ABSTRACT:The aim of the present research was to evaluate the effects of drying air temperature and storage conditions used in Brazil on the quality of corn grains (Zea mays L.) for ethanol production. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized design in a (3x2x2) factorial arrangement (drying air temperatures of 80, 100 and 120 ºC vs. ambient storage conditions of 23 ºC / 60% RH and cooled to 10 ºC / 40% RH vs. storage time of zero and six months). The corn grains were harvested with a water content of 18.0% (w.b.). Then, they were dried in a convection/forced-air oven at different temperatures, until water content reached 12% (w.b.). After that, the grains were stored. It was concluded that the increase in drying air temperature reduced lipid content and starch percentage, decreasing ethanol yield to 38.74 L ton -1 of grains. Storage under refrigeration at 10 °C was favorable for the maintenance of lipid levels (+2%), starch percentage (6%) and ethanol yield (33 L ton -1 of grains). Thus, considering production conditions and weather in Brazil, grains should be dried at air temperatures up to 80 °C, and storage must be performed under refrigerated air up to 10 °C for quality assurance of maize grains in the dry season and, therefore, increased ethanol production in the industry.

This study investigated whether inoculation of Azospirillum brasilense in the seeds or sowing furrow could reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizer application in the corn grown in the first and second crop harvest. The experiments were conducted, in the municipality of Chapadão do Sul, MS, Brazil, in the first crop harvest (2014/2015) and in the second crop harvest (2016). The early maturity hybrids CD 384 HX and P3132H were used in the first and in the second harvest corn, respectively. In both experiments, the experimental design was the randomized blocks with eight treatments and three repetitions. At the silking (R1 stage), the leaf N concentration, relative chlorophyll index and nitrate reductase activity were measured, at the physiological maturity (R6 stage), the plant height, first ear insertion height, one hundred grain mass, grain yield and grain N concentration were measured. In the first crop harvest, the application of Azospirillum brasilense at the sowing furrow resulted in higher N concentration and relative chlorophyll index in corn leaves, while the inoculation of A. brasilense in the seeds provided higher N concentration in the grains. The nitrate reductase activity in corn leaves was lower when inoculation was performed. In the second crop harvest, the inoculation did not affected the N concentration in the leaves and in the grains, the relative chlorophyll index and the growth of corn plants. Inoculation in the sowing furrow associated with the application of 20 kg N ha-1 at sowing and 120 kg N ha-1 at topdressing resulted in lower nitrate reductase activity.

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The use of biostimulants in coffee seedlings can promote gains in their growth and quality. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the growth and quality characteristics of Coffea arabica seedlings under the effect of the nicotinamide and Azospirillum brasilense application. The experimental design was randomized blocks with treatments arranged in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme, with four replicates. The treatments resulted from the use of five doses of nicotinamide (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mg L-1 of water) combined with the absence and presence of Azospirillum brasilense applied to Coffea arabica seedlings from Catuaí Vermelho 144 cultivar. Plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, plant height:stem diameter ratio, shoot:root dry mass ratio, plant height:shoot dry mass ratio, and Dickson quality index were evaluated. The combined or isolated use of A. brasilense and nicotinamide, up to a dose of 33.5 mg L-1, increased the biometric characteristics and dry mass accumulation. However, using nicotinamide doses between 30 and 61.8 g L-1 increased the quality of Coffea arabica seedlings. The synergistic effect of the use of A. brasilense and nicotinamide was verified for the growth and quality of Coffea arabica seedlings.

No cenário atual, os bioestimulantes tem sido estudado em diversas culturas para verificação de possíveis resultados em variáveis referentes ao desenvolvimento vegetal. Com isso, este trabalho objetivou avaliar características agronômicas de plantas de sorgo dupla aptidão submetidas a aplicação de fertilizante com extrato de algas e Azospirillum brasilense via foliar aos 60 dias após a semeadura (DAS). O experimento foi conduzido na Fazenda de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão (FEPE) pertencente à Faculdade de Engenharia do Campus de Ilha Solteira da Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), localizada em Selvíria (MS). Os tratamentos foram constituídos de cinco doses de fertilizante foliar composto com zinco e extrato de algas de Ascophyllum nodosum (0,0; 0,5; 1,0; 1,5 e 2,0 L ha-1) e duas situações (ausência e presença de A. brasilense (estirpe Abv5 e 6, na dose 1,0 L ha-1)), em delineamento blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições cada tratamento. As variáveis analisadas foram altura de plantas, diâmetro de colmo, número de folhas, população final de plantas, matéria seca de plantas inteiras, produtividade de grãos e panículas e relação grão/panícula. A partir da análise estatística, foi visto que as doses de fertilizante com extrato de algas foram distintas para as variáveis matéria seca, produtividade de panículas e relação grão/panícula, onde a testemunha foi superior em relação às demais doses, principalmente para produtividade de grãos na presença de Azospirillum brasilense. Assim, o fertilizante com extrato de algas não proporcionou resultados expressivos nas características agronômicas, porém a aplicação da bactéria promoveu maior produtividade de grãos e de panículas.