Six rainfall datasets are compared over the Amazon basin, Northeast Brazil, and the Congo basin. These datasets include three gauge-only precipitation products from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), Global Precipitation Climatology Center (GPCC), and Brazilian Weather Forecast and Climate Studies Center (CLMNLS), and three combined gauge and satellite precipitation datasets from the CPC Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP), Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) product. The pattern of the annual precipitation is consistently represented by these data, despite the differences in methods and periods of averaging. Quantitatively, the differences in annual precipitation among these datasets are 5% more than the Amazon domain (08-158S, 508-708W), 22% more than Northeast Brazil (58-108S, 358-458W), and 11% more than the Congo domain (58N-108S, 158-308E). Over the Amazon domain the rainfall variation is well correlated between CPC, TRMM, GPCP, and GPCC (r 2 . 0.9) except for the northwestern Amazon, whereas CMAP and CLMNLS were different from these four datasets. Over the Congo basin, the coefficient of determination between these rainfall datasets is generally below 0.7. The empirical orthogonal functions analysis suggests large discrepancies in interannual and decadal variations of rainfall among these datasets, especially for the Congo basin and for the South American region after 1998. In general, CMAP, GPCC, TRMM, and GPCP significantly agree over the tropical areas in South America.

ResumoOs objetivos neste trabalho foram quantificar a contribuição das ramificações e a evolução do índice de área foliar em cultivares modernas de soja com diferentes grupos de maturação, tipos de crescimento, semeadas em diferentes épocas e regiões produtoras de soja no Rio Grande do Sul. Experimentos de campo foram conduzidos durante o ano agrícola 2013/2014 em Santa Maria, Júlio de Castilhos e em três lavouras comerciais de soja nos municípios de Restinga Sêca, Tupanciretã e Água Santa. Avaliaram-se (data de ocorrência) os estágios reprodutivos e a determinação do índice de área foliar total, máximo, da haste principal e das ramificações em treze cultivares de soja. O índice de área foliar das ramificações contribui com cerca de 31%, 12,3% e 11% do índice de área foliar total nas cultivares determinadas, e com 20,2%, 11,8% e 9% do índice de área foliar total nas cultivares indeterminadas nas semeaduras de setembro, novembro e fevereiro, respectivamente, em Santa Maria. A maioria das cultivares apresentou uma redução no índice de área foliar total, máximo, da haste principal e das ramificações com o atraso da época de semeadura, independentemente do grupo de maturação e tipo de crescimento.Palavras-chave: Glycine max, época de semeadura, tipo de crescimento. Branches contribution and leaf area index evolution in modern cultivars of soybean AbstractThe purposes of this study were to quantify the branches contribution and the leaf area index evolution in modern cultivars of soybean with different maturity groups, stem termination, sowing in different dates and producing regions of soybean in Rio Grande do Sul. Field experiments were conducted during the growing season 2013/2014 in Santa Maria, Júlio de Castilhos and in three soybean crops on the municipalities of Restinga Sêca, Tupanciretã and Água Santa. It were carried out analysis (occurrence date) of reproductive stages and determination total, maximum, of main stem and of branches of leaf area index in thirteen cultivars of soybean. The leaf area index on the branches contributes with about 31%, 12.3% and 11% of the total leaf area index on the determinate cultivars and with 20.2%, 11.8% and 9% of the total leaf area index on the indeterminate cultivars sowing in September, November and February, respectively, in Santa Maria. Most cultivars showed a reduction on total leaf area index, maximum, of main stem and of branches with the delay on planting date, independently of the maturity group and stem termination.

The available wood supply in Uruguay comprises trees that grow so fast in intensively managed plantations that they reach saw timber size in 25 years or fewer. Trees harvested at this age contain high proportions of juvenile wood that may lead to lumber low in stiffness and strength. A project was conducted to characterize fast-growing wood, determine engineering properties, and assign visual structural grades of lumber. The present study evaluated properties of 15-and 25-year-old loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and slash (Pinus elliottii Eng.) pine to better understand the current available locally produced wood material. A total of 175 stump bolts from trees from two commercial plantations provided inner and outer small clear specimens for property evaluation. Specific gravity, bending, compression parallel to grain and perpendicular to grain, and shear tests were conducted. Most properties significantly increased radially away from the pith. The outer wood appears to be denser, stiffer, and stronger than the inner wood in both plantations. Wood from 15-year-old San Jose ´trees showed significantly lower properties than 25-year-old Paysandu ´trees, and had considerably inferior properties compared with values listed in the Wood Handbook (US Department of Agriculture 1999). Our results on 25-year-old Paysandu ´small clear specimens showed properties similar to those of previous studies on small clear and structural size pieces. Therefore, it can be expected that lumber from 25-year-old Paysandu ´trees will eventually comply with required properties for structural use. A second on-going phase of this study addressing structural size specimens will help to establish more definite conclusions.

-The objective of this work was to estimate the yield potential and the water-limited yield of soybean (Glycine max) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in two future climate scenarios, SRES A1B and RCP4.5, using the SoySim and Cropgro-Soybean simulation models. In both models, three maturity groups (4.8, 5.5, and 6.0) and six sowing dates (09/01, 10/01, 11/01, 12/01, 01/01, and 02/01) were considered in the SRES A1B-CMIP3 and RCP4.5-CMIP5 scenarios. The analyzed variable was grain yield at 13% moisture ). Soybean yield potential in Rio Grande do Sul should increase up to the end of the 21 st century, according to both scenarios. Water-limited yield of soybean also increases up to the end of the 21 st century, by the SRES A1B-CMIP3 scenario; however, it will decrease in future periods, by the RCP4.5-CMIP5 scenario because of limited soil water.Index terms: Glycine max, climate change, Cropgro-Soybean model, RCP4.5, SoySim model, SRES A1B. Produtividade de soja em cenários climáticos futuros para o Rio Grande do SulResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar a produtividade potencial e a produtividade com limitação de água em soja (Glycine max), no Rio Grande do Sul, em dois cenários climáticos futuros, SRES A1B e RCP4.5, por meio dos modelos agrícolas de simulação SoySim e Cropgro-Soybean. Consideraram-se, em ambos os modelos, três grupos de maturação (4.8, 5.5 e 6.0) e seis datas de semeadura (01/09, 01/10, 01/11, 01/12, 01/01 e 01/02), nos cenários SRES A1B-CMIP3 e RCP4.5-CMIP5. A variável analisada foi a produtividade de grãos de soja a 13% de umidade (Mg ha -1 ). A produtividade potencial de soja no Rio Grande do Sul deve aumentar até o final do século XXI, de acordo com ambos os cenários. A produtividade de soja com limite de água também aumenta até o final do século XXI, pelo cenário SRES A1B-CMIP3; porém, ela decrescerá nos períodos futuros, pelo cenário RCP4.5-CMIP5, em razão do estresse hídrico no solo.Termos para indexação: Glycine max, mudanças climáticas, modelo Cropgro-Soybean, RCP4.5, modelo SoySim, SRES A1B.

ranged with the type of growth, maturity group, location, and sowing date.