There is controversy about the benefits of silicon (Si) on tomato plants. This element has structural and metabolic functions in the physiology of plants, generating benefits that may result in increased productivity of various plant species. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the phytotechnical characteristics and the productivity of tomato plants according to the rates and sources of Si. The design was established in randomized blocks with factorial 3x5, corresponding to three sources of silicate (calcium silicate, potassium silicate and sodium silicate) and five doses of Si (equivalent to 0, 100, 200, 400 and 800 kg ha-1 of SiO2). The fertilization with Si increased the commercial productivity of tomato plants and reduced the occurrence of cracked fruits. Calcium and potassium silicates increased the Si levels on the leaves linearly with the increase of the doses, while sodium silicate reduced the levels in larger doses. Silicon fertilization increases the productivity of tomato plants with possible economic return on the use of this input.

A crescente demanda pelos minitomates (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme), tem despertado grande interesse dos agricultores (Lenucci et al., 2006). Desde sua introdução no mercado na década de 1990, seu cultivo e consumo vêm aumentando e se difundindo em todo o país. Este tomate de mesa é geralmente consumido in natura e considerado produto gourmet, principalmente por estar presente em refinados pratos e ser de uso muito versátil. Ainda, pelas particularidades do cultivo este tem sido realizado exclusivamente em ambiente protegido, o que garante o alto desempenho agronômico e a qualidade do produto. Estas características de cultivo demandam mão-de-obra minuciosa, o que demonstra papel socioeconômico importante principalmente para a agricultura familiar (Alvarenga, 2013

Acylsugars in the leaflets of the wild accession LA-716 (Lycopersicon pennellii) gives resistance to Bemisia spp., which causes expressive losses to the tomato crop. The goal of this work was to evaluate the resistance to the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci biotype B) of previously selected genotypes, based on the level of acylsugars in the leaflets. F 2 BC 1 plants {F 2 [Lycopersicon esculentum TOM 584 x (L. esculentum TOM 584 x L. pennellii LA-716)]} were selected for extreme contents of acylsugars: BPX-370B pl#30-275, BPX-370B pl#79-278, BPX-370B pl#30-380, BPX-370B pl#25-271 (high contents), BPX-370B pl#30-02, BPX-370B pl#30-142 (low contents). These genotypes, along with the parents TOM 584 and LA-716, were submitted to a silverleaf whitefly infestation. Oviposition and nymph development were evaluated. The oviposition on the genotypes BPX-370B pl#30-275 and BPX-370B pl#30-380 was significantly lower to that which occurred on the genotype TOM 584 and in the other genotypes of the F 2 RC 1 generation. The four genotypes selected for high acylsugar contents presented the lowest number of nymphs, except to LA-716. Although the number of eggs in the BPX-370B pl#25-271 and BPX-370B pl#79-278 genotypes (high contents) was elevated, the number of nymphs was reduced, similarly to the other high-acylsugar genotypes, probably due to antibioses effect. Keywords:Bemisia tabaci biotype B, Lycopersicon esculentum, Lycopersicon pennellii, alelochemicals, plant breeding, host plant resistance. RESUMO Resistência de genótipos de tomateiro a Bemisia tabaci biótipo B, mediada por acilaçúcaresAcilaçúcares presentes nos folíolos do acesso selvagem 'LA-716' (Lycopersicon pennellii) conferem resistência a moscas-brancas (Bemisia spp.), causadoras de danos expressivos à cultura do tomate. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a resistência de genótipos de tomateiro à mosca-branca Bemisia tabaci biótipo B, com base nos teores de acilaçúcares nos folíolos. Foram selecionadas plantaspennellii 'LA-716')]} para teores extremos de acilaçúcares: BPX-370B pl#30-275, BPX-370B pl#79-278, BPX-370B pl#30-380, BPX-370B pl#25-271 (altos teores), BPX-370B pl#30-02, BPX-370B pl#30-142 (baixos teores). Esses genótipos, juntamente com os parentais TOM 584 e LA-716, foram submetidos à infestação da mosca-branca. Avaliaram-se a oviposição e o desenvolvimento de ninfas. A oviposição nos genótipos BPX-370B pl#30-275 e BPX-370B pl#30-380 foi significativamente inferior à ocorrida em 'TOM-584' e nos demais genótipos da população F 2 RC 1 . Os quatro genótipos selecionados para alto teor de acilaçúcares apresentaram número de ninfas significativamente inferior aos demais, exceto ao acesso LA-716. Embora o número de ovos nos genótipos BPX-370B pl#25-271 e BPX-370B pl#79-278 (alto teor de acilaçúcares) tenha sido elevado, o número de ninfas foi reduzido, indicando que, mesmo havendo a oviposição sobre os folíolos, provavelmente os acilaçúcares exerceram efeito adverso ao desenvolvimento do inseto. Palavras-chave:

ABSTRACT. The strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Dutch.), is the only vegetable belonging to the rosacea family. All strawberry species have now emerged from wild species and belong to the genus Fragaria, being that this genus presents more than 45 described species, and only 11 are considered natural species. Due to the octoploid nature of strawberry and its variability after hybridization, selecting one or more characters may result in unfavorable genotypes and even the exclusion of promising ones, because negative genetic correlations have been observed among them that cause inefficient selection. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify the efficiency of selection indices in selecting experimental strawberry hybrids for in natura consumption and processing. Seven commercial cultivars and 103 hybrids were used, which were obtained from populations derived from their crossings. The experiment was conducted in augmented blocks, in which four agronomical traits (total mass, amount of commercial fruit, amount of noncommercial fruit, and average fruit mass) and seven physicalchemical traits (soluble solids, soluble solids:titratable acidity ratio, total sugars, total pectin, vigor, and internal and external coloration) were evaluated. For hybrid selection, the following indices were used: Mulamba and Mock (1978), Smith (1936), Hazel (1943, and genotype-ideotype, which selected 20% of the genotypes evaluated. The three indices selected about 9% of the hybrids. The selection of two experimental hybrids (89 and 495) and the use of selection indices resulted in larger estimates of selection gains. The Mulamba and Mock (1978), Smith (1936), andHazel (1943) indices had the highest percentage of gains on selection, and are therefore recommended for the selection of strawberry clones.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of silicon (Si) sources and doses on the physicochemical quality as well as post-harvest conservation of tomato fruits. Treatments were arranged in a 3 x 5 factorial scheme corresponding to sources [calcium silicate, potassium silicate and sodium silicate] and five doses of Si (equivalent to 0, 100, 200, 400 and 800 kg/ha SiO 2 ). Randomized blocks were the experimental design, with four replications. Soluble solids, vitamin C, lycopene, titratable acidity, mature fruit firmness, initial firmness, firmness half-life, time until reaching firmness equivalent to 3.0 x 10 4 N/m 2 and 2.0 x 10 4 N/m 2 and Si content in fruits were evaluated. Soluble solids, vitamin C and lycopene of fruits increased with increasing doses of Si, except for the highest dose. Calcium and sodium silicate provided the highest lycopene concentration in fruits. An increase in initial firmness, number of days until reaching firmness half-life and firmness equivalent to 3.0 and 2.0 x 10 4 N/m 2 were observed along with increasing doses of Si. Tomato fertilization with calcium silicate, potassium silicate and sodium silicate, used as sources of Si, increased the post-harvest conservation as well as the physicochemical quality of tomato.