Evandro Luiz Missio’s research while affiliated with Ministério da Agricultura do Brasil and other places

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different container volumes and controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) concentrations on the growth of Lonchocarpus muehlbergianus seedlings produced in a nursery. The used experimental design was of randomized blocks with split plots, in a factorial scheme (2x5), with two container volumes (100 and 175 cm³) and five CRF concentrations (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 g L-1), with six replicates. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and, when significant, were compared by Tukey's test (p<0.05) or polynomial regression. At 180 days after the seedling emergence, the following attributes were evaluated: height (H), stem diameter (DC), H/SC ratio, shoot dry mass (MSPA), root dry mass (MSRA), Dickson’s quality index (DQI), relative chlorophyll content (ICF), chlorophyll a and b and carotenoid content and chlorophyll a fluorescence. The species is responsive to fertilization as well as to the container volume, obtaining superior results when produced in 175 cm³ and the addition of 9.6 to 12 g L-1 of CCRF, as they generally provide the highest averages for the morphophysiological variables analyzed, enabling seedlings with commercial quality and faster shipment from the nursery.

The vegetation cover type and land use influence the diversity and abundance of edaphic fauna organisms. The soil macrofauna diversity and abundance were determined in the mature native forest (MNF), advanced native forest (ANF), mixed forest (MF), native grassland (NG), eucalyptus reforestation (E), pine (P), and Japanese grape (JG) located at the Forest Research Center, in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The Macrofauna collections were carried out in winter, using the following tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TSBF) methodology, with four monoliths per ecosystem. A total of 6372 individuals m⁻² belonging to 12 Orders were collected: Araneae, Blattodea, Chilopoda, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, Diplopoda, Gastropoda, Hymenoptera, Lepdoptera, Oligochaeta and Orthoptera. The macrofauna diversity index was higher in MNF, followed by E > ANF > MF > JG > P > NG. The eucalyptus monoculture showed the highest species richness (11 spp), followed by NG (9) and MNF (9), ANF (8), MF (7), P (5) and JG (5). The abundance of macrofauna individuals was higher in the native grassland. The monocultures of pine and Japanese grape monocultures showed a species richness 45.5% lower than of the native fields. The floristic composition diversity influenced the diversity of soil macrofauna diversity organisms.

Trifolium polymorphum (trevo polimorfo) é uma leguminosa forrageira nativa que ocorre na metade sul do Rio Grande do Sul e se propaga por sementes aéreas e subterrâneas (anficarpia). No entanto, pouco é conhecido sobre o potencial de germinação das sementes aéreas. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar diferentes tempos de escarificação mecânica com lixa em cilindro rotativo em dois lotes de sementes (2016 e 2022) para verificar a presença de dormência nas sementes aéreas. Os lotes de sementes foram submetidos a cinco tempos de escarificação mecânica com lixa (0, 3, 6, 9 e 12 segundos) em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com quatro repetições de 25 sementes cada. Foram avaliados o índice de velocidade de germinação (IVG), tempo médio de germinação (TMG), coeficiente de velocidade de germinação (CVG), primeira contagem de germinação (PC), germinação acumulada (GA), sementes mortas (MO) e sementes firmes (FI). Os lotes mostraram poucas variações nas características avaliadas. No lote 2016 as sementes escarificadas por seis segundos tiveram a melhor GA (75,30%), enquanto no lote 2022 a GA foi menor que 30% em todos os tratamentos. O tratamento usando escarificação mecânica aumentou a germinação de sementes aéreas de T. polymorphum quando comparada ao controle, evidenciando a ocorrência de dormência nas sementes.

Trifolium polymorphum Poir. is a legume of natural pastures that combines amphicarpy with vegetative reproduction, but with little morphoagronomic information in populations of southern Brazil. In this study, plant height and diameter, number of primary stolons, dry matter, number of inflorescences, number of flowers per inflorescence, number of flowers with legume with seeds, number of flowers without legume or with legume without seeds, seed production, number and dry weight of storage roots were evaluated in populations of T. polymorphum. Little variation was observed for most characteristics, including low dry matter and aerial seed production. There were positive correlations between plant height and dry matter (r = 0.44), plant diameter and dry matter (r = 0.43), number of inflorescences and number of flowers per plant (r = 0.98) and number of inflorescences and seed production (r = 0.84). T. polymorphum presented low dry matter yield, however, the reproductive versatility of the species with the amphicarpic condition combined with vegetative propagation are mechanisms that allow the species to increase its frequency and contribution in natural pastures.

Plant diversification can increase organism abundance while reducing phytophagous insect activity in agricultural crops. We assessed arthropod diversity in fava beans (Vicia faba), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and marigolds (Tagetes patula) along the periphery of a kale plantation and examined the influence of their proximity to the kale cultivation. The study took place at the Centro Estadual de Diagnóstico e Pesquisa Florestal, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. We collected plant samples from the periphery and cultivated kale plants at three distances from the edge: within two meters, 10 to 12 meters, and 20 to 22 meters. We recorded the number and biomass of marketable leaves from three harvests. A total of 618 arthropods were collected from plants along the periphery: Insecta (589), Arachnida (20), and Entognatha (9). Hemiptera was the most prevalent order (49.84%). Kale plants near the periphery experienced less predation from leaf beetles. Plants along the periphery hosted important predator groups as well as phytophages that can serve as alternative prey. Diversifying the periphery with fennel, fava bean, and marigolds shows promise as a strategy to enhance the arthropod community in kale cultivation, thereby acting as a conservative biological control.

The use of Trichoderma fungi in plant production is an interesting biotechnological tool to increase productivity. The research evaluated the potential of two non-commercial strains of Trichoderma asperelloides and T. virens for increasing cabbage yield under field conditions. Growth and productivity parameters were determined at 95 and 150 days after seedling transplantation. The inoculation of the T. asperelloides and T. virens isolates in the soil provided 36.65% and 47.97% increments in the leaf fresh mass values marketed at the first harvest, respectively, thus showing potential for developing crops of Brassica oleracea in the South of Brazil.