ABSTRACT Both the scientific community and society have shown interest in improving the content of amino acids, carbohydrates and mineral nutrients in maize because it represents an important staple food in many developing countries. Earlier studies demonstrated that the treatment of seeds using ascorbic acid (AsA-seed priming) enhanced soluble carbohydrates, proteins and soluble amino acids for other species. AsA seed priming in maize showed the potential for reducing abiotic stresses. The effects on grain quality have not been previously demonstrated. This study investigated the impacts of AsA seed priming on maize kernel quality of seeds produced by the plants generated from the primed seeds, based on the amino acid profile and carbohydrate and mineral nutrient contents. AsA seed priming improved the maize kernel quality with respect to the ascorbate content, boron allocation, total carbohydrate content and increased soluble amino acid levels, including serine, tyrosine, alanine, valine, glutamate, arginine, proline, aspartate, lysine and isoleucine, whereas soluble methionine was decreased. Therefore, AsA seed priming can represent a potential technique for improving maize grain quality.

A peroxidação lipídica e alongamento de raiz de Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus camaldulensis foram estudados em resposta às condições de estresse com alumínio (Al), um metal conhecido por limitar a produtividade agrícola em solos ácidos, principalmente devido à redução do crescimento radicular. No Brasil, o híbrido Grancam 1277 (E. grandis × E. camaldulensis) tem sido plantado na região do "Cerrado", local com grande ocorrência de solos ácidos. O presente estudo mostra que o híbrido teve redução de crescimento das raízes e aumento dos níveis de peroxidação lipídica, após 24h de tratamento com 100 µM de Al. No entanto, um possível processo de tolerância começou após este período, uma vez que foram observadas redução na peroxidação lipídica e recuperação de alongamento da raiz após 48h de exposição Al. A compreensão da dinâmica temporal de tolerância ao Al pode ser útil principalmente para selecionar genótipos mais tolerantes e também para identificar genes de interesse para aplicação em bioengenharia.

Lipid peroxidation and root elongation of Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus camaldulensis were studied under stress conditions in response to aluminum (Al), a metal known to limit agricultural productivity in acidic soils primarily due to reduced root elongation. In Brazil, the Grancam 1277 hybrid (E. grandis × E. camaldulensis) has been planted in the "Cerrado", a region of the country with a wide occurrence of acidic soils. The present study demonstrated that the hybrid exhibited root growth reduction and increased levels of lipid peroxidation after 24h of treatment with 100 µM of Al, which was followed by a reduction in lipid peroxidation levels and the recovery of root elongation after 48h of Al exposure, suggesting a rapid response to the early stressful conditions induced by Al. The understanding of the temporal dynamics of Al tolerance may be useful for selecting more tolerant genotypes and for identifying genes of interest for applications in bioengineering.