Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) is native of the Amazon rainforest. Brazil nuts are consumed worldwide and are known as the richest food source of selenium (Se). Yet, the reasoning for such Se contents is not well stablished. We evaluated the variation in Se concentration of Brazil nuts from Brazilian Amazon basin, as well as soil properties, including total Se concentration, of the soils sampled directly underneath the trees crown, aiming to investigate which soil properties influence Se accumulation in the nuts. The median Se concentration in Brazil nuts varied from 2.07 mg kg (in Mato Grosso state) to 68.15 mg kg (in Amazonas state). Therefore, depending on its origin, a single Brazil nut could provide from 11% (in the Mato Grosso state) up to 288% (in the Amazonas state) of the daily Se requirement for an adult man (70 μg). The total Se concentration in the soil also varied considerably, ranging from <65.76 to 625.91 μg kg, with highest Se concentrations being observed in soil samples from the state of Amazonas. Se accumulation in Brazil nuts generally increased in soils with higher total Se content, but decreased under acidic conditions in the soil. This indicates that, besides total soil Se concentration, soil acidity plays a major role in Se uptake by Brazil nut trees, possibly due to the importance of this soil property to Se retention in the soil.

RESUMOForam avaliadas espécies florestais nativas e exóticas em duas condições de plantio: a pleno sol e em faixas de enriquecimento de capoeira, a fim de gerar tecnologias para incorporação ao processo produtivo de áreas alteradas na região amazônica para minimizar a pressão do desmatamento sobre a floresta natural. Os dados analisados (DAP, altura, volume por hectare e sobrevivência) referem-se à idade de seis anos. No plantio a pleno sol, a espécie que apresentou o melhor desempenho foi Ceiba pentandra, com médias de DAP de 19,6 cm, altura de 10,2 m e volume de 390,9 m 3 ha -1 . Hymenaea courbaril também apresentou crescimento satisfatório, com médias de 11,5 cm de DAP, 10,8 m de altura e 144,8 m 3 ha -1 de volume. Nos plantios de enriquecimento de capoeira, a Carapa guianensis foi a espécie que apresentou o melhor desempenho, com 8,3 cm de DAP, 6,4 m de altura e volume de 54,8 m 3 ha -1 . Acacia mangium e Sclerolobium paniculatum apresentaram crescimento superior, mas as taxas de sobrevivência foram muito baixas nas duas condições de plantio.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Floresta, biomassa, produção de madeira, rápido crescimento. Forest species behavior in plantations at full sun and secondary forest enrichment strips in the Amazon ABSTRACTThis work evaluated exotic and native forest species in two plantation conditions: full sun and secondary forest enrichment strips, for generating technologies into incorporate to the productive process of degraded lands in the Amazonian region, to minimize the deforestation pressure on the natural forest. The analyzed data (DBH, height, volume per hectare and survival) refers to six years old species. In the full sun plantation, the species that presented the best performance was Ceiba pentandra, with means: DBH of 19.6 cm, height of 10.2 m and volume of 390.9 m 3 ha -1 . Hymenaea courbaril also presented satisfactory growth, with means: DBH of 11.5 cm, height of 10.8 m and volume of 144.8 m 3 ha -1 . In the secondary forest enrichment plantation, Carapa guianensis was the species that presented the best performance, with means: DBH of 8.3 cm, height of 6.4 m and volume of 54.8 m 3 ha -1 . Acacia mangium and Sclerolobium paniculatum presented better growth. However, the survival rates were very low in both plantations.

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RESUMO -Estudos referentes à longevidade natural de sementes florestais são fundamentais para o manejo de espécies promissoras. Cenostigma tocantinum é nativa da Amazônia, com potencial para arborização de ruas, avenidas e praças. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o comportamento de sementes de Cenostigma tocantinum Ducke, quanto à sensibilidade à desidratação. Com a finalidade de reduzir o teor de água das sementes, foram usados os seguintes métodos de secagem: câmara com ventilação forçada e ar aquecido a 35 ºC; dessecador com sílica gel (27 ºC) e secagem natural em laboratório (27 ºC), pelos períodos de zero, 12, 24, 48, 72 e 96 horas. O efeito da desidratação foi avaliado por meio da porcentagem total de germinação, do índice de velocidade de germinação (IVG) e do comprimento de plântulas. Os resultados permitem concluir que, as sementes de C. tocantinum comportam-se como ortodoxas, tendo em vista que o grau crítico de umidade é inferior a 5,8%, ou seja, as sementes da espécie toleraram à dessecação em níveis muito baixos de umidade, quando comparados com a umidade inicial de 23,4%.Termos para indexação: sementes florestais, viabilidade, secagem. DETERMINATION OF THE CRITICAL MOISTURE LEVEL IN SEEDSOF Cenostigma tocantinum Ducke ABSTRACT -Seeds forests longevity studies is important for management with these species. The tree Cenostigma tocantinum Ducke (pau-pretinho), naturally occurs in Amazonia and lately it has been used for arborization in Manaus city. However, the germination and storage seeds behavior of C. tocantinum is not well known. The present study aimed to evaluate the behavior of seeds of C. tocantinum regarding the dehydration sensitivity. The essay was performed at the Laboratory of Seed Analysis of Embrapa Western Amazonia (Manaus/AM). Seeds were treated in the following drying systems: -chamber with warmed air-forced ventilation (35 oC); -desiccator with silica gel (27 º); -drying at room temperature (27 0C) and exposed for zero; 12; 24; 48; 72 and 96 hours. The experimental delineation was completely randomized, with four replicates and 20 seeds per treatment. The water content in the seeds, as well as the germination ability were measured at every drying interval. Tests showed that the seeds of C. tocantinum, recently harvested, have an initial moisture of 23.4% and a germination ability of 93.75%. After the seeds were dried for 96 h in the warmed air-forced ventilation system, the water content was reduced to 5.8% and the germination rate remains high at 92.5%. Otherwise, in the other drying conditions, the decrease in water content