Potato cultivation is widespread around the world, being exposed to several abiotic stresses, including soils with high aluminum (Al) availability. Silicon (Si) is recognized for alleviating the stress caused by Al in various plant species. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential of Si to mitigate the oxidative stress caused by Al in potato genotypes, exhibiting differential sensitivity toward this element. Plants of the Al-sensitive genotype (SMIJ319-7)and Al-tolerant genotype (SMIF212-3) were grown for two weeks in a hydroponic system with the nutrient solution containing combinations of Al (0 and 1.85 mM) and Si (0, 0.5 and 1.0 mM). At the end of the experiment, photosynthetic parameters, pigment content, root and shoot growth, superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase activity and lipid peroxidation were evaluated. In both potato genotypes Al BASIC AREAS -Article inhibited root and shoot growth and decreased all photosynthetic parameters and superoxide dismutase activity. Silicon was able to partially alleviate the damage caused by Al in parameters of root growth in the Al-tolerant genotype while increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and mitigating the Al-induced damage to membrane lipids in roots and shoot in both genotypes. The Al-tolerant genotype showed greater water use efficiency and transpiration rate in control conditions as compared to the Al-sensitive genotype. These data indicate that Si application can improve the defense ability of the tested potato genotypes against Al toxicity and that the Al-tolerant genotype is more responsive to Si.

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Resumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar os períodos de interferência de plantas daninhas no crescimento e desenvolvimento do eucalipto. O experimento foi realizado em campo, de agosto de 2006 a abril de 2008, com plantio de híbrido de Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla, em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram de períodos de convivência e de controle das plantas daninhas com o eucalipto. No tratamento com convivência, a cultura foi mantida em presença de plantas daninhas por intervalos iniciais crescentes de 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, 330 e 360 dias após o transplantio (DAT) do eucalipto. No tratamento controle, o eucalipto foi mantido livre de plantas daninhas, nos mesmos intervalos descritos para a convivência, e as plantas daninhas emergidas após esses intervalos não foram mais controladas. As avaliações foram realizadas aos 360 e aos 630 DAT. A competição com as plantas daninhas causou a redução do diâmetro e da massa de matéria seca de caules e ramos. Medidas de controle das plantas daninhas, no primeiro ano de implantação da cultura do eucalipto, devem ser adotadas ao fi nal do período anterior à interferência, que ocorre aos 107 dias após o transplante da cultura.Termos para indexação: Eucalyptus spp., competição, controle, variáveis morfológicas. Weed interference periods on in the initial growth of eucalyptusAbstract -The objective of this work was to determine the interference periods of weeds on the growth and development of eucalyptus. The experiment was done in the fi eld from August 2006 to April 2008, with a hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla planted in a randomized block design, with three replicates. Treatments consisted of coexistence and control periods of weeds with eucalyptus culture. During the coexistence treatment, the culture was maintained in the presence of weeds by increasing initial periods of 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, 330 and 360 days after culture transplant (DAT). During the control treatment, the culture was maintained free from weeds for the same periods above described; weeds emerged after those intervals were no longer controlled. Evaluations were made at 360 and at 630 DAT. The competition with weeds caused reduction of the stem diameter and of the dry matter of stems and shoots. Weed control, in the fi rst year of the eucalyptus culture, must be adopted at the end of the period before interference, which happens 107 days after the culture transplant.

ResumoO objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar a seletividade de herbicidas aplicados em pós-emergência na cultura do eucalipto em função de AbstractThe aim of this work was to quantify the herbicide selectivity applied at post-emergence of eucalyptus in different rates. The experiment was conducted in greenhouse conditions in the period from January to March 2007 at the Faculdade de Agronomia Eliseu Maciel in Universidade Federal de Pelotas -Capão do Leão-RS. Experimental design was completely randomized, with four replications. Treatments were in a factorial scheme: factor A -eucalyptus genotypes (E. globulus e E. saligna), factor B -herbicides (isoxaflutole, oxyfluorfen, bispyribac-sodium and sethoxydim+diclosulam), and factor C -rates of the registered average for weed control (0, 50, 100, 150 e 200%). Phytotoxicity, height, stem diameter and dry matter were evaluated. E. globulus genotype was more sensitive to herbicides than E. saligna. The mixture of the herbicides sethoxydim plus diclosulam showed potential to be used in eucalyptus. Bispyribac-sodium herbicide was the most toxic and isoxaflutole was the most selective to the studied genotypes.

Rice is a daily staple for half of the world's population. However, rice grains are poor in micronutrients such as Fe and Zn, the two most commonly deficient minerals in the human diet. In plants, Fe and Zn must be absorbed from the soil, distributed and stored, so that their concentrations are maintained at sufficient but non-toxic levels. The understanding of mechanisms of Fe and Zn homeostasis in plants has the potential to benefit agriculture, improving the use of micronutrients by plants, as well as to indicate approaches that aim at biofortification of the grains. ZIP transporters are commonly associated with Zn uptake, but there are few reports about their physiological relevance in planta. Here we describe a Tos17 loss-offunction line for the Zn plasma membrane transporter OsZIP7 (oszip7). We showed that the absence of functional OsZIP7 leads to deregulated Zn partitioning, increasing Zn accumulation in roots but decreasing in shoots and seeds. We also demonstrated that, upon Zn deficiency, oszip7 plants slightly increase their photosynthetic performance, suggesting that these plants might be primed for Zn deficiency which makes them more tolerant. On the other hand, we found that Zn excess is more deleterious to oszip7 plants compared to wild type, which may be linked to secondary effects in concentrations of other elements such as Fe. Our data suggest that OsZIP7 is important for Zn homeostasis under physiological Zn concentrations, and that Fe homeostasis might be affected due to loss of function of OsZIP7.