Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the oldest cultivated crops, but currently it represents only 0.15% of the vegetable oil produced in the world. Castor oil is of continuing importance to the global specialty chemical industry because it is the only commercial source of a hydroxylated fatty acid. Castor also has tremendous future potential as an industrial oilseed crop because of its high seed oil content (more than 480 g kg−1), unique fatty acid composition (900 g kg−1 of ricinoleic acid), potentially high oil yields (1250–2500 L ha−1), and ability to be grown under drought and saline conditions. The scientific literature on castor has been generated by a relatively small global community of researchers over the past century. Much of this work was published in dozens of languages in journals that are not easily accessible to the scientific community. This review was conducted to provide a compilation of the most relevant historic research information and define the tremendous future potential of castor. The article was prepared by a group of 22 scientists from 16 institutions and eight countries. Topics discussed in this review include: (i) germplasm, genetics, breeding, biotic stresses, genome sequencing, and biotechnology; (ii) agronomic production practices, diseases, and abiotic stresses; (iii) management and reduction of toxins for the use of castor meal as both an animal feed and an organic fertilizer; (iv) future industrial uses of castor including renewable fuels; (v) world production, consumption, and prices; and (vi) potential and challenges for increased castor production.

RESUMO -Avaliaram-se o fluxo de biomassa e as características estruturais do dossel de Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça sob pastejo de lotação intermitente, com os períodos de descanso (PD) definidos em função do tempo necessário para a expansão de 2,5; 3,5 e 4,5 novas folhas por perfilho (tratamentos). A pastagem foi dividida em cinco ou seis piquetes, conforme o tratamento, caracterizando o delineamento de casualização completa. Utilizaram-se cinco novilhos Holandês/Zebu por tratamento, que pastejaram durante seis dias em cada um dos piquetes correspondentes. Animais de equilíbrio foram adicionados, quando necessário, para garantir índice de área foliar residual próximo de 2,0, ao final do 6 0 dia de pastejo. Durante os PDs de três ciclos de pastejo, estimaram-se as taxas de aparecimento, alongamento e senescência foliares (TApF, TAlF e TSF, respectivamente), a taxa de alongamento das hastes (TAlH) e a taxa de acúmulo de forragem (TAF). No início e final de cada PD, estimaram-se: altura do dossel, massa seca de forragem verde (MSFV) e relação folha/colmo. Logo após cada período de pastejo, estimou-se a densidade populacional de perfilhos (DPP). As características mais afetadas pelos PDs foram TAlH e relação folha/colmo. O PD de 2,5 folhas foi o único a exercer algum controle sobre o alongamento das hastes. Observou-se ainda forte plasticidade do dossel em resposta aos PDs. A TAlF (7,6 cm/perf x dia) e a DPP (350 perf/m 2 ) nos piquetes sob menor PD e a TAlH (0,29 cm/perf x dia) naqueles sob maior PD constituíram-se componentes importantes da produção. O prolongamento do PD acarretou maior altura e maior MSFV por ciclo de pastejo, porém com proporção crescente de colmos, acarretando acentuada redução na relação folha/colmo. Palavras-chave: relação folha/colmo, taxa de alongamento foliar, taxa de alongamento das hastes, taxa de senescência foliar Morphophysiology of Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça Canopy under Intermittent Stocking Grazing of Three Rest PeriodsABSTRACT -The tissue flow and structural traits of Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça canopy were evaluated under intermittent stocking, with rest period (RP) defined in terms of the time required for the expansion of 2.5; 3.5 and 4.5 new leaves per tiller. The pasture treatment was divided into five or six paddocks (replicates) per treatment, observing a completely randomized design. One group of five Holstein-Zebu crossbred steers, as testers, grazed the paddocks of the respective treatment during six days. Put and taken steers were used, when necessary, to obtain a residual leaf area index (LAI) of about 2.0, by the end of the 6 th grazing day. During the RPs of three grazing cycles, leaf elongation rate (LER), leaf senescence rate (LSR), culm elongation rate (CER) and net herbage accumulation rate (NHAR) were estimated. By the beginning and end of each RP, the following structural variables were estimated: canopy height, green herbage dry matter (GHDM) and leaf/culm ratio. Tiller population density (TPD) was assessed after each grazing period. The variables CER and le...

RESUMO -O trabalho foi desenvolvido objetivando-se avaliar o efeito da adição de uréia em doses crescentes, na presença ou ausência de urease, sobre o valor nutritivo do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado em arranjo fatorial (4 x 2) + 1 (controle), com quatro repetições. Os fatores avaliados foram níveis de uréia (2,0; 4,0; 6,0; e 8,0% da matéria seca), níveis de urease (presença, 20,0% da matéria fresca da uréia, e ausência) e um tratamento controle (0,0% de uréia e ausência de urease). Houve efeito da adição de uréia (63,3%) em relação ao controle (69,6%) e efeito da presença de urease (64,4%) em relação à sua ausência (62,1%), para o teor de matéria seca (MS). O menor teor de MS (62,5%) foi observado no nível de 6,2% de uréia. O teor de proteína bruta (PB) cresceu linearmente com a adição de uréia (12,0%) em relação ao controle (1,2%), sem urease. O teor de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) dos materiais amonizados (81,4%) foi menor que o controle (84,7%), com efeito linear negativo das doses crescentes de uréia. Houve teores mais elevados de FDN nos tratamentos com presença de urease (82,1%) em relação aos tratamentos sem a mesma (80,8%). A digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca (DIVMS) média do tratamento controle (23,2%) foi inferior à DIVMS média dos tratamentos com uréia (28,5%), com efeito linear positivo dos níveis crescentes de uréia. Não houve efeito da urease sobre a DIVMS do bagaço. A amonização com uréia melhorou o valor nutritivo do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar, sem a necessidade de adição de urease.Palavras-chave: amonização, bagaço, cana-de-açúcar, uréia, valor nutritivo Evaluation of the Nutritive Value of Sugarcane Bagasse Ammoniated with UreaABSTRACT -The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the addition of crescent levels of urea, with or without urease, on sugarcane bagasse nutritive value. The experimental design was a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement (4 x 2) + 1 (control), with four replicates. The evaluated factors were urea levels (2.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0% DM), urease levels (presence -20% of urea fresh matter -and absence) and a control treatment (0.0% urea and without urease). There was an effect of urea addition (63.3%) on the control (69.6%) and effect of urease presence (64.4%) on its absence (62.1%) for the dry matter (DM) content. The smallest estimated DM content (62.5%) was observed at 6.2% urea level. The crude protein (CP) content linearly increased with the addition of crescent levels of urea (12.0%) as compared to the control (1.2%), without urease effect. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of ammoniated materials (81.4%) was smaller than the control (84.7%), with a negative linear effect of the crescent levels of urea. There was higher NDF content in the treatments with the presence of urease (82.1%) than on the treatments without urease (80.8%). The average in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) of the control treatment (23.2%) was lower than average urea addition treatments (28.5...

-This study evaluated the biomass flow of massai grass in regrowth subjected to different nitrogen levels (control -no fertilization; 400; 800; and 1200 N kg ha -1 year -1 ) and under rotational stocking with sheep, in a completely randomized design with repeated measures over time. The leaf elongation rate increased with increasing nitrogen levels (N) and the fourth grazing cycle presented a lower value compared with the others. The stem elongation rate responded linearly with increasing levels of N, but it was not influenced by grazing cycles. The senescence rate of leaves remaining before grazing and after grazing were not influenced by the nitrogen fertilization or amended with successive grazing cycles. The phyllochron was influenced only by the nitrogen fertilization, with a decreasing linear response with nitrogen levels. Quadratic response was observed for the average length of leaves with increasing N levels and the grazing cycle 4 presented the lowest value for this variable. For each kilogram N ha -1 year -1 , increases of 0.161 and 0.1604 kg ha -1 day -1 were verified in the herbage growth and accumulation rates, respectively. Nitrogen fertilization favors the biomass flow of massai grass, promoting an expressive increase in the production and accumulation of forage.

RESUMO -Esta pesquisa foi realizada com o objetivo de avaliar o valor nutritivo de silagens de capim-elefante contendo níveis crescentes de subproduto desidratado de maracujá (SDM). Foram testados cinco níveis de adição de SDM (0,0; 3,5; 7,0; 10,5 e 14,0%) na dieta de 20 ovinos machos, não-castrados, segundo delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com cinco tratamentos (níveis de adição) e quatro repetições. Foram estimados os consumos de MS (CMS), PB (CPB), FDN (CFDN) e FDA (CFDA), as digestibilidades aparentes da MS (DAMS), PB (DAPB), FDN (DAFDN), FDA (DAFDA) e hemicelulose (DAHEM), além dos valores de nutrientes digestíveis totais (NDT) e do balanço de nitrogênio (BN). Com a inclusão de SDM na ensilagem do capim-elefante, ocorreram elevações nos CMS e CPB, sem, no entanto, alterar os valores de CFDN e CFDA. As DAMS, DAPB e os valores de NDT e BN elevaram com a adição de SDM, mas as DAFDN, DAFDA e DAHEM não foram alteradas. A adição de SDM na ensilagem de capim-elefante é uma prática recomendável, pois o uso dessas silagens aumentou o consumo e a digestibilidade dos nutrientes e elevou a densidade energética da dieta. Palavras-chave: balanço de nitrogênio, subprodutos agroindustriaisNutritive value of elephantgrass silage enriched with processed passion fruit by-product ABSTRACT -This research was carried out to evaluate the nutritive value of elephant grass silages, with increasing levels of dehydrated passion fruit by-product (DPFB). Five inclusion levels were studied (0.0, 3.5, 7.0, 10.5, and 14.0%). Twenty castrated male sheep were assigned to a complete randomized design with five treatments (inclusion levels) and four replicates. The intakes of DM (DMI), CP (CPI), NDF (NDFI) and ADF (IADF) were determined, as well as the DM apparent digestibility (DMAD), CP (CPAD), NDF (NDFAD), ADF (ADFAD) and hemicellulose (HEMIAD). In addition, it was determined total digestible nutrients (TDN) and the nitrogen balance (NB). The DPFB inclusion during the elephantgrass ensiling process raised the DMI and the CPI, although there was no effect on the NDFI and ADFI. The DPFB addition also raised the DMAD, CPAD, the TDN and the NB. The NDFAD, ADFAD and the HEMIAD were not affected by the treatments. It was concluded that the DPFB addition by the time of elephantgrass ensiling is a recommended practice, increasing the energetic density, the intake and apparent digestibility of the silages.Key Words: agro industrial by-products, nitrogen balance IntroduçãoO Nordeste brasileiro é caracterizado como uma região onde as condições climáticas adversas inviabilizam várias atividades pecuárias, de modo que essas atividades são mantidas basicamente para subsistência de pequenos agricultores, o que induz baixos índices produtivos atribuídos à deficiência dos manejos alimentar, sanitário e reprodutivo.Por outro lado, tem-se desenvolvido na Região Nordeste um importante setor da agricultura, a fruticultura. Nos últimos anos houve, de modo geral, um processo de profissionalização caracterizado pela exploração de áreas mais ext...