study aimed to characterize plant and fruit morphologies from native mangabeira selections in the Savannah-Restinga vegetation transition zone. The experiment was carried out in Patizal, Recanto and Recurso villages located in the Morros municipality, Maranhão State, dominated by extensive Savannah-Restinga vegetation transition zone with naturally occurring mangabeiras. Forty five mangabeira trees were randomly chosen from native selections in the three villages. Data collected were plant height, stem height, stem diameter, canopy volume, number of main and secondary branches and number of fruits. Twenty fruits were collected per plant to determine the mass, length and diameter, pulp and skin mass, pulp yield, seed number and seed mass. There was a high degree of variability for all assessed variables except for the pulp yield (average = 86.69%, minimum = 76.75% and maximum = 91.11%; CV= 3.51%). Significant and positive high magnitude correlations were noted among the variables of fruit mass and pulp mass plus skin with seed number (r=0,01; ?=0,78 e ?=0,74, respectively).

Brazil has a range of fruit species, especially native ones, which play an important role in the life of local populations, but are still little studied, as is the case of bacuri (Platonia insignis Mart.). P. insignis is a fruit tree species native from Amazon region and has great economic potential, mainly due to its excellent organoleptic and nutritional characteristics. Therefore, there is a need for research that seeks the proper use of the species, as well as the selection of superior genotypes. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize biometric and chemically fruits of eight selections of native P. insignis plants, from the municipalities of Presidente Juscelino and Santa Rita both located in Lower Munim region, state of Maranhão, Brazil. For the biometric characterization, 20 fruits, individually, were analyzed as to mass, longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter, conformation index, seed number, parthenocarpic segments number, pulp yield and bark mass, and for the chemical characterization, samples composed of six fruits were analyzed as to soluble solids (°Brix), total acidity (% citric acid), soluble solids/acidity ratio and pH. There was significant difference for all characteristics evaluated. High coefficients of variation were observed, indicating variability among the selections and possibility of taking advantage for the genetic improvement. The results allow to indicate the fruits analyzed, both for the industrial market and for the in natura consumption, especially for the ‘Domingão’ and ‘Mamão’ selections.

Babassu palm (Attalea speciosa) is a native species from the Cerrado-Amazon transition zone with socio-economic importance for agro-extractivist communities in Northeastern Brazil that rely on products derived from its fruits. Babassu productivity is declining due to unsustainable practices and habitat loss. Hence, this research aimed to estimate genetic parameters related to fruit traits of babassu and indicate superior populations for coconut mesocarp production. Babassu trees and fruits were sampled from natural populations in five cities of Maranhão State - Brazil, totaling 150 individuals and 1,500 fruits. The number of bunches and fruits per plant, plant and stipe height, and various fruit and seed morphological traits were measured and used for estimating genetic parameters by the REML/BLUP method with Selegen Software. Fruit width, fruit weight, and mesocarp weight showed high broad-sense heritability and accuracy, suggesting a strong genetic influence and making them excellent candidates for genetic improvement. The high coefficients of relative variation are suitable for selecting promising babassu genotypes. Babassu fruits sampled on Coroatá and Buritirana had the best characteristics for fruit and mesocarp production. We found significant genotypic correlations between various fruit traits (size and weight) that can simplify the selection of high-yield genotypes. Our results are the first report on genetic parameters of important babassu fruit traits, providing valuable data for future breeding programs aiming to increase productivity.

O babaçu é uma palmeira originaria do Brasil que ocorre de forma esparsa em vários estados das regiões Nordeste, Norte e Centro-Oeste, concentrada principalmente no estado do Maranhão, ocupando uma área de mais de 20 milhões de hectares. O fruto do babaçu apresenta grande utilidade na alimentação humana, principalmente o seu mesocarpo, que é constituído por carboidratos, proteínas, lipídeos e sais minerais. Objetivou-se fazer um levamento bibliográfico sobre a caracterização morfoagronômicos e etnobotânicos da palmeira de babaçu na alimentação humana, principalmente, através do subproduto mesocarpo do coco babaçu. A pesquisa apresenta uma metodologia de natureza qualitativa com uma abordagem exploratória através de uma revisão de literatura realizada através de base de dados como Google Scholar, Scopus, Scielo e Web of Science dando ênfase as literaturas dos últimos 10 anos. Evidenciou-se a importância da palmeira de babaçu na alimentação humana através do mesocarpo do coco babaçu, devido seu potencial nutritivo e energético. Por fim, o estudo demonstra a importância socioeconômica do babaçu para as comunidades extrativistas no Brasil através incentivo de políticas públicas de inserção da mulher no mercado através da comercialização de produtos gerados pela palmeira de babaçu.

Pineapple is a tropical fruit with high demand by the fruit market in Brazil. Fruits of the cultivar ´Turiaçu` stans out in local consumer markets due to its excellent quality. The objective of this work was to evaluate ecophysiological responses of ´Turiaçu` pineapple plants at the vegetative and reproductive stages to soil fertilization and crop location, and their effects in fruit yield. The study was conducted in the cities of São Luís and Turiaçu, MA, Brazil. Plants under mineral and organic fertilization in two locations, São Luís and Turiaçu, and in two seasons, dry and rainy season, were evaluated during dry and rainy seasons. Chlorophyll index, photochemical efficiency, gas exchange, and fruit yield were evaluated. The pineapple plants presented decrease in the photosynthetic activity, at both developmental stages and in both seasons, when grown in São Luís. The CO₂ photosynthetic assimilation decreased. The PSI and PSII activity, according with photosynthetic index, was more sensitive at the reproductive than at the vegetative stage. The organic fertilization was not appropriate for the ´Turiaçu` pineapple crops, regardless of the crop location. The fruit yields were 54.4% and 57.9% lower in São Luís, under mineral and organic fertilization, respectively. Thus, the ecophysiology of ´Turiaçu` pineapple was more affected by water availability than by soil fertility in the municipality of Turiaçu.