BackgroundThis study aimed to record the use, and knowledge that residents from São Francisco community (Paraiba, Brazil) have regarding the Cactaceae.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were carried out with 118 informants; 50 men and 68 women. The cacti cited in this study were organised into use categories and use values were calculated. Differences in the values applied to species and use categories by men and women were compared via a G test (Williams).ResultsThe nine species identified were: Cereus jamacaru DC., Melocactus bahiensis (Brtitton & Rose) Luetzelb., Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck., Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill, Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw., Pilosocereus gounellei (F.A.C. Weber) Byles & Rowley, Pilosocereus pachycladus F. Ritter, Tacinga inamoena (K. Schum) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy, Tacinga palmadora (Britton & Rose) N.P. Taylor & Stuppy. In total, 1,129 use citations were recorded, divided into 11 categories. The use value categories with the highest scores were forage (0.42), food (0.30) and construction (building) (0.25). P. pachycladus showed the greatest use value, versatility and number of plant parts used.ConclusionThe survey showed that the Cactaceae is extremely important for several uses and categories attributed to different species. Apart from contributing to the ethnobotanical knowledge of the Cactaceae, another important focus of this study was to reinforce the necessity for further studies that record the traditional knowledge about this plant family, which has been lost in younger generations.

This study tested the ecological apparency hypothesis in the community of Barroquinha, in the municipality of Lagoa, Paraíba State, Brazil. We used the Use Value (UV) by testing the information obtained through three types of calculations: UV general , UV current , and UV potential . The botanical sampling was conducted in two areas of the community (Preserved -A1; Degraded -A2), and interviews were carried out with 66 people, who signed a Free and Transparent Consent form, required by the Research Ethics Committee. The Spearman's correlation test was performed to relate phytosociological data to ethnobotanical data. We used the Pearson Correlation to test the correlation between genders and the Use Values (UVs). Fifteen useful species were recorded in A1 and 16 species in A2. Positive correlations were found in both areas between species and the phytosociological data: in A1 between UV current with basal area and dominance (p < 0.05) and in A2 between UV general and UV current with all parameters (p < 0.05). Only the forage category showed a positive correlation in A1 between UV potential and density and frequency (p < 0.05). In A2, the fuel category was correlated with UV current and basal area and dominance (p < 0.05). There was positive correlation between UV general /UV current , UV general /UV potential , UV current /UV potential (p < 0.0001). Men and women considered the same species as the most important (p < 0.0001). According to the results of this study, we can conclude that ecological apparency best explains the relationship between use and availability of species used for timber.

Erythroxylum simonis is an understory species found in Northeast Brazil. Due to its shaded habitat, E. simonis is subjected to seasonal oscillations of the environment, to which it must respond ecophysiologically. Th e objective of this study was to evaluate the eff ects of seasonality on the ecophysiology of E. simonis in a fragment of Seasonal Semideciduous Forest. Leaf area index, visible sky fraction and photosynthetically active radiation were measured for 10 individuals during the dry and rainy seasons. Soil moisture, temperature and monthly precipitation were measured, as well as photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, internal CO 2 concentration, transpiration, instantaneous water use effi ciency, instantaneous carboxylation effi ciency and chlorophyll content. Ecophysiological variables were correlated with environmental variables, with a greater association of rainfall and soil moisture with stomatal conductance, transpiration and photosynthetic rate, indicating that water availability has an eff ect on the ecophysiology of E. simonis. With the exception of instantaneous carboxylation effi ciency, gas exchange exhibited signifi cant diff erences among the months studied, with the highest values being for months with greater water availability, thus showing that the ecophysiology of the species responds to seasonal changes throughout the year.

This research aimed to determine an equation to estimate the leaf area of Erythroxylum simonis using the length and width of leaf blades. Two hundred leaf blades of this species were collected in Mata do Pau-Ferro, a State Park located in Areia, PB, Brazil. Regression analyses were used to determine the estimation equations. The linear, linear without intercept, quadratic, cubic, power and exponential statistical models were used. The criteria used for model selection were based on an examination of the coefficient of determination, the Akaike information criterion and standard error of the estimate. All the equations presented can be used to estimate the leaf area of E. simonis. From a practical point of view, the linear regression equation without intercept involving the product between length and width is recommended, using the equation Y=0.6426*LW, which corresponds to 64.26% of the product between length and width, with a coefficient of determination of 0.9936.

The quality of the seeds is of great importance for the cultivation of plants, however, the quality can be altered by the abiotic effects, amongst such, saline stress. Salinity is one of the great obstacles faced by modern agriculture, however, alternatives have been researched to mitigate its effects, where it is possible to mention the use of salicylic acid. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) seeds cultivated using applications of salicylic acid to attenuate the irrigation water salinity. The experimental design was a completely randomized complete block design in incomplete factor scheme, with five conductivities for irrigation water (0.5, 1.3, 3.25, 5.2, 6.0 dS m -1 ) and five salicylic acid doses (0.0, 0.29, 1.0, 1.71 and 2.0 mM), with five and four replicates, respectively. The electrical conductivity presented an effect on germination, while the salicylic acid presented an effect on the germination speed index, emergence speed index, shoot length, root and seedling length, and seedlings dry mass. The highest correlations were obtained amongst the germination variables. Therefore, it is possible to affirm that salicylic acid can be used up to the dose of 1.0 mM with no further damage to basil seeds' quality.