The physiological performance of acariquara (Minquartia guianensis) seedlings submitted to water deficit and the recovery of physiological parameters during rehydration were investigated in a greenhouse experiment. The analyzed parameters were: leaf water potential, gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence. After thirty-five days, non-irrigated plants exhibited a leaf water potential 70 % lower compared to control plants (irrigated daily) and the stomatal conductance reached values close to zero, inducing a severe decrease in gas exchange (photosynthesis and transpiration). Six days after the beginning of the rehydration of drought-stressed plants, the results demonstrated that water stress did not irreversibly affect gas exchange and quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) in M. guianensis seedlings, since four to six days after rehydration the plants exhibited total recovery of the photosynthetic apparatus. We conclude that M. guianensis presented good tolerance to water stress and good capacity to recover the physiological performance related to leaf water status, photosynthesis and photochemical efficiency of PS II under hydric stress, suggesting substantial physiological plasticity during the juvenile phase for this tree species.Key words: chlorophyll a fluorescence, photochemical efficiency of PSII, stress physiology, tree species, water deficit.Potencial hídrico foliar, trocas gasosas e fluorescência da clorofila a em plantas jovens de acariquara (Minquartia guianensis Aubl.) sob estresse hídrico e reidratação: Investigou-se, em regime de casa de vegetação, o desempenho fisiológico de plantas jovens de acariquara (Minquartia guianensis) submetidas à deficiência hídrica e sua recuperação durante o processo de reidratação. Os parâmetros analisados foram: potencial da água nas folhas, trocas gasosas e fluorescência da clorofila a. Após trinta e cinco dias, o potencial da água nas folhas das plantas sem irrigação foi 70 % menor do que nas plantas do controle (irrigadas diariamente) e a condutância estomática alcançou valores próximos de zero, induzindo diminuição severa nas trocas gasosas (fotossíntese e transpiração). Seis dias após o início da reidratação prevista para as plantas submetidas ao tratamento sem irrigação, os resultados demonstraram que o estresse hídrico não afetou de forma irreversível as trocas gasosas e a eficiência quântica do fotossistema II (PSII) em plantas jovens de M. guianensis, uma vez que após o período de quatro a seis dias de reidratação, as plantas exibiram recuperação total do aparato fotossintético. Nós concluímos que M. guianensis apresentou boa tolerância ao estresse hídrico e boa capacidade de recuperação do desempenho fisiológico relativo ao potencial hídrico foliar, fotossíntese e eficiência fotoquímica do PSII sob condições de estresse hídrico, sugerindo substancial plasticidade fisiológica durante a fase juvenil dessa espécie arbórea.Palavras-chave: déficit hídrico, eficiência fotoquímica do PSII, espécie arbórea, fisiologia do estresse, fluorescência da clorofil...

Plant adaptation under conditions of limited irradiance can be investigated by their efficiency while using the available energy with a minimal thermodynamic energy loss. For this reason, we compared the energetic fluxes and the performance index (PI ABS) in copaiba (Copaifera multijuga) and mahogany (Swietenia macrophyla) seedlings under both sunlight and shade. The experiment was carried out in Manaus (3º8'S, 59º52'W), Amazonas State, Brazil. The fluorescence transients were obtained in intact and healthy leaves using a Plant Efficiency Analyser (PEA) between 1200 h and 1300 h. Using the O-J-I-P test, the following parameters were calculated: 1) density of reaction centers per cross section (RC/CS), 2) maximum quantum yield for primary photochemistry of photosystem II (sigmaPo), and 3) probability of energy excitation (psio) or that of an absorbed photon (sigmaEo) to move an electron further than quinone A, and 4) the performance index (PI ABS). The highest PI ABS was found in seedlings under shade for both species. Mahogany seedlings exhibited values of PI ABS about three-fold and 14-fold higher than copaiba seedlings under shade and sunlight, respectively. For RC/CS, reaction centers were inactive under sunlight, 58% for mahogany and 78% for copaiba. The high irradiance induced a decrease of sigmaPo in mahogany (36%) and in copaiba (69%) when compared to shaded seedlings. This likely was a result of need for excess energy dissipation under sunlight. In addition, it was verified that seedlings under sunlight presented a severe decrease in sigmaEo, particularly in copaiba (23-fold), when compared to mahogany (9fold). Therefore, mahogany seedlings showed the highest performance in energy use under low and high irradiance, thus it may be proposed that mahogany presented lower entropy than copaiba seedlings, as demonstrated by the higher plasticity in the use of energy.

Sementes de leguminosas apresentam alta concentração de inibidores de tripsina; estas proteínas estão envolvidas no metabolismo celular e também em mecanismos de defesa vegetal. A fim de confirmar ou não, a possível ação fungicida destas proteínas a partir de extratos de sementes de leguminosas arbóreas, o objetivo deste estudo foi detectar inibidores de tripsina em sementes de Caesalpinia ferrea (CfTI) e Swartzia polyphylla (SpTI) e testar os extratos contra os fungos fitopatogênicos Colletotrichum guaranicola, Corynespora cassiicola, Fusarium oxysporum e Sclerotium rolfsii, avaliando o crescimento micelial e a esporulação. Para tanto, amostras do material biológico vegetal, sementes finamente pulverizadas, foram submetidas à extração em NaCl 150 mM. Os extratos protéicos foram parcialmente purificados em coluna Sephadex G-100, submetidos à detecção dos inibidores e SDS-PAGE (12,5%) e, utilizados nos bioensaios contra os fungos. O perfil eletroforético revelou uma única banda em CfTI e oito bandas em SpTI. Os extratos de C. ferrea e S. polyphylla exibiram efeito na diminuição da esporulação dos fungos testados, mas S. rolfsii foi inibido apenas por C. ferrea. Quanto ao crescimento micelial, os dois extratos tiveram efeito sobre F. oxysporum e S. rolfsii, ao passo que C. guaranicola foi inibido apenas por S. polyphylla, e C. cassiicola por C. ferrea. Concluiu-se que sementes de C. ferrea e S. polyphylla apresentam inibidores de tripsina. Além disso, os resultados sugerem que estas espécies de leguminosas arbóreas são promissoras no que concerne à prospecção de fungicidas naturais, uma vez que os extratos diminuíram o crescimento micelial e a esporulação de C. guaranicola, C. cassiicola, F. oxysporum e S. rolfsii.

DrTI was effective against trypsin-like enzymes from A. kuehniella and C. cephalonica, however an artificial diet was insufficient to affect the survival and body weight of either insect. The inhibitor stimulated chymotrypsin-like enzymes and probably induced the synthesis of enzymes insensitive to TLCK in neonate larvae.

One of the most expensive steps in mushroom production is the disinfection of the substrate. This study aimed to evaluate different methods of disinfecting various substrates used in the cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus from the Amazon. P. ostreatus was grown under uncontrolled temperature conditions in a greenhouse (at approximately 30 °C) on substrates formulated with residues (seeds) of açaí and tucumã palm trees, Brazil nuts shell and pine sawdust. The different substrate disinfection treatments comprised autoclaving, immersion in hot water or immersion in calcium hydroxide (2%). The chemical composition of residues, substrates, and mushrooms was analyzed. During cultivation, it was found that in the treatment with hot water, all the bags were contaminated, and treatment with calcium hydroxide inhibited the colonization and growth of the mushrooms. P. ostreatus grown on the autoclaved açaí substrate supplemented with tucumã had higher production. The highest percentage of fiber content was obtained when the mushrooms were cultivated in the pine substrate supplemented with Brazil nuts (32.68 to 33.65%), and the highest protein content (20.03 to 20.88%) was found in the mushrooms grown on açaí-based substrates. Considering that P. ostreatus showed higher productivity in autoclaved substrates, further studies should be performed to develop alternative methods of disinfecting substrates for the cultivation of mushrooms in the Amazon region, as well as, in other regions with a tropical climate. However, the cultivation of this mushroom is promising using some regional substrates, especially with açaí, which is one of the important natural products of the Amazon.