ABSTRACT Many features of flowers comprise the key elements of the pollinating strategies of flowering plants. Our aims were to describe features that attract pollinators and to identify the pollination system of Petunia interior, a species for which bees have been suggested as the probable pollinators. Therefore, we described the morphology and floral biology, assessed nectar production, concentration, and composition, examined reproductive mode and identified pollinators. P. interior has a purple, infundibuliform, zygomorphic corolla with a short and wide tube and blue pollen. Flower opening and pollen release were asynchronous throughout the day. The pollen grains have pollenkitt on the surface. The nectar sugar composition has a proportion of sucrose lower than the proportion of glucose + fructose, and the nectar supply was constant, in small amounts, at a concentration between 16.6-23.1 %. The reproductive system is xenogamous and bees were the exclusive pollinators. P. interior exhibits a set of floral traits that prevent self-pollination and maintains attractiveness to the bees. The greater reproductive success under natural conditions highlights the importance of bees for the reproductive success of P. interior. As far as floral traits are concerned, only the sugar concentration in the nectar does not correspond to melittophily.

ABSTRACT Extracellular soil enzymes are fundamental for the functioning of ecosystems. Several processes in the soil depend on the activity of these enzymes, including plant decomposition, soil organic matter formation/mineralization, and nutrient cycling. Moreover, extracellular enzyme activity occurs in the soil and is therefore influenced by environmental factors. Due to the high sensitivity to these factors, extracellular enzymes are used for monitoring soil quality. This review aimed to present the main contributions of soil enzymes to agriculture, emphasizing the dynamics of elements in the soil and the environmental factors that modulate enzyme activity. With this knowledge, the relationship of extracellular enzymes to soil quality is demonstrated and their use as a tool for soil monitoring. Finally, the evolution of research on soil enzymes in Brazil is presented, and the perspectives of basic and applied studies necessary to expand the knowledge and use of enzymes in soil management are pointed out. Soil enzymes play a key role in numerous soil processes, thereby making them useful indicators of productive capacity and soil quality. Research on enzymes in soil has developed significantly in the last two decades, which has made it possible for farmers to analyze and interpret enzyme activity in the soil in the laboratory.

ABSTRACT Chlorophylls and carotenoids are the main photosynthetic pigments in plants, and photosynthetic potential can be used to determine the nitrogen fixation or cycling capacity of cover crops. Therefore, this study quantified and compared the content of photosynthetic pigments in Raphanus sativus and Vicia sativa by using two different methods, namely the extraction method and measurements with a portable chlorophyll meter, and determined whether the results of these two methods showed a significant correlation. Photosynthetic pigments were measured, using both methods, in a greenhouse and laboratory, at four developmental stages: the vegetative stages I (30 days after sowing [DAS]), II (60DAS), and III (90DAS), and the reproductive stage (150DAS). The determination of the photosynthetic pigment content in R. sativus and V. sativa, obtained from the extraction method and chlorophyll index, revealed significant differences depending on the developmental stage in both species. Furthermore, the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids determined using the extraction method showed high coefficients of correlation with the total chlorophyll index determined using the portable chlorophyll meter. Therefore, the portable chlorophyll meter can be used for the accurate evaluation of the photosynthetic potential of Raphanus sativus and Vicia sativa, which also saves time and reagents.

Resumo O feijoeiro (Phaseolus vulgaris) é uma das principais culturas produzidas no Brasil. Sua produtividade é comprometida por diversas enfermidades, incluindo as causadas pelos nemátodes-das-galhas (NGR, Meloidogyne spp.). Três ensaios foram conduzidos em estufa com o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento de sete genótipos (C2-1-6-1-1, C4-8-1-1, PR11-6-4-1-2 Pr11-6-4-1-2, IAC-Alvorada, IAC-Diplomata e IAC-Una) de feijão a Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica e M. enterolobii. O tomateiro (Solanum lycopersicum) cv. Rutgers foi utilizado como controlo para comprovar a viabilidade do inóculo. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, com oito tratamentos e cinco repetições por tratamento. Para a comprovação dos resultados, os três ensaios foram repetidos no tempo, seguindo a mesma metodologia. O solo foi inoculado com 5.000 ovos + juvenis de segundo estádio (J2) de cada espécie de nemátode por vaso. As variáveis, índice de galhas (IG) e de massas de ovos (IMO) e o fator de reprodução (FR) foram determinados 60 dias após a inoculação. Os genótipos de feijão C4-8-1-1 e C2-1-6-1-1 foram resistentes a M. incognita e a M. javanica, respectivamente. Nenhum genótipo foi resistente a M. enterolobii nos dois ensaios. Os restantes genótipos de feijão foram suscetíveis às espécies de nemátodes estudadas. Os genótipos resistentes (C4-8-1-1 e C2-1-6-1-1) poderão ser utilizados em áreas de cultivo infestadas com M. incognita e M. javanica, respectivamente, ou usados como fontes de resistência em programas de melhoramento genético.

Abstract Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is one of the main crops produced in Brazil. In growing areas, productivity has been committed by various diseases, including those caused by root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.). Three independent experiments were conducted in greenhouse to evaluate the behavior of seven genotypes (PR11-6-4-1-2, Pr11-6-4-1-2 , C4-8-1-1 C2-1-6-1-1, IAC-Diplomata, IAC-Alvorada and IAC-Una) and three bean cultivars (IAC-Diplomata, IAC-Alvorada and IAC-Una) to Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica and M. enterolobii. The tomato Rutgers was used as control to confirm the inoculum viability. The experimental design was completely randomized with eight treatments and five replicates. To confirm the results, three experiments were repeated using the same methodology. The soil was inoculated with 5,000 eggs from each species of nematode per pot. As variables, gall (GI) and egg mass (EM) indexes and the reproduction factor (RF) were determined 60 days after inoculation. The genotypes C4-8-1-1 and C2-1-6-1-1 were resistant to M. incognita and M. javanica, respectively. No genotype were resistant to M. enterolobii in both assays. The other genotypes were susceptible to the nematode species studied. The resistant genotypes (C4-8-1-1 and C2-1-6-1-1) can be used in infested areas with M. incognita and M. javanica, respectively, or used as sources of resistance in breeding programs.

A cultura do feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris) tem a sua produtividade limitada por diversos fatores bióticos, sendo frequentemente afetada por nemátodes fitoparasitas. Várias espécies de nemátodes das galhas radiculares (NGR), Meloidogyne spp., têm sido encontradas e identificadas como sendo prejudiciais a esta cultura. Recentemente, Meloidogyne luci e Meloidogyne ethiopica foram reportadas como parasitas de feijoeiro no Brasil. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar, através da realização de ensaios de vaso, a reprodução de M. ethiopicae M. luci em vinte cultivares de feijoeiro. As plantas foram individualmente inoculadas com 5000 ovos + juvenis do segundo estádio (J2) de NGR e foram mantidas em estufa. Decorridos 60 dias da inoculação, as raízes de cada planta foram avaliadas quanto ao número de galhas, população final e fator de reprodução (FR=população final/população inicial). As médias das diferentes variáveis foram comparadas entre si pelo teste de agrupamento de Scott e Knott a 5%. Todas as cultivares de feijoeiro avaliadas comportaram-se como suscetíveis a ambos as espécies de NGR, com FR variando de 9,8 a 55,9 para M. ethiopica, e de 6,0 a 20,0 para M. luci.

The productivity of common bean crop is limited by several biotic factors, being often affected by plant-parasitic nematodes. Several species of root-knot nematodes (RKN), Meloidogyne spp. have been reported as damaging to the crop. Recently, Meloidogyne luci and Meloidogyne ethiopica were recorded parasitizing roots of common bean plants in Brazil. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the reproduction of M. ethiopica and M. luci on twenty bean cultivars. Plants were inoculated with 5,000 eggs plus second stage juveniles (J2) of RKN and pots were maintained in a greenhouse. Sixty days after inoculation, the roots of each plant were evaluated for number of galls, final population and reproduction factor (RF = final population / initial population) and the means of the different variables were compared by the Scott and Knott grouping test at 5%. Results showed that all tested cultivars were susceptible to both RKN, with RF ranging from 9.8 to 55.9 for M. ethiopica and from 6.0 to 20.0 for M. luci.

Abstract: Feather meal conversion through submerged cultivations with Bacillus strains (CL33A, CL14) yielded proteases and protein hydrolysates. After 4-day (CL33A) and 10-day (CL14) cultivations, protease activities reached 461 U/mL; hydrolysates presented antioxidant (radicals-scavenging, 57-77%; Fe2+-chelation, 14-28%; Fe3+-reduction) and antidiabetic (dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibition, 49-52%) potentials. The obtained bioproducts present prospective commercial/industrial applications.