Propolis is a balsamic product obtained from vegetable resins by exotic Africanized bees Apis mellifera L., transported and processed by them, originating from the activity that explores and maintains these individuals. Because of its vegetable and natural origins, propolis is a complex mixture of different compound classes; among them are the volatile compounds present in the aroma. In this sense, in the present study we evaluated the volatile fraction of propolis present in the aroma obtained by distillation and simultaneous extraction, and its chemical composition was determined using coupled gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and flame ionization detection. The majority of compounds were sesquiterpene and hydrocarbons, comprising 8.2–22.19% α-copaene and 6.2–21.7% β-caryophyllene, with additional compounds identified in greater concentrations. Multivariate analysis showed that samples collected from one region may have different chemical compositions, which may be related to the location of the resin’s production. This may be related to other bee products.

Decomposition and nutrient release of leguminous green manure species in the Jaguaribe-Apodi region... Ciência Rural, v.46, n.6, jun, 2016. 970Decomposition and nutrient release of leguminous green manure species in the Jaguaribe-Apodi region, Ceará, Brazil

Effects of doses and phosphorus application forms were studied on the postharvest quality in seedless watermelon hybrid 'Style'. For this, an experiment was conducted in Upanema/RN, Brazil, during the period of September to December 2013, in a randomized block at factorial scheme 5×2 constituting of five phosphorus doses applied in foundation (0, 76, 168, 275 and 397 kg ha -1 of P 2 O 5 ) and foundation + fertigation (0+50, 26+50, 118+50, 225+50, 347+50 kg ha -1 of P 2 O 5 ) with four replications. Fruit harvested at commercial maturity (78 days after sowing) were evaluated by average fruit weight (AFW), pulp firmness (PF), chroma index, hue angle, soluble solids content (SS), titratable acidity (TA), maturation index (MI), total phenols content (TP), vitamin C (VC), total sugars content (TS), reducing sugars content (RS) and pH. Among the quality parameters evaluated phosphorus application forms did not affect physical characteristics of fruit, but combination of application via foundation + fertigation increased VC, TS and MI. There was interactive effect of dose and phosphorus application form for the SS, TA, pH and TP. The dose of 50 kg P 2 O 5 ha -1 applied only in fertigation significantly increased values of SS, TA and TP. It is concluded that low doses of P in cultivation and its application via foundation and fertigation improved the main quality characteristics of 'Style' watermelon.

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<p>The ability of leguminous green manure to incorporate significant amounts of nutrientes into the soil makes them excellent alternatives for the region agriculture systems. This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of six leguminous species (<em>Crotalaria juncea,</em> <em>Canavalia ensiformes,</em> <em>Cajanus cajan, Crotalaria spectabilis, Dolichos lab lab</em> and  <em>Mucuna deeringiana</em>) as green manure in an area of the Jaguaribe-Apodi agricultural region, CE, Brazil. The experiments were carried out under field conditions in a randomized block design with five replications. Sampling of biomass of shoots was carried out 78 days after sowing on each plot. It was determined the total biomass and nutrients accumulation in the plants that grew in the plots (leguminous and weeds). We concluded that the use of <em>Crotalaria juncea</em> showed up as the most promising treatment in terms of biomass production and nutrient accumulation.</p><p align="center"><em>Biomassa e acúmulo de nutrients por espécies de leguminosas utilizadas como adubo verde na região do Jaguaribe-Apodi, Ceará, Brasil<strong></strong></em></p><p><strong>Resumo</strong><strong>: </strong>A habilidade de espécies de leguminosas utilizadas como adubos verdes em incorporar quantidades significativas de nutrientes no solo fazem destas excelentes alternativas para as regiões agrícolas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial de utilização de seis espécies leguminosas (<em>Crotalaria juncea</em>; <em>Canavalia ensiformes</em> - feijão-de-porco; <em>Cajanus cajan</em> - Guandu anão; <em>Crotalaria spectabilis</em>; <em>Dolichos lab lab</em> - Labe-labe; e <em>Mucuna deeringiana</em> - Mucuna anã) como adubo verde em uma área no Agropólo Jaguaribe-Apodi, CE, Brasil. Os experimentos foram desenvolvidos em condições de campo, em blocos casualizados com cinco repetições. Foram amostradas as partes aéreas das plantas aos 78 dias após a semeadura em cada parcela. Foram determinadas a biomassa e o acúmulo totais de nutrientes das plantas que cresceram na parcela (leguminosas e invasoras). Nas condições edafoclimáticas em que o trabalho foi realizado pode-se concluir que o tratamento com utilização de <em>Crotalaria juncea</em> apresentou-se como o mais promissor em termos de aporte de fitomassa e acúmulo de nutrientes.</p>