Alfalfa, considered one of the most important forage worldwide, requires a base saturation in the soil of approximately 80%, and this is a factor that can limit the expansion of cultivation of this crop in tropical soils that are predominantly acidic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of base saturation levels on the development of alfalfa in soil of the Brazilian Cerrado. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse, whose experimental units consisted of plastic pots with a capacity of 2 dm 3 . The experimental design was a completely randomized design with six treatments and five repetitions. The treatments consisted of six levels of base saturation (10,

Brazil is one of the world's largest producers of beef cattle and dairy products, which requires high forage yield to attend grass-fed animals' demand. Among the grass species adopted in the forage production system in Brazil, the Brachiaria genus stands out. This genus comprises nearly 85% of all planted forage area. In general, forage production systems in Brazil are essentially rainfed, and thus susceptible to seasonal soil water stresses. Selecting the suitable Brachiaria cultivar for lands susceptible to periodic waterlogging and dry spells is crucial to enhance forage yield, and consequently, to reduce the environmental footprint of the livestock sector. In this research, we investigated the performance of three recent commercial Brachiaria brizantha cultivars (Piatã, BRS Paiaguás, and MG13 Braúna) extensively adopted in Brazil's grazing systems subjected to different ranges of soil water potential. For three cutting periods, yield related-variables (e.g., plant height, leaf area, dry biomass, and water use efficiency) were measured. Our results point to the existence of a low drought-resistant trait among cultivars, indicating the need for releasing better-adapted cultivars to cope with reduced soil water availability. All cultivars achieved higher performance at soil water pressure head between −15 kPa and −25 kPa; and in general, the cultivar. Piatã showed slightly superior results to most of the treatments.

Floriculture is a promising segment of Brazilian agriculture. The ornamental sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. cv. Folded Sungold), also known as dwarf sunflower, in addition to being used in gardens can be marketed as cut flower or vase. The sunflower represents a great alternative for small producers because it requires little space, has easy handling and short cycle, besides providing greater economic return. In this context, we aimed to evaluate the development of this culture submitted to different levels of saturation per base, combined with the incubation time of the limestone. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse at the Federal University of Mato Grosso-University Campus of Rondonópolis. A randomized block design with factorial scheme 6 × 2 was used, with six levels of saturation per base: 0, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%; and two incubation times: 0 and 30 days, resulting in 12 treatments with four replicates, totaling 48 experimental units. Each plot consisted of a plastic polyethylene vessel with a capacity of 1.2 dm −3. The following variables were analyzed: Height of the floral stem; number of leaves, diameter of chapters; root volume; fresh mass of leaves; fresh mass of floral stems; fresh mass of chapters; fresh root mass and chlorophyll index (SPAD). Data were submitted to analysis of variance by the test F at 5% probability of error. The qualitative factors were submitted to the Tukey test and quantitative factors to the regression test, both with a 5% probability of error. Basal saturation levels of 80% and 100%, in the treatment with incubated soil, provided higher quality of inflorescence for commercialization purposes.