-The objective of this work was to study the fruit compression behavior aiming to develop new tomato packages. Deformations caused by compression forces were observed inside packages and in individual 'Santa Clara' tomato fruit. The forces applied by a transparent acrylic lever to the fruit surface caused pericarp deformation and the flattened area was proportional to the force magnitude. The deformation was associated to the reduction in the gas volume (Vg), caused by expulsion of the air from the loculus cavity and reduction in the intercellular air volume of the pericarp. As ripening advanced, smaller fractions of the Vg reduced by the compressive force were restored after the stress was relieved. The lack of complete Vg restoration was an indication of permanent plastic deformations of the stressed cells. Vg regeneration (elastic recovery) was larger in green fruits than in the red ones. The ratio between the applied force and the flattened area (flattening pressure), which depends on cell turgidity, decreased during ripening. Fruit movements associated with its depth in the container were observed during storage in a transparent glass container (495 x 355 x 220 mm). The downward movement of the fruits was larger in the top layers because these movements seem to be driven by a summation of the deformation of many fruits in all layers.Index terms: Lycopersicon esculentum, mechanical damage, porosity, storage losses. ESTRESSES ELÁSTICOS E DEFORMAÇÕES PLÁSTICAS EM FRUTOS DE TOMATEIRO 'SANTA CLARA' CAUSADOS PELA COMPRESSÃO NA EMBALAGEMRESUMO -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a compressão dos tomates dentro das embalagens, com vistas ao desenvolvimento de novos tipos de embalagem. Deformações causadas por compressão foram observadas em frutos de tomateiro 'Santa Clara', dentro e fora da embalagem. A força aplicada com uma alavanca de acrílico transparente causou deformações no pericarpo, e a área amassada foi proporcional ao módulo da força. Essas deformações foram associadas à redução do volume gasoso do fruto (Vg), que foi expulso da cavidade locular e dos espaços intercelulares do pericarpo. À medida que o amadurecimento avançou, menores frações do Vg foram restauradas após o alívio do estresse. A falta de restauração completa do Vg foi uma indicação de deformação plástica permanente nas célu-las estressadas. A restauração elástica do Vg foi maior nos frutos verdes do que nos frutos amadurecidos. A razão entre a força aplicada e a área amassada, a qual depende da turgidez celular, diminuiu durante o amadurecimento. Movimentos de frutos associados com a profundidade foram observados no interior de uma caixa de vidro transparente (495 x 355 x 220 mm). O movimento descendente dos frutos foi maior nas camadas superiores, porque estes movimentos são causados pela soma das deformações de frutos nas diferentes camadas.Termos para indexação: Lycopersicon esculentum, danos mecânicos, porosidade, perdas por armazenamento.

Management of variability in germplasm banks is essential for genetic improvement, so that the breeder can estimate the genetic similarity between cultivars, as well as maintain genetic diversity in breeding programs. Elephant grass is a forage crop plant native to Africa of great socio-economic and environmental importance; it can be used for animal feed and for bioenergy production. Understanding the genetic variability of elephant grass is essential for breeding programs. In this context, we examined the genetic divergence of elephant grass accessions using the Gower algorithm. The experiment was conducted under field conditions in the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ, Brazil. All 85 elephant grass accessions belonging to the Active Elephant Grass Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Gado de Leite were included. These genotypes are commercial varieties from various countries. They were evaluated for morphoagronomic, morphological and phenological characteristics. The experimental design was ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 20 (4): gmr18944 A.K.F. Vidal et al. 2randomized blocks with two repetitions. The plots were composed of 5.5-meter rows, with 2.0-meter spacing between the planting rows, totaling 11.0 m 2 . The useful area was a sample in the center of the plot. We generated an illustrative dendrogram, obtained by the UPGMA method and the Tocher clustering, based on the Gower algorithm. Data were examined by means of the GENES statistical programs and the R program. According to the dissimilarity matrices based on the Gower algorithm, the genetic distances varied between 0.08 and 0.56, and the mean distance of the 85 evaluated accessions was 0.25, suggesting, consequently, that there is wide genetic variability between the accessions. Of the 85 genotypes, seven presented genetic distances smaller than 0.1, being indicative of duplicates in the germplasm bank, which could be eliminated without risk of loss of genetic variability.