Few research on the entomofauna associated to forest plantations with Swietenia macrophylla (King) in Brazil has been reported. The aim of this study was to analyze the Coleoptera communities in forest ecosystems with S. macrophylla, Brazilian mahogany, with emphasis on the diversity of families and the main functional groups. The insects were collected through pitfall traps in three forest ecosystems: monoculture, consortium and forest enriched with Brazilian mahogany, during dry and rainy periods in two consecutive years. The identification of the captured insects occurred in the entomology laboratory of the Federal Rural University of Amazonia. The analysis was performed through Past Paleontological Statistic 3.14 and ANAFAU, where the difference was considered significant only when p ? 0.05. 11,358 specimens from 21 families were captured, of which 8,058 were sampled in the rainy season and 3,299 in the dry season. There was influence of seasonality and types of forest ecosystems during collection. The families Nitidulidae, Staphylinidae, Carabidae and Meloidae presented greater abundance and richness in the complex ecosystems. Anobiidae, Cerambycidae, Bostrichidae, Brentidae, Buprestidae, Curculionidae, Elateridae, Chrysomelidae and Lagriidae were considered to be pests and common to all studied ecosystems; however, the families Nitidulidae, Scarabaeidae, Tenebrionidae and Passalidae had the function of decomposers; Carabidae, Coccinellidae, Histeridae, Meloidae, Staphylinidae, Cantharidae and Hydrophilidae were the predators.
Slow release fertilizers have become an alternative for better efficiency in substrate fertilization for seedlings production, however, there are not many studies approaching the use of such fertilizers in the production of native forest species seedlings. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of different doses of a slow release fertilizer (SRF) on the development and quality of the Inga heterophylla seedlings. The experiment was conducted in a vivarium with 50% of shade for a 150-day period. Randomized blocks were the chosen experimental design, constituted of four treatments and four replications, with twenty plants per experimental unit. The treatments were four doses of Osmocote® FLL (0, 4.1, 8.2 and 12.3 g dm-3) in NPK 15-09-12 formulation, with evaluated variables being the height of the seedling (H), collar diameter (CD), number of leaf pairs (NLP), leaf area (LA), aerial part dry mass (APDM), root dry mass, total dry mass (TDM) and Dickson quality index (DQI). All the evaluated parameters responded significantly to the SRF doses and fit the positive quadratic polynomial model. For all of the analyzed variables, results show that the best averages were obtained by using the doses between 5.7 and 6.5 g dm-3, but due to the quadratic response they presented a decrease in the mean values after doses which were superior to the maximum performance point of each characteristic.
Agricultural production plays a strategic role in Amazon, since it has economic and food-growing importance, but also represents a great highlight in the cultural and social scenarios. However, such theme still faces some challenges regarding the development of alternative methods capable of achieving sustainable productions, with quality and quantity, and yet with no harm to the natural resources. The Trichoderma fungus has become significant as a biological agent in agricultural species, presenting considerable answers to the development and protection of vegetables, and has also guaranteed the environmental preservation and food safety. Such issues considered, this study intends to guide small agricultural producers about the usage of Trichoderma fungi, emphasizing the agricultural species cultivation. The university extension program took place in four communities promoting workshops about the usage of the Trichoderma and other alternative biofertilizers. Each community was interviewed in an attempt to identify the main difficulties regarding a sustainable agricultural production. As a result, 75% of the communities still used chemicals in their fertilizing and plague control processes and did not use biological-origin products due to the lack of information on where to obtain them and how to use such items; only 25% had alternatives of biological defensives and merely 5% had any knowledge about the usage of biofertilizers like Trichoderma. Such findings evidence it is necessary to continue the extension program actions, focusing on their improvement and expansion, since they benefit society, economy and the environment of the Amazon region.
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