Abstract The quality of the raw material for chocolate manufacture depends on the control of cacao seed fermentation. Practices affect the diversity and metabolic activities of spontaneous yeasts in fermentations. The control of the initial inoculum is important to standardize fermentations and to improve the final seed quality. We conducted fermentations using non-cleaned or cleaned fermentation boxes to evaluate the dynamics of the microorganism populations and their effect in seed composition in two consecutive years. The isolated yeasts were identified by sequencing the D1-domain of the 26S ribosomal genes. Pulp and cotyledon parameters were monitored during fermentations. Wickerhamomyces anomalus was the dominant yeast in the fermentations, but the species was less represented in cleaned boxes. In the cleaned-box fermentation, there was a delay in temperature rise of the fermentation, which retarded the suitable moment for seed-mass turning. The reduction in seed-pulp quality caused by restricted rainfall in one year limited the seed-mass heating and voided the seed turning. Thus, under substrate restriction, the initial reduced inoculum caused by cleaning the boxes impaired fermentation, mainly under environmental conditions that compromise the quality of the pulp. However, this variation had little effect on the desired degradation of cotyledon components, substrates for flavor precursors. noncleaned non years D1domain Ddomain D1 domain D S genes cleanedbox box seedmass mass turning seedpulp pulp Thus restriction However components precursors

Cultivares de alho são sexualmente estéreis sob condições padrão de cultivo, com implicações diretas nos custos de produção comercial, bem como em programas de melhoramento. O alho é comercialmente propagado por meio de bulbilhos, o que facilita a transmissão de doenças e leva ao acúmulo de cargas virais ao longo das gerações. A cultura de tecidos produz clones livres de vírus que são mais produtivos, mantendo as características desejadas da cultivar. Consequentemente, esta técnica permite estudar a genética do alho, bem como garantir a conservação genética das variedades. Nosso objetivo foi analisar a regeneração in vitro de oito cultivares comerciais de alho usando segmentos de raiz como explante. Para cada genótipo, explantes derivados de bulbilho foram isolados e introduzidos em meio MS suplementado com 2,4-D e 2-iP. Calos foram transferidos para meio MS suplementado com 8,8 mM BAP e 0,1 mM NAA (meio de regeneração A), ou com 4,6 mM cinetina somente (meio de regeneração B). Os calos foram avaliados quanto à frequência de regeneração após sessenta dias de cultivo in vitro. A cultivar nobre 'Jonas' apresentou as maiores taxas de regeneração entre as cultivares testadas. O meio de cultura A, o qual continha auxina e citocinina, induziu as maiores taxas de regeneração em todas as cultivares. O processo aqui descrito é simples, reprodutível e pode ser usado potencialmente como uma ferramenta em estratégias de melhoramento para outras cultivares comerciais e genótipos de alho.

Garlic cultivars are sexually sterile under standard growth conditions, with direct implications for commercial production costs as well as breeding programs. Garlic is propagated commercially via bulblets, which facilitates disease transmission and virus load accumulation over vegetative generations. Tissue culture produces virus-free clones that are more productive, while keeping the desired traits of the cultivar. Consequently, this technique allows studies of garlic genetics as well as guarantees genetic conservation of varieties. We aimed at analyzing the in vitro regeneration of eight marketable cultivars of garlic using root segments as explants. For each genotype, bulblet-derived explants were isolated and introduced into MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D and 2-iP. Calli were transferred to MS medium supplemented with 8.8 mM BAP and 0.1 mM NAA (regeneration medium A), or with 4.6 mM kinetin alone (regeneration medium B). The calli were then evaluated for regeneration frequency after sixty days of in vitro cultivation. The noble cultivar 'Jonas' presented the highest rates of plant regeneration among the cultivars tested. The medium A, which contained auxin and cytokinin, induced the highest regeneration rates of all cultivars. The process described herein is simple, reproducible and can potentially be used as a tool in molecular breeding strategies for other marketable cultivars and genotypes of garlic.

Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de realizar triagem primária para caracterização da tolerância de variedades SP e CTC de cana-de-açúcar à aplicação de dez herbicidas comumente recomendados para manejo de plantas daninhas nesta cultura. Dois experimentos foram desenvolvidos com esquema fatorial entre variedades de cana-de-açúcar e onze tratamentos herbicidas. No primeiro experimento utilizaram-se sete variedades SP (fatorial 7 x 11): SP80-1842, SP80-3280, SP83-2847, SP87-344, SP87-396, SP89-1115 e SP90-3414. No segundo experimento, foram avaliadas seis variedades CTC (fatorial 6 x 11): CTC1, CTC2, CTC3, CTC4, CTC5 e CTC6. Os tratamentos herbicidas aplicados em pós-emergência inicial foram: ametryn, ametryn + trifloxysulfuron-sodium, clomazone, diuron + hexazinone, isoxaflutole, imazapic, 2,4-D, tebuthiuron, sulfentrazone, MSMA e testemunha sem aplicação. Avaliou-se massa fresca, altura, teor de clorofila (índice SPAD) e perfilhamento, todos em termos percentuais relativos à testemunha sem aplicação. Constatou-se tolerância diferencial das variedades de cana-de-açúcar aos herbicidas comumente utilizados na cultura. As variedades SP80-3280 e CTC2 foram as mais tolerantes aos tratamentos herbicidas, podendo ter esta característica explorada em programas de melhoramento genético.

This work was carried out with the objective of screening for tolerance response of SP and CTC sugarcane varieties to application of ten herbicides commonly recommended to weed management in this crop. Two trials were evaluated with factorial design between the sugarcane varieties and eleven herbicide treatments. In the first experiment, seven SP varieties were used (factorial 7 x 11): SP80-1842, SP80-3280, SP83-2847, SP87-344, SP87-396, SP89-1115 and SP90-3414. In the second experiment, six CTC varieties were evaluated (factorial 6 x 11): CTC1, CTC2, CTC3, CTC4, CTC5 and CTC6. The post-emergence-applied herbicide treatments were: ametryn, ametryn + trifloxysulfuron-sodium, clomazone, diuron + hexazinone, isoxaflutole, imazapic, 2,4-D, tebuthiuron, sulfentrazone, MSMA and check without application. The variables evaluated were: fresh mass, height, SPAD index and tillering: Valves here considered as relative percentage to the untreated control. Differential tolerance of sugarcane varieties was observed regarding to application of the tested herbicides. SP80-3280 and CTC2 were the most tolerant varieties to herbicide application, and might have this characteristic exploited by sugarcane breeding programs.

A seletividade dos herbicidas é uma tecnologia agrícola que tem sido vastamente explorada nas estratégias de controle químico de plantas daninhas. É resultado da ação conjunta de diversos mecanismos que protegem a cultura da fitotoxicidade dos tratamentos herbicidas, mantendo-a com níveis de injúrias aceitáveis agronomicamente, ou mesmo na ausência destas. O principal mecanismo de seletividade dos herbicidas é o metabolismo diferencial desses produtos entre plantas daninhas e cultivadas, em que, nas situações de recomendação agronômica, as plantas daninhas são menos hábeis em realizá-lo. Neste caso, a fitotoxicidade pode ser entendida como a suplantação da capacidade máxima de proteção oferecida pelos mecanismos de seletividade ou, considerando o metabolismo como o principal mecanismo, como a superação da capacidade intrínseca da espécie em detoxificar determinada molécula. Considerando-se que o metabolismo de herbicidas envolve gasto de energia, os sintomas de fitotoxicidade caracterizam um segundo gasto energético que não deve ser aceito como uma resposta fisiológica natural, portanto pode resultar em perdas de rendimento das culturas. Para evitar ou minimizar as perdas ou injúrias às culturas, é necessário que as recomendações de herbicidas sejam baseadas em trabalhos de seletividade conduzidos com adequado rigor experimental; bem como é importante a conscientização dos agricultores quanto a melhor forma de utilizar cada produto.

Herbicide selectivity is an agricultural technology largely exploited in chemical strategies of weed control. The joint action of several protection mechanisms avoids phytotoxicity from herbicide treatment, maintaining the level of agronomically accepted damage to a minimum, or even totally avoiding them. The major mechanism of herbicide selectivity derives from the differential metabolism between weed and crop plant species, with weeds presenting a limited ability to perform it under agronomically recommended conditions. In this case, phytotoxicity can be interpreted as an overcoming of the maximum protection capacity offered by the mechanisms of selectivity, or when considering metabolism as the main factor, the overcoming of the inherent plant ability to detoxify a particular molecule. Considering that herbicide metabolism requires energy disposal, symptoms of phytotoxicity characterize an additional waste of energy that should not be accepted as a natural physiologic response; therefore it might result in yield losses. To avoid or minimize crop losses or damages, it is required that herbicide application recommendations are based on results from rigorously conducted selectivity experiments, as well as that there is an increase in the awareness of growers about the best use of each product.

A quantidade de células polifenólicas dos cotilédones das espécies de Theobroma variam extensivamente. Os compostos polifenólicos destas células além da função de proteção participam no desenvolvimento do aroma do chocolate. A morfologia das células polifenólicas do mesofilo é descrita e também é analisado o desenvolvimento dos idioblastos em T. cacao L., T. subincanum Mart., T. obovatum Klotzsch ex Bernoulli, T. grandiflorum (Willd. ex Spreng.) K. Schum., T. microcarpum Mart., T. bicolor Bonpl. e T. speciosum Willd. ex Spreng. A quantidade de polifenóis totais determinada por espectrofotometria apresentou uma grande variação, cerca de 40 vezes entre T. cacao (variedade forastero). As células polifenólicas apresentam-se transparentes e dispersas pelo mesofilo cotiledonar. Em T. cacao e T. grandiflorum grande número de células estão alinhadas perpendicularmente à borda do mesofilo e apresentam coloração púrpura translúcida. Entretanto, em todas as espécies as células polifenólicas também associam-se ao feixe vascular. Nas espécies T. bicolor e T. speciosum, com baixo conteúdo polifenólico, estão localizadas apenas na região do feixe vascular. À microscopia eletrônica de varredura, as células polifenólicas apresentam uma complexa citoarquitetura e após a fixação em glutaraldeído, a secreção polifenólica exibe um só conteúdo ou fragmenta-se em várias gotas esféricas. À microscopia eletrônica de transmissão aparecem nas células jovens do mesofilo, plastídeos imaturos eletrondensos, semelhantes a substâncias polifenólicas sugerindo que em Theobroma os plastídeos estão envolvidos na síntese de polifenóis.

The amount of cotyledon polyphenolic cells varies extensively within the Theobroma species. The polyphenolic compounds of these cells play a protective role and furthermore have an important function in the development of chocolate flavour. The morphology of the polyphenolic cells of the mesophyll is described and the development of these idioblasts in Theobroma cacao L., T. subincanum Mart., T. obovatum Klotzsch ex Bernoulli, T. grandiflorum (Willd. ex Spreng.) K. Schum., T. microcarpum Mart., T. bicolor Bonpl. and T. speciosum Willd. ex Spreng analysed. The total polyphenolic content in the seeds as determined by spectrophotometry showed a variation of about forty times. The alive, transparent polyphenolic cells are scattered throughout the cotiledonary mesophyll. However the polyphenolic cells of T. cacao and T. grandiflorum are also aligned perpendicularly with respect to the mesophyll borders and, in addition, both species display polyphenolic cells with a natural translucent purple colour. All the species analysed contained polyphenolic cells scattered throughout the parenchymal cells and also in a lengthwise association with vascular bundles. In T. bicolor and T. speciosum, the species with the lowest polyphenolic contents, these cells were mostly located around the vascular bundles. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, the polyphenolic cells demonstrated a complex cytoarchitecture, and after fixing with glutaraldhyde, the polyphenolic secretion was shown to remain as a single unit or was organized into round droplets. Transmission Electron Microscopy displayed immature plastids from young mesophyll cells containing eletron-dense deposits similar to phenolic substances, suggesting that Theobroma plastids are involved in the synthesis of phenolics.

As células do mesofilo cotiledonar e respectivas sínteses lípide-protéicas de Theobroma grandiflorum, T. subincanum e T. bicolor são analisadas e comparadas ao T. cacao. As espécies mencionadas possuem os cotilédones foliáceos e redobrados em torno do eixo hipocótilo-radicular, típicos de Sterculiaceae; o tamanho dos frutos e também a morfologia, o peso e as respectivas sementes são distintos entre as quatro espécies. As sementes de T. grandiflorum e T. bicolor medem 30 mm no eixo principal, enquanto em T. subincanum e T. cacao medem 17 mm e 6 mm, respectivamente e nesta mesma ordem pesam 11,6 g, 9,4 g, 2,1 g e 3,0 g. Os mesofilos cotiledonares contêm células com reservas polissacárides e lípide-proteicas. Theobroma cacao, T. grandiflorum e T. subincanum contêm acima de 50% de lipídeos. Nas quatro espécies, os glóbulos lipídicos acumulam-se gradualmente, adjacentes à parede celular e medem entre 1 a 3 µm. A microscopia eletrônica de transmissão mostrou a precipitação pouco densa das proteínas no vacúolo central das células jovens do mesofilo de T. cacao. Nas células maduras, a proteína de reserva está densamente entremeada por glóbulos lipídicos; poucos grãos de amido ocorrem no mesofilo cotiledonar destas quatro espécies. As células polifenólicas estão dispersas no mesofilo cotiledonar ou alinhadas próximas ao feixe vascular. As células imaturas demonstraram capacidade de síntese de todas as reservas, mas gradualmente as células predeterminadas, produzem principalmente reservas lípide-proteicas. Não obstante a característica única dos reconhecidos produtos de T. cacao, a capacidade de síntese lípide-proteica do T. grandiflorum, T. subincanum e T. bicolor sugerem novas possibilidades para a indústria de alimentos, produtos farmacêuticos e cosméticos.

Cotyledon mesophyll cell morphology and lipid and protein synthesis of T. grandiflorum, T. subincanum and T. bicolor were analyzed and compared with T. cacao. These species possess foliar cotyledons folded around the hypocotyl radicle axis, typical of Sterculiaceae. Fruit size, morphology and weight are very distinct amongst the four species and so are the respective seeds. The main axis of the T. grandiflorum and T. bicolor seeds measured about 30 mm, while T. subincanum and T. cacao seeds measured 17 mm and 26 mm respectively. The seed weights of T. grandiflorum, T. bicolor, T. subincanum and T. cacao were 11.6 g, 9.4 g, 2.1 g and 3.0 g, respectively. The cotyledon mesophylls of the four species contained mainly polysaccharides and lipid-protein reserve cells. Theobroma cacao, T. grandiflorum and T. subincanum were composed of greater than 50% lipids. For the four species, lipid globules gradually accumulated adjacent to the cell wall, and these globules measured from 1 to 3 µm. TEM showed low-density proteins inside the central vacuole of the young mesophyll cells of T. cacao. The protein reserves of the mature cells were densely scattered amongst the lipid bodies, and a few starch granules occurred together with the cotyledon mesophyll of the four species. Polyphenolic cells were found throughout the mesophyll cells or aligned with the respective vascular bundles. Immature cells demonstrated the capacity to synthesize all these reserves, but gradually the pre-determined cells produced mainly lipid-protein reserves. Besides the unique characteristics of the T. cacao products, the lipid-protein synthesis capacities of T. grandiflorum, T. subincanum and T. bicolor suggest various possibilities for new industrialized food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.

Os hormônios vegetais são possíveis reguladores chave do desenvolvimento de micorrizas arbusculares (MAS). Contudo, seus papéis em MA são pouco conhecidos. No presente estudo, foram utilizados mutantes em cinco classes hormonais introgredidos em uma única cultivar (cv. Micro-Tom) de tomateiro (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Syn Solanum lycopersicum L.) para determinar seus efeitos no desenvolvimento de MA e expressão de genes relacionados à defesa (quitinases e b-1,3-glucanases) em raízes. Sob condição de baixo P, os mutantes epinastic (epi) e Never ripe (Nr), os quais são super produtores e pouco sensíveis a etileno, respectivamente, tiveram a colonização intra-radicular por Glomus clarum inibida quando comparada com o controle Micro-Tom (MT). Não se observou alterações significativas na colonização fúngica nos mutantes afetando outras classes hormonais. Sob condição de baixo P, o nível de transcritos codificando uma quitinase básica de classe I (chi9) foi mais elevado em raízes micorrizadas dos mutantes epi e Nr, quando comparado com o controle MT. Em contraste, o nível de transcritos de uma b-1,3-glucanase ácida da classe III (TomPR-Q'a) em raízes micorrizadas do mutante epi foi significativamente menor que em raízes micorrizadas de MT. A colonização de raízes no mutante epi foi acompanhada por várias alterações na morfologia fúngica, quando comparada com o controle MT. Os resultados sugerem que o etileno pode desempenhar um importante papel controlando o crescimento fúngico intra-radicular nas MAS.

Plant hormones are likely key regulators of arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) development. However, their roles in AM are not well known. Here mutants in five hormone classes introgressed in a single tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Syn Solanum lycopersicum L.) background (cv. Micro-Tom) were used to determine their effects on AM development and the expression of defense-related genes (chitinases and b-1,3-glucanases) in roots. Under low P conditions, mutant epinastic (epi) and Never ripe (Nr), ethylene overproducer and low sensitivity, respectively, had the intraradical colonization by Glomus clarum highly inhibited, as compared to the control Micro-Tom (MT). No significant alterations in fungal colonization were observed in mutants affecting other hormone classes. Under low P conditions, the steady state levels of transcripts encoding a class I basic chitinase (chi9) were higher in mycorrhizal epi and Nr mutant roots as compared to MT controls. In contrast the steady state levels of a class III acidic b-1,3-glucanase (TomPR-Q'a) transcripts in mycorrhizal epi mutant roots were significantly lower than in mycorrhizal MT roots. Root colonization in epi mutants was accompanied by several alterations in fungal morphology, as compared to root colonization in MT controls. The data suggest that ethylene may play an important role in controlling intraradical arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal growth.

Plants not only evolve but also reduce oxygen in photosynthesis. An inevitable consequence of this normal process is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Plants are adequately protected by the presence of multiple antioxidative enzymes in the cytosol and also in the different cell organelles such as chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes. Traditionally, ROS were considered to be only a toxic byproduct of aerobic metabolism. However, recently it has become apparent that plants actively produce these molecules which may control many different physiological processes such as abiotic and biotic stress response, pathogen defense and systemic signaling. The search results using the Citrus Genome Program in Brazil (CitEST) for oxidative stress and the antioxidant enzyme system in Citrus Sinensis variety ‘Pera IAC’ indicated that the multiple ROS-scavenging enzymes were expressed throughout all citrus tissues. The analyses demonstrated the ubiquitous expression of metallothioneins, probably indicating a constitutive expression pattern. Oxalate oxidase has been identified as the most abundant expressed gene in developing fruits, which suggests a specific function in the ripening of citrus fruit. Moreover, infected leaves with Xylella fastidiosa and Leprosis citri showed a massive change in their ROS gene expression profile which may indicate that the suppression of ROS detoxifying mechanisms may be involved in the induction of the diseases.

RNA silencing mechanisms are conserved throughout eukaryotic evolution, possibly due to their importance in viral resistance and other aspects of cell biology. Here, we explored the Citrus EST (CitEST) database in search of sequences related to the most important known genes involved in RNA silencing. Transcripts strongly matching Argonaute (AGO), Dicer-like (DCL), Hua enhancer (HEN), and RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRP) were found in many of the citrus libraries. The reads were clustered and quantified. This shows that post-transcriptional gene silencing apparatus is active in citrus. It seems plausible that a better understanding of the players of RNA silencing in Citrus spp. and related genera may help create new tools to defeat the viral diseases that affect the citrus industry. Functional analyses of these citrus genes would enable the pursuit of this hypothesis.

Plastid-related sequences, derived from putative nuclear or plastome genes, were searched in a large collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and genomic sequences from the Citrus Biotechnology initiative in Brazil. The identified putative Citrus chloroplast gene sequences were compared to those from Arabidopsis, Eucalyptus and Pinus. Differential expression profiling for plastid-directed nuclear-encoded proteins and photosynthesis-related gene expression variation between Citrus sinensis and Citrus reticulata, when inoculated or not with Xylella fastidiosa, were also analyzed. Presumed Citrus plastome regions were more similar to Eucalyptus. Some putative genes appeared to be preferentially expressed in vegetative tissues (leaves and bark) or in reproductive organs (flowers and fruits). Genes preferentially expressed in fruit and flower may be associated with hypothetical physiological functions. Expression pattern clustering analysis suggested that photosynthesis- and carbon fixation-related genes appeared to be up- or down-regulated in a resistant or susceptible Citrus species after Xylella inoculation in comparison to non-infected controls, generating novel information which may be helpful to develop novel genetic manipulation strategies to control Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC).

Plant hormones play a crucial role in integrating endogenous and exogenous signals and in determining developmental responses to form the plant body throughout its life cycle. In citrus species, several economically important processes are controlled by phytohormones, including seed germination, secondary growth, fruit abscission and ripening. Integrative genomics is a powerful tool for linking newly researched organisms, such as tropical woody species, to functional studies already carried out on established model organisms. Based on gene orthology analyses and expression patterns, we searched the Citrus Genome Sequencing Consortium (CitEST) database for Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) consensus sequences sharing similarity to known components of hormone metabolism and signaling pathways in model species. More than 600 homologs of functionally characterized hormone metabolism and signal transduction members from model species were identified in citrus, allowing us to propose a framework for phytohormone signaling mechanisms in citrus. A number of components from hormone-related metabolic pathways were absent in citrus, suggesting the presence of distinct metabolic pathways. Our results demonstrated the power of comparative genomics between model systems and economically important crop species to elucidate several aspects of plant physiology and metabolism.

Com objetivo de estudar diversidade genética e identificar marcadores associados à resistência ao míldio (Plasmopara viticola) e ao oídio (Uncinula necator), foram analisadas as cultivares de videira A 1976, CG 87746, CNPUV 154-27, Crimson Seedless, Gota de Ouro, Itália, Seyve Villard 12327 e Seyve Villard 12375. As análises de polimorfismo de comprimento de fragmento amplificado (AFLP) seguiram as etapas de digestão, ligação, pré-amplificação e amplificação. Efetuou-se a separação dos fragmentos amplificados em gel de 7% de poliacrilamida desnaturante (uréia 7M) e coloração com nitrato de prata. A similaridade foi estimada com base no coeficiente de Jaccard, e a agregação, por UPGMA. Foi gerada uma matriz de similaridade com bom ajustamento da agregação (r = 0,84). Os agrupamentos obtidos corresponderam à origem e classificação botânica das cultivares. Foram identificadas 15 marcas dissimilares associadas à resistência, sendo oito para míldio e sete para oídio.

The grapevine cultivars A 1976, CG 87746, CNPUV 154-27, Crimson Seedless, Gota de Ouro, Itália, Seyve Villard 12327 and Seyve Villard 12375 were analyzed to establish the genetic relationship and to identify markers associated with resistance to downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) and powdery mildew (Uncinula necator). The amplified fragment lenght polymorphism (AFLP) analysis comprise the steps of digestion, ligation, preamplification and amplification. The amplified fragments were separeted on a 7% denaturing polyacrylamide gel (7M urea) and silver stained. The similarity was estimated using Jaccard's coefficient and the clustering was estimated by UPGMA. A similarity matrix was generated with a good fit for aggregation (r = 0,84). The clusters corresponded to origin and botany classification of the cultivars. Fifteen markers were associated with resistance, eight for downy mildew and seven for powdery mildew.

A obtenção de soros policlonais contra fitopatógenos tem por finalidade a elaboração de imunoensaios que permitam identificar e caracterizar os mesmos com rapidez e a custos baixos. Soros policlonais foram produzidos contra extratos das hifas de isolados de Crinipellis perniciosa, agente causal da vassoura-de-bruxa, coletados de cacaueiro (Theobroma cacao) nos estados do Pará e Bahia para identificação e caracterização de isolados de diversas regiões e hospedeiros. O soro denominado de 1 foi produzido a partir do isolado ESJOH-1 (originário do Pará), e o soro 2 foi produzido com o isolado CP-85 (originário da Bahia). Não houve reação cruzada dos soros contra extratos protéicos das espécies Alternaria solani, Marasmius sp., Oudemansiella canarii e Verticillium fungicola. Os soros apresentaram reação cruzada de alta afinidade com extratos de Moniliophthora roreri e de baixa a média afinidade com Marasmius cladophyllus. A caracterização dos isolados foi feita com amostras do biotipo-C coletados no Amazonas, Bahia, Mato Grosso, Rondônia e Pará. As reações sorológicas dos dois soros não permitiram diferenciar os isolados do Pará e da Bahia, contra os quais foram produzidos, e também não reagiram diferencialmente com isolados de outros estados. O reconhecimento dos antígenos entre os soros foi variável, pois o soro 1 e soro 2 apresentaram reação sorológica diferenciada para alguns isolados. Os soros produzidos apresentaram alta afinidade contra isolados dos biotipos-C e S, independente de sua origem geográfica, podendo ser usados para identificação.

The production of polyclonal sera against plant pathogens allows the development of immunoassays to quickly identify and characterize the pathogens at low cost. Polyclonal sera were produced against Crinipellis perniciosa, the causal agent of witches' broom disease of cacao (Theobromae cacao) using hyphae extracts from isolates collected in Pará and Bahia states, to identify and distinguish isolates from various regions and hosts. Serum 1 was produced from isolate ESJOH-1 (collected in Pará) and serum 2, from isolate CP-85 (from Bahia). There was no cross reaction between the two sera with mycelia extracts from Alternaria solani, Marasmius sp., Oudemansiella canarii and Verticillium fungicola. The sera presented high affinity cross reaction with Moniliophthora roreri and medium- to low cross-reaction against Marasmius cladophyllus. The sera were evaluated against isolates from biotype-C, collected in the states of Amazonas, Bahia, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Pará. The serological reaction of both sera did not allow to distinguish the isolates' site of origin (Pará and Bahia), nor did they differentiate isolates of biotype C. The antigen binding sites were different for serum 1 and 2, because both exhibited different response to the same strains. However, these differences in affinity did not allow for differentiating the origin of collection, host or biotype, but allowed for the identification of C. perniciosa belonging to biotypes C and S.

No Estado do Pará, Brasil, localizadas nas cidades de Belém e Marituba, existem duas coleções in vivo de espécies brasileiras do gênero Theobroma L.que abrigam, além das espécies naturais, híbridos inter-específicos obtidos natural ou artificialmente. Objetivando organizar uma base de dados sobre as espécies brasileiras do gênero Theobroma, descreve-se neste artigo as coleções existentes, com informação detalhada sobre os híbridos inter-específicos. Inclui-se chave artificial para identificação dos táxons verificados.

There are two major in vivo collections of species of the genus Theobroma L. in Belém and Marituba, state of Pará, Brazil, and in both there are natural species, as well as natural and artificial interspecific hybrids. In order to organize a database of Brazilian Theobroma species, a description of the existing collections and detailed information about the interspecific hybrids, including an artificial key for their identification, are presented in this article.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi selecionar descritores botânicoagronômicos quantitativos para caracterizar acessos de cupuaçuzeiro [Theobroma grandiflorum (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum]. Foram avaliados 53 descritores associados a características de folha (14), de flor (18), de fruto (16), e descritores agronômicos (5). No descarte dos descritores, foi empregada a técnica multivariada de componentes principais, em duas etapas. Na primeira, a seleção aconteceu dentro de cada grupo. Em seguida, foi realizada análise conjunta para a seleção final. Três critérios foram adotados para descarte das variáveis. Foram descartados 34 descritores, representando redução de 64% dos inicialmente considerados. A lista mínima de descritores para o cupuaçuzeiro ficou assim composta: comprimento do pecíolo foliar, espessura do limbo foliar, largura do acume foliar, angulação das nervuras de base, comprimento do botão estriado, comprimento do pedúnculo floral, diâmetro do pedúnculo floral, diâmetro do ovário, número de óvulos, comprimento da lâmina da pétala, comprimento dos estaminóides, diâmetro transversal da semente, semente chocha, acidez, brix, pH, número de botões caídos ao solo, número de frutos imaturos caídos precocemente e número de vassouras-de-bruxa produzidas.

The objective of this work was to select morphological and agronomic quantitative descriptors to characterize accessions of cupuaçuzeiro [Theobroma grandiflorum (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum]. Fifty three descriptors were evaluated, including 14 from leaves, 18 from flowers, 16 from fruits, and 5 agronomic traits. To discard redundant or non-discriminating descriptors, a two step multivariate analysis of principal components was applied. The first phase included the selection of descriptors within each group of characteristics individually (leaf; flower; fruit; agronomic). Based on the descriptors selected in this first phase, a joined analysis of principal components for the final selection was done. Three criteria for variable exclusion were adopted. Thirty four descriptors were excluded, representing a reduction of 64%. A minimal list of descriptors for cupuaçuzeiro was proposed, including leaf length, leaf thickness, leaf apex width, leaf base vein angle, flower bud length, flower peduncle length, flower peduncle diameter, ovary girth, number of ovules, flower petal lamina length, staminode length, seed width, flat seeds, acidity, brix, pH, number of fallen flowers buds, number of abscised immature pods and number of witches-brooms.