ABSTRACT The interaction between bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes and N-fixing microorganisms has the potential to be utilized in sustainable agricultural production. Thus, the aim of this study was to verify the effects of the interaction for growth, production and nodulation characteristics between the bacteria Rhizobium tropici and Azospirillum brasilense among different bean genotypes. The experiments were conducted in the Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, in 2018 and 2019, in randomized block design with three replicates in a 20 × 3 factorial scheme; 20 common bean genotypes were tested under three forms of inoculation (no inoculation, inoculation with R. tropici, co-inoculation of R. tropici + A. brasilense). The number of grains per pod and nodule mass had the most significant direct positive effect on grain yield. For nodulation, a positive correlation of strong magnitude was observed between mass of the aerial part and number of pods per plant (0.68), stem diameter and mass of nodules (0.92) and first pod insertion height and number of nodules (0.64). In the path analysis, the number of grains per pod had the most significant direct effect (0.57) on the grain productivity variable. Regarding nodulation characteristics, selection for nodule mass was preferred due to its direct effect on grain yield as opposed to the number of nodules, which has a negative effect. This suggests an advantage of larger nodules with greater individual mass than a large number of small nodules for both improved yield and N fixing by common bean plants.

RESUMO O rendimento médio nacional da batata-doce está abaixo do potencial produtivo da cultura, principalmente devido ao cultivo de variedades locais e não melhoradas que apresentam baixos rendimentos. Para melhorar essa condição, junto com tratamentos culturais adequados, deve-se buscar cultivares mais produtivas. Assim, objetivou-se caracterizar genótipos de batata-doce obtidos por meio de cruzamentos. O experimento foi conduzido de janeiro a maio de 2019 em Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados com 264 (genótipos) + Controle (‘Beauregard’), com duas repetições. A colheita de todas as plantas começou 127 dias após o plantio dos propágulos. Após a colheita, as raízes foram lavadas e colocadas para secar em área coberta para avaliação. Foram avaliados: rendimento total, comercial e não comercial; número total, comercial e não comercial da raiz; teor de matéria seca de raízes; e a produtividade de matéria seca. Os genótipos CERAT16-20, CERAT31-1 e CERAT21-2 são promissores para a produção de raízes para consumo doméstico devido à alta produtividade das raízes comerciais. Os acessos CERAT16-20, CERAT31-1, CERAT25-17, CERAT25-12, CERAT21-2, CERAT29-26, CERAT34-4, CERAT31-11 e CERAT24-8 são promissores para a indústria devido à alta produção de massa seca por hectare. Os componentes principais, número total de raízes comerciais, produção de raízes não comerciais, massa de raízes comerciais, produção total de massa seca de raízes, massa de raízes e produção total de raízes têm baixa contribuição para discriminação dos genótipos, portanto, sua análise pode ser descartada em trabalhos futuros, sob mesmas condições edafoclimáticas, reduzindo o trabalho, despesas e tempo.

ABSTRACT The average national sweet potato yield of Brazil falls below the productive potential of the crop because of the cultivation of local and unimproved varieties. To improve this, more productive cultivars must be adopted along with adequate culture treatments. This study was conducted between January and May 2019 in Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, to characterize sweet potato genotypes obtained through crossbreeding. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks containing 264 genotypes, the control (‘Beauregard’), and two replicates. Plant harvesting began 127 d after planting. After harvesting, the roots were washed and dried in a covered area ready for evaluation. The total, commercial, and non-commercial yield; total, commercial, and non-commercial root number; root dry matter content; and dry matter productivity were evaluated. The genotypes CERAT16-20, CERAT31-1, and CERAT21-2 are promising in terms of root production for household consumption because of their high productivity of commercial roots. In contrast, genotypes CERAT16-20, CERAT31-1, CERAT25-17, CERAT25-12, CERAT21-2, CERAT29-26, CERAT34- 4, CERAT31-11, and CERAT24-8 are promising for industry because of the high production of dry mass per hectare. The main components, total number of commercial roots, production of non-commercial roots, mass of commercial roots, total production of dry mass of roots, mass of roots, and total production of roots have a low contribution to the discrimination of the genotypes; therefore, their analysis can be discarded in future studies, under the same soil and climate conditions, thus reducing workload, expense, and time.

ABSTRACT. Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is an important tuber vegetable for human health worldwide owing to its nutritional value and productivity. Consumption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato is beneficial to combat vitamin A deficiency in the world, including Brazil, as these tubers are rich in β-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. The genotype × environment interaction is one of the greatest challenges in plant breeding, specifically in the selection and approval of cultivars. In this context, adaptability and stability analyses are warranted to evaluate the performance of various genotypes in terms of general or specific adaptations to certain environments and to identify genotypes responsive to environmental variations. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the genotype × environment interaction as well as to estimate the adaptability and stability of sweetpotato genotypes for identifying and selecting promising candidates for breeding. The experiments were performed in four environments: Vera Cruz in São Paulo, Selvíria in Mato Grosso do Sul, and one organic and another intercropped production system in Sete Barras in São Paulo. A randomized block design with two replicates was adopted. A total of 265 genotypes were tested, and the orange-fleshed sweetpotato cultivar ‘Beauregard’ was used as the control. The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction model was used to study environmental stratification, adaptability, and stability. The genotype × environment interaction was evident in all environments. The genotypes CERAT21-13 (marketable root yield, 22.30 t ha-1 in the four environments), CERAT29-26 (27.74 t ha-1), and CERAT52-22 (20.24 t ha-1) were the most adapted in general to the four environments. CERAT25-23, CERAT29-23, and CERAT29-26 were the most adapted to the environment in Vera Cruz; CERAT29-26, CERAT34-14, and CERAT56-32 to the environment in Selvíria; and CERAT31-10, CERAT35-19, and CERAT52-22 to the two environments in Sete Barras.

ABSTRACT. Fig tree (Ficus carica L., Moraceae), which originated in the Mediterranean Basin, is one of the many fruit trees grown in Brazil, with ‘Roxo-de-Valinhos’ being the exclusively used cultivar. In this context, research aimed at the improvement of this species to develop highly resistant and adaptable cultivars is paramount. Thus, the present study aimed to maintain fig accessions in an in vivo active germplasm bank (AGB) at the Faculty of Engineering of Ilha Solteira (FEIS), São Paulo State University (UNESP), as well as to characterize the agronomic traits of these accessions based on quantitative descriptors of genetic parameters and observe gains with the selection of specific genotypes to illustrate the AGB in terms of genetic variability. A total of 36 F. carica genotypes were evaluated in the field at the Teaching, Research and Extension Farm (FEPE) of the FEIS, UNESP. Qualitative traits, fruit parameters (e.g., insertion of the first fruit, fruit stalk length, fruit length, fruit diameter, and average fruit mass), and accumulated plant dry mass were measured. In addition, genetic parameters, variance components, and descriptive statistics, including genetic and environmental variances, heritability and average heritability of clones, coefficients of genotypic and environmental variation and their ratio (CV g %/Cv e %), general average, and selection gain, were evaluated. The selected fig tree accessions showed genetic variability in the assessed traits, exhibiting good heritability and achieving selection gains. For instance, the first 10 classified clones exhibited a heritability of 80.2% and achieved a selection gain of 98% for accumulated plant dry mass. Therefore, the maintenance of in vivo AGBs allows agronomic studies, offering promising results for continuing the breeding programs and preserving the genetic variability of species.

Abstract Estimating genetic parameters is an essential procedure to define strategies for breeding and selection of higher yielding genotypes. The use of a selection index can assist in decision making by combining the high yield trait with other desirable traits. The objective of this study was to verify the possibility of gains from selection in a sweet potato population to select potentially promising genotypes. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, with three plants per plot and two replications, consisting of 255 sweet potato genotypes and a commercial cultivar (256 treatments). The data were analyzed through REML/BLUP. Genetic gains were evaluated using selection indexes based on the rank sun. The plant population tested showed high genetic variability; 81.25% of the traits had genotypic coefficients of variation above 20%, which indicates conditions favorable to selection with considerable genetic advances. CERAT31-01, CERAT21-02, and CERAT51-30 can be recommended as the most promising genotypes.

Abstract Plantations made up of clones carry genetic uniformity that can compromise production. The use of multiclonal plantations is a possible solution. The objective of this study was to identify effects of competition on silvicultural performance of Eucalyptus spp. commercial clones. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with 12 eucalyptus clones, three replicates, and five plants per plot. Clones were evaluated for two competition types, intra- and intergenotypic, at 3 and 5 years of age. Competition parameters were estimated based on the analyses performed. Differences were found between the types of competition at both ages for mean annual increment and wood volume. Clones 8 and 9 stood out from the others in both intra- and intergenotypic competition. At 5 years of age, intergenotypic competition produced productivity gains of 13% in clones 8 and 9 and 4% overall considering wood volume and mean annual increment.

RESUMO O gênero Heliconia se destaca comercialmente pela aparência exótica de suas inflorescências. São plantas sensíveis à falta de umidade no solo, sendo necessário manejo adequado da irrigação. Nesse sentido, objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de diferentes lâminas de irrigação sobre os caracteres fitotécnicos e produtivos de Heliconia psittacorum cultivar Golden Torch cultivadas em vaso. O experimento foi conduzido no período de março a outubro de 2014, em blocos casualizados. Foram utilizados cinco tratamentos correspondentes as diferentes lâminas de irrigação [50 (L50), 75 (L75), 100 (L100), 125 (L125) e 150% (L150) da evaporação de água do tanque Classe A (ECA)] com quatro repetições e duas plantas por repetição. Foram realizadas as seguintes avaliações: número de dias para emissão do primeiro perfilho, número de dias para emissão da primeira inflorescência, número de dias para a colheita da inflorescência, ciclo da planta, diâmetro da haste floral, comprimento da haste floral, comprimento da inflorescência, altura de planta, número de perfilhos e produtividade de hastes florais. Foram realizadas leituras de clorofila e medições de área foliar. As lâminas de irrigação testadas influenciaram significativamente o número de dias para colheita da primeira inflorescência, comprimento da haste floral e comprimento da inflorescência. A lâmina de irrigação de 150% da ECA proporcionou melhores resultados para o comprimento da haste floral, comprimento da inflorescência e para área foliar, mas sem diferir das lâminas de 75%, 100% e 125% da ECA. Assim, para o cultivo da helicônia cv. Golden Torch em vaso recomenda-se as lâminas correspondentes de 75% a 150% da ECA.

ABSTRACT The genus Heliconia is commercially detached by the exotic appearance of the inflorescences but is susceptible to lack of moisture in the soil, being necessary the irrigation management. In this sense, the objective was to evaluate the effect of different irrigation levels on the plant growth and productive characters of Heliconia psittacorum cv. Golden Torch cultivated in vase. The experiment was conducted from March to October 2014, in a randomized blocks design. Five treatments corresponding to the different irrigation levels were used [50, 75, 100, 125 and 150% of the evaporation measured in Class A (ECA)] with four replicates and two plants per replicate. The following evaluations were carried out: number of days for the emergence of the first tiller, number of days for the emergence of the first inflorescence, number of days for the inflorescence harvest, crop cycle, diameter of the flower stem, length of the flower stem, inflorescence length, plant high, number of tillers and productivity of flower stems. Chlorophyll and leaf area measurements were performed. The irrigation levels tested significantly influenced the number of days for the first inflorescence harvest, length of the flower stem and inflorescence length. The irrigation level of 150% ECA provided better results for the length of the flower stem, inflorescence length and for leaf area but without differences from 75%, 100% and 125% ECA. Thus, for the cultivation of the heliconia cv. Golden Torch in pot can be recommended the level corresponding from 75% to 150% ECA.

Objetivou-se neste trabalho avaliar os efeitos de diferentes tratamentos químicos na qualidade fisiológica pós-armazenamento de sementes de diferentes genótipos de soja, em ambientes de armazenamento distintos. Os tratamentos foram as combinações de quatro cultivares; dois fitofármacos, a mistura dos fungicidas fludioxonil + metalaxil-M, o inseticida tiametoxame e a testemunha (sem produto fitofármaco, uma de cada cultivar); e três locais de armazenamento: câmara fria; silo bolsa e armazém. O delineamento foi inteiramente casualizado com quatro repetições, em esquema fatorial 4x3x3, procedendo-se o teste de Tukey para comparação de médias, com nível de significância de 5%. Constatou-se que a qualidade de sementes de soja foi influenciada pelo genótipo e condições de armazenamento, sendo esses fatores mais limitantes do que o tratamento de sementes com os fitofármacos. Em armazém, as sementes de soja apresentavam maior viabilidade ao fim de 180 dias. Condições de armazenamento com humidade relativa de 80% prejudicaram a qualidade fisiológica das cultivares testadas. Em síntese, é possível o armazenamento das sementes tratadas com os princípios ativos utilizados pelo período de 180 dias, em armazém.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of different chemical treatments on the physiological quality of seeds of different soybean genotypes after storage in different storage environments. The treatments were the combinations of four varieties; two chemical treatments, the mixture of the fungicides fludioxonil + metalaxyl, the insecticide thiamethoxam and control (no chemical); three different storage systems: cold chamber; silo bag and warehouse. The design was a completely randomized design with four replicates, in a 4x3x3 factorial scheme. Tukey test were used to analyze data, with 5% significance level. From results, it is concluded that the quality of soybean seeds was influenced by the genotype and storage conditions, being these factors more limiting than the treatment of seeds with pesticide. Warehouse storage presented better conditions for the viability of soybean seeds. Storage conditions at 80% of relative humidity affect the physiological quality of the varieties. It is possible to store the seeds treated with the active ingredients used for the period of 180 days in storage.

O paricá (Schizolobium amazonicum) é uma espécie nativa da floresta amazônica, que ocorre naturalmente no Brasil, Peru e Colômbia. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o rendimento em laminação da madeira de paricá. Para isso foram avaliadas toras da espécie em uma fábrica de compensado instalada na região Amazônica brasileira. Os resultados indicaram que o paricá apresenta um elevado rendimento em laminação, sendo similar ou em alguns casos até superior a espécies tradicionalmente utilizadas para esta finalidade no Brasil, como as dos gêneros Pinus e Eucalyptus. Observou-se ainda que o rendimento em laminação da espécie pode ser estimado por meio dos parâmetros dendrométricos das toras.

The tropical tree Schizolobium amazonicum is native from the Amazonian forest, naturally occurring in Brazil, Peru and Colombia. This work aimed to study the veneer yield made from this species. For this purpose, 50 logs from S. amazonicum were rotary peeled in a plywood industry installed in Brazilian Amazon region. The results indicated that S. amazonicum had a peeling yield similar or even higher than those usually obtained for species traditionally used for this purpose in Brazil, like those of Pinus and Eucalyptus. It was also observed that the dendrometric parameters of the log can be used to estimate the peeling yield in this species.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência da competição intergenotípica em famílias de polinização aberta de Eucalyptus e o seu efeito na eficiência da seleção precoce. Foram realizados dois experimentos, nos quais o volume de madeira foi avaliado em três idades, em delineamento de blocos ao acaso. Dados dos três anos de avaliação (experimento 1, aos 2, 4 e 7 anos; e experimento 2, aos 3, 5 e 7 anos) foram analisados a partir de modelos mistos. Foram estimados: componentes de variância, parâmetros genéticos, ganhos com a seleção, número efetivo, eficiência da seleção precoce, ganho com a seleção por unidade de tempo e coincidência de seleção com e sem uso de covariáveis de competição. O efeito da competição não foi significativo em idades inferiores a três anos, e o ajuste por covariáveis de competição foi desnecessário. A seleção precoce para famílias é eficiente; famílias de hábitos de crescimento tardio são mais vulneráveis à competição, o que prejudica de forma mais pronunciada a sua classificação ao final do ciclo. A seleção precoce mostra-se eficiente de acordo com todos os critérios adotados, e a idade em torno de três anos é a mais recomendada, em razão da alta eficiência e do alto índice de acerto na indicação de árvores e famílias. A adição de covariáveis de competição ao final do ciclo melhora a eficiência da seleção precoce para quase todos os critérios estudados.

The objetive of this work was to evaluate the influence of intergenotypic competition in open-pollinated families of Eucalyptus and its effects on early selection efficiency. Two experiments were carried out, in which the timber volume was evaluated at three ages, in a randomized complete block design. Data from the three years of evaluation (experiment 1, at 2, 4, and 7 years; and experiment 2, at 2, 5, and 7 years) were analyzed using mixed models. The following were estimated: variance components, genetic parameters, selection gains, effective number, early selection efficiency, selection gain per unit time, and coincidence of selection with and without the use of competition covariates. Competition effect was nonsignificant for ages under three years, and adjustment using competition covariates was unnecessary. Early selection for families is effective; families that have a late growth spurt are more vulnerable to competition, which markedly impairs ranking at the end of the cycle. Early selection is efficient according to all adopted criteria, and the age of around three years is the most recommended, given the high efficiency and accuracy rate in the indication of trees and families. The addition of competition covariates at the end of the cycle improves early selection efficiency for almost all studied criteria.

RESUMO Muitos estudos têm recomendado o uso de parcelas pequenas na experimentação florestal, porém, não consideram o aumento da competição intergenotípica que isto acarreta e que pode resultar na seleção incorreta dos materiais genéticos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de avaliar sete covariáveis de competição sobre o caráter volume de madeira em dois testes de progênies de Eucalyptus spp. O delineamento utilizado foi de blocos casualizados, com seis repetições de 10 plantas. As sete covariáveis analisadas foram índice de competição de Hegyi (IC), autocompetição (AT), alocompetição (AL), média da autocompetição (MAT), média da alocompetição (MAL) e média aritmética dos quatro (M4) e oito vizinhos mais próximos (M8). Essas covariáveis foram avaliadas individualmente bem com em todas as suas possíveis combinações, obtendo-se estimativas de componentes de variâncias e suas alterações com o emprego das mesmas. A competição influenciou os resultados de análises de testes de progênies de eucalipto, em que, autocompetição e alocompetição interferem de forma diferenciada. As covariáveis mais influentes são a MAT, a MAL e o IC. A rotina de análise que apresentou melhores resultados foi a que incluiu as covariáveis IC/MAT, sendo eficiente na redução do efeito competicional em testes de progênies de eucalipto.

ABSTRACT Many studies have recommended the use of small plots for forest experiments, although they do not consider the inter-genotype competition increase. If this competition is not isolated from the mathematics model, it can lead to incorrect selection of genetic materials. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of seven competition covariates in two Eucalyptus spp. progeny tests. Data from the two half-sib eucalyptus progenies were analyzed, using the randomized blocks design. The seven analyzed covariates were HegyI's competition index (IC), self-competition (AT), alo competition (AL), self-competition mean (MAT), alo competition mean (MAL), and arithmetic means of four (M4) and eight (M8) nearest neighbors. Individual and combined analyses of covariates were used for the wood volume trait. All the variance components and the changes caused by covariates use were evaluated. The competition affects the results of eucalypt progeny analysis in different ways, according to its type, self or alo competition. Most influential covariates were MAT, MAL and IC. Most promising results of competition effects reduction were observed for the IC/ MAT covariates inclusion in eucalypt progeny tests

The effect of competition is an important source of variation in breeding experiments. This study aimed to compare the selection of plants of open-pollinated families of Eucalyptus with and without the use of competition covariables. Genetic values were determined for each family and tree and for the traits height, diameter at breast height and timber volume in a randomized block design, resulting in the variance components, genetic parameters, selection gains, effective size and selection coincidence, with and without the use of covariables. Intergenotypic competition is an important factor of environmental variation. The use of competition covariables generally reduces the estimates of variance components and influences genetic gains in the studied traits. Intergenotypic competition biases the selection of open-pollinated eucalypt progenies, and can result in an erroneous choice of superior genotypes; the inclusion of covariables in the model reduces this influence.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar diferentes covariáveis de competição em análises de vizinhança, e verificar sua eficiência no aumento da precisão experimental e as consequências no ordenamento de genótipos de cana-de-açúcar em termos de potencial produtivo. Foram utilizados dados da rede de ensaios do programa de melhoramento de cana-de-açúcar do Instituto Agronômico, instalados em 2002. O delineamento foi em blocos ao acaso, com três repetições. As parcelas constituíram-se de cinco sulcos de 8 m, espaçados 1,50 m entre si. A produtividade de colmos por hectare (TCH, Mg ha-1) foi avaliada no primeiro e terceiro cortes. As covariáveis "lateral", "ponta" e "quatro vizinhos" foram incluídas nos métodos de Papadakis, em duas variações do método médias móveis. Os métodos de Papadakis e médias móveis 1 não alteraram a precisão experimental em comparação à análise tradicional. O método médias móveis 2 reduziu a variância ambiental, mas alterou as estimativas da variância genotípica e o ordenamento dos genótipos, o que pode induzir a conclusões equivocadas na seleção. Embora a covariável "lateral" tenha sido influente na competição, o efeito em parcelas de cinco sulcos é pequeno.

The objective of this work was to study different competition covariates in neighborhood analysis and to check the efficiency of this analysis in the increase of the experimental precision and the consequences in the ranking of sugarcane genotypes in terms of productive potential. Data used were from the state experimental network of the sugarcane breeding program installed in 2002, of the Instituto Agronômico, Campinas, SP, Brazil. The experimental design was in randomized complete blocks, with three replicates. The plots were formed of five 8 m rows with 1.5-m spacing between rows. The stalk productivity (TCH, Mg ha-1) was evaluated in the first and third harvests. The covariates "side", "tip" and "4 neighbors" were included in the Papadakis method and in two variations of the moving average method. The Papadakis and moving average 1 methods did not change the experimental precision in comparison with traditional analysis. The moving average 2 method reduced the environmental variance. However, it changed the estimates of the genetic variance and the genotype ranking, and could lead to erroneous conclusions in the selection. Although the "side" covariate was influential on competition, its effect or on five row-plots was small.

Foram avaliadas três formas de parcelas experimentais (retangular, uma linha - linear e parcela de uma árvore - STP) em testes clonais de Eucalyptus spp, utilizando-se três experimentos, cada um com 18 clones. Foram usados três modelos de análise (mínimos quadrados ordinários - ANOVA tradicional, modelos mistos com fator clone fixo ou com fator clone aleatório - REML/BLUP). Os dois primeiros modelos apresentaram resultados similares. Com REML/BLUP houve estreitamento das predições em relação às amplitudes obtidas com as médias, e essa redução foi proporcionalmente maior com parcelas retangulares e STP. O ordenamento dos clones também foi similar com esses dois tipos de parcelas. É provável que com parcelas STP haja um balanço compensatório das alocompetições, pois se pode trabalhar com maior número de repetições e menor custo. Portanto, com parcelas STP haverá economia de recursos e sem prejuízos para o Programa de Melhoramento Florestal.

Three experimental plot forms (rectangular, one line - linear and single tree plot - STP) were evaluated for Eucalyptus spp clonal tests, using three experiments with 18 clones each. Three analysis models (ordinary least square - traditional ANOVA, mixed models with fixed clone factor or with random clone factor- REML/BLUP) were used. The first and second models showed similar results. With REML/BLUP, there was a reduction in the range of prediction compared to the amplitudes obtained employing the means. This reduction was proportionally higher with rectangular and STP plots. The ranking of clones was also similar to these two types of plots. Probably, there was a compensatory balance of alocompetition with STP plots, because it is possible to work with a higher number of repetitions and lower costs. Therefore, the use of STP plots results in resource saving, preventing losses in forest breeding programs.