Sowing occurs in agricultural areas with irregular relief, influencing the quality of seed and fertilizer distribution. The aim of this study was to analyze the performance of different fertilizer metering mechanisms of planters as a function of longitudinal inclination. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with five treatments and six replications. Treatments consisted of five longitudinal inclinations to the metering mechanism (−10, −5, 0, 5, and 10 degrees). The mass of fertilizer collected per minute was considered as a replication. We worked with two types of fertilizers: a mixture of granules and powder. Metering mechanisms used were a horizontal toothed rotor, helical without flow restrictor, helical with lateral overflow, and helical with longitudinal overflow. The longitudinal inclination of ±10° in relation to the leveling altered the metered amount of both fertilizers used in all metering mechanisms. The helical with lateral overflow was the metering mechanism that obtained the smallest amount variation of fertilizer distributed in the different longitudinal inclinations, followed by the helical with longitudinal overflow, horizontal toothed rotor, and helical without flow restrictor.

Smallholders constitute more than three quarters of the world’s farmers, and despite their numbers, they commonly lack opportunities to advance their development status. Bioenergy production and consumption can help sustain smallholders’ energy needs and generate employment and income, but it also raises concerns over social justice and equity, especially where crops used for bioenergy could also be used for food. This perspective paper is grounded in a literature review related to three different crops in Brazil: sugarcane, landrace maize and sweet potato. It seeks to determine if these crops offer the potential to support smallholder farmers’ development in a more equitable way, focusing on opportunities for their use in bioenergy. We review the literature to identify policies shaping the smallholder development context in relation to these crops, assessing whose knowledge informs policy and institutional decision making, and highlighting the policy attention afforded to the different crops from different sectors. We further evaluate the literature on each crop in relation to water use and calorific value (i.e., food and energy). Our review indicates that while sugarcane has received the most policy and institutional attention, its development is largely anchored in research and development investments that support large-scale commercial farms and agri-businesses. Smallholders have not benefited or had the opportunity to engage in relevant policy decision making for sugarcane cultivation. At the same time, smallholders hold valuable untapped knowledge on the cultivation of sweet potato and landrace maize, both of which have the potential to generate development opportunities for smallholders. Our review suggests that the environmental impact of landrace maize and sweet potato in terms of water use is significantly lower than sugarcane, while they can generate more calories for energy or food consumption and offer diversification opportunities. Despite that these alternative crops offer considerable untapped potential to support rural development, more research is still needed to harness these benefits. Changes are needed to address inequities in policies, institutions and the types of knowledge informing decision making. Such changes need to afford smallholder farmers greater recognition and participation in decision making, so that the distribution of benefits from the three study crops can reach them to support their development better.

R E S U M OCom a crescente demanda por óleos para a produção de biocombustíveis, espécies que apresentem elevado conteúdo de óleo, como o pinhão-manso (Jatropha curcas L.), são alternativas importantes, frente às opções tradicionais. Tendo em vista que o florescimento se distribui ao longo do ciclo de desenvolvimento da cultura do pinhão-manso objetivou-se, com este trabalho, determinar a época de colheita em dias após o florescimento, adequada para maximização do rendimento de óleo e da qualidade fisiológica de sementes. Physiological quality and total lipids of physic nut seeds (Jatropha curcas L.) according to harvest time A B S T R A C TWith the increasing demand for oils for biofuel production, species with high oil content, like physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.), are important alternatives in the face of traditional options. Considering that flowering is distributed throughout the development cycle of physic nut crop, the aim of this work was to determine the harvest time, in days after flowering, appropriate to maximize oil yield and physiological quality of seed. In two growing seasons, 2010/2011 (Year 1) and 2011/2012 (Year 2), at Paranavaí in the State of Paraná. Physic nut fruits were harvested at five times, determined by days after flowering: 30, 45, 60, 75 e 90. In completely randomized design, in a split-plot design the water content, dry matter, total lipids, seedling emergence in sand and speed of emergence-index were determined. By the behavior of the variables, harvests should be performed from seventyfive days after flowering. Palavras-chave:maturidade fisiológica teor de lipídios germinação biocombustíveis

HighlightChanges in 3D anisotropy across the soybean axis during seed germination revealed a radicle-biased pattern of cell growth and position-specific changes in cell anisotropy.

The objective of this experiment was to compare employment contract systems based of hourly pay and payment for piecework in relation to the main activities performed in an ornamental plants production company. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four treatments and five repetitions. The treatments consisted of hourly payment in the first year and piecework in the following three years. The analyzed variables were the results regarding the numbers of containers (trays/pots) h -1 and the employee's payment in US$ h -1 ; the movement of containers; the spacing of plant containers; the removal of flowers/leaves; and pruning. Both the number of processed containers and the remuneration significantly increased for all the evaluated activities when the company started to use pay staff based on productivity.

This study aimed to analyze the economic feasibility of canola production (Brassica napus var oleifera) for the region Campos Gerais-PR. We interviewed eight producers, and used information from four of them for economic analysis of agricultural crops in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The variables analyzed were: grain production cost, economical analysis (hurdle rate, net present value, internal rate of return, payback, lucratively index, profitability index and sensitivity analysis) and vegetable oil production costs. We compared the performance of canola, wheat (Triticum aestivum)-as the main crop in the autumn/winter-and soybean (Glycine max)-by liquidity in the world market. It was concluded that although the economic analysis indicates superior results of canola production compared to the wheat crop and vegetable oil production is more attractive financially than soybean, but the culture of canola is still insignificant in the region of Campos Gerais (PR). The producers interviewed pointed to limit the expansion of culture financing the limited farming, production technology in consolidation, the need for machine adjustments and canola be host of the white mold disease (Sclerotinia sclerotiorun).

Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glass. PALM FRUIT ENERGY CAPACITY   PEDRO HENRIQUE WEIRICH NETO1, HEVANDRO COLONHESE DELALIBERA2, NÁTALI MAIDL DE SOUZA3, JHONNY MARTINI4, JAIME ALBERTI GOMES5   1 Laboratório de Mecanização Agrícola, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Av. Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, Campus Uvaranas, CEP 84030-900, Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brasil, lama1@uepg.br 2 Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural do Paraná (IDR - PR), Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, km 375, CEP 86047-902, Londrina, Paraná, Brasil, hevandro@idr.pr.gov.br 3 Laboratório de Mecanização Agrícola, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Av. Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, Campus Uvaranas, CEP 84030-900, Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brasil, natalimaidl@uepg.br 4 Laboratório de Mecanização Agrícola, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Av. Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, Campus Uvaranas, CEP 84030-900, Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brasil, jhonny_martini@hotmail.com 5 Laboratório de Mecanização Agrícola, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Av. Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, Campus Uvaranas, CEP 84030-900, Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brasil, jagomes@uepg.br   ABSTRACT: The demand for energy and natural resources conservation results in disputes, concerns and studies. In an attempt to respond to both areas a study was developed aiming at characterizing the energy capacity of native palm tree jerivá [Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham). Glass]. Four plants of this species were evaluated. The aspects investigated were fruit yield and potential for lipid and ethanol production. The fruit average yield potential was 41,829 kg ha-1, 24,930 kg ha-1 pulp (59.6% of the fruit) and 2,593 kg ha-1 almond (6.2% of the fruit). These contents can provide 1,641 kg ha-1 of lipid (62.2% of the almond) and 1,819 kg ha-1 of ethanol (7.3% of the pulp). The species Syagrus romanzoffiana even without any selection or genetic improvement processes, correction of soil acidity or fertility, showed high potential to be used in lipid production (almond) and ethanol (pulp).   Keywords: vegetable oil, storage lipid, ethanol, alcohol, renewable energy.   POTENCIAL ENERGÉTICO DO FRUTO DA PALMEIRA Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham.) Glass   RESUMO: a demanda por energia e a conservação dos recursos naturais estimulam disputas, preocupações e estudos. Tentando “transitar” nas duas áreas objetiva-se caracterizar o potencial energético da palmeira nativa jerivá [Syagrus romanzoffiana (Cham). Glass]. Foram avaliadas quatro plantas. Determinou-se produtividade, potencial para produção de lipídio e de etanol do fruto. O potencial produtivo médio de frutos é 41.829 kg ha-1, 24.930 kg ha-1 de polpa (59,6% do fruto) e 2.593 kg ha-1 de amêndoa (6,2% do fruto). Esses conteúdos podem proporcionar 1.641 kg ha-1 de lipídio (62,2% da amêndoa) e 1.819 kg ha-1 de etanol (7,3% da polpa). A espécie potencial Syagrus romanzoffiana mesmo sem passar por processos de seleção e melhoramento genético, correção de acidez e fertilidade do solo apresenta elevado potencial de uso na produção de lipídio (amêndoa) e de etanol (polpa).   Palavras-chave: óleo vegetal, lipídio de reserva, etanol, álcool, energia renovável.

In Brazil, the best results in milk production are found in the state of Paraná. Such results are reached through genetic selection of the animals and management of their diets, in which whole plant corn silage is widely used. Aiming the silage quality, it was evaluated the influence of dry matter content of the corn culture as forage and the harvester adjustments on the fragment size of whole plant corn silage. The fragment size of two corn hybrids silage (SPEED and 2B688) was evaluated using a 5x3 factorial, with 4 repetitions. The first factor was the harvest time of the plants (105, 108, 112, 118, and 123 days after sowing (DAS)), which determines the forage dry matter (DM) content. The second factor was the harvester adjustments (2, 6.5 and 11mm of theoretical fragment length (TFL)). The DM content did not affect the average fragment size of 2B688. For SPEED, however, the real fragment size decreased as the maturation of plants increased. The conclusion is that the DM content and harvester adjustments can affect the real fragment sizes, according to different plant genotypes. The alterations of the harvester adjustments resulted in different fragment sizes, however, it were different from those indicated by the manufacturer.