ABSTRACT The similarity in traditional knowledge of medicinal plants was evaluated to draw inferences about the most important models for local knowledge transmission. The following questions were addressed: (1) Do related individuals possess greater similarity in knowledge of medicinal plants than unrelated individuals? (2) Do related individuals of the same generation possess greater similarity in knowledge than do related individuals of different generations? Semi-structured interviews were conducted on the medicinal plants known by the residents of a rural community in western Bahia. Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare Jaccard similarity values between related and unrelated individuals and between relatives of the same generation and relatives of different generations. Related individuals were found to have more similar knowledge than unrelated individuals, and relatives of the same generation were found to have more similar knowledge than relatives of different generations. These findings suggest that there are factors that favor cultural transmission between relatives of the same generation other than just vertical transmission.

ABSTRACT The increasing loss of local ecological knowledge may have negative impacts on the resilience of socio-ecological systems and may also negatively impact bioprospecting efforts, since local ecological knowledge is an important source of information for searching new drugs. Recent studies try to evaluate whether communities are experiencing loss of local ecological knowledge. However, some of them make conclusions which are erroneously based on specific analyses of a single indicator. We propose an integrative analysis of three indicators, namely: number of plants cited by young people and elders, therapeutic choices and people's connectance in terms of medicinal plant learning. The study was carried out in the community of Sucruiuzinho (Bahia, Brazil). We conducted semistructured interviews and a therapeutic recall with 24 local dwellers. We did not find evidence of local ecological knowledge loss in the studied community. Although younger people know fewer plants, they are well connected in terms of knowledge transmission. Moreover, in illness events, young people and adults have similar proportions of choice for plants when compared to allopathy. Concomitant use of the three indicators leads to a more realistic scenario of local ecological knowledge loss than the use of only one of them.

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o crescimento inicial de plântulas de M. urundeuva estabelecidas em diferentes substratos. O trabalho foi realizado no Laboratório de Sementes e no Viveiro de Mudas da Universidade Estadual da Bahia (UNEB), Barreiras, BA. As sementes foram coletadas de árvores daquela universidade. Foi utilizado o delineamento inteiramente casualizado com seis tratamentos e quatro repetições, sendo os tratamentos T1: solo; T2: areia; T3: solo + areia + esterco; T4: casca de madeira; T5: bagaço de cana-de-açúcar + esterco; e T6: bagaço de cana-de-açúcar + esterco + cinzas. A semeadura foi realizada em bandejas plásticas, com diferentes substratos, utilizando-se 20 sementes, colocadas a uma profundidade de 1,0 cm. Foram avaliados o índice de velocidade de emergência (%), a altura da parte aérea e da radícula, o comprimento das plântulas e das folhas, o número de folhas e as massas verde e seca da parte aérea e da radícula. Plântulas estabelecidas utilizando casca de madeira como substratos obtiveram melhores resultados quanto ao número e comprimento das folhas, altura da parte aérea e massa verde e seca da parte aérea. Em contraste, os percentuais de índice de velocidade de emergência obtiveram os piores resultados em plântulas estabelecidas em substratos com casca de madeira. Os resultados de radículas não diferiram entre as plântulas estabelecidas com os diferentes substratos. Os substratos contendo composto de casca de madeira ou bagaço de cana + esterco forneceram as melhores condições para o crescimento inicial de plântulas de M. urundeuva.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the initial growth of seedlings of M. urundeuva established in different substrates. The study was carried out at the Laboratory of Seeds and Nursery Plants of UNEB, Barreiras, Bahia State, Brazil. Seeds were collected from trees at the University Campus. The experimental design was a completely randomized with four replications and six treatments: T1 soil, T2 sand, T3 soil + sand + manure, T4 wood bark, T5 sugar cane bagasse + manure; T6 sugar cane bagasse + manure + ash. The seeds were sown in plastic trays with different substrates, using 20 seeds at 1.0 cm of depth. We evaluated the index of emergency speed (%), height of shoot and radicle, length of seedlings and leaves, leaf number, fresh and dry mass of shoots and radicle. Established seedlings using wood bark as substrates obtained better results regarding to the number and length of leaves, shoot height, fresh and dry mass of shoots. In contrast, percentage of emergency speed index obtained the worst results in seedlings established on substrates with wood bark. The rootlets results did not differ between the seedlings established in different substrates. The substrates containing wood bark or sugar cane bagasse + manure, provide the best conditions for the initial growth of M. urundeuva seedlings.