Thirteen peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] fruit characteristics were investigated for 3 years, 1993, 1994, and 1995, in College Station, Texas, to determine heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlations, and predicted response to selection. Seedlings of 108 families resulting from crosses among 42 peach cultivars and selections were used in the evaluations. A mixed linear model, with years treated as fixed and additive genotypes as random factors, was employed to analyze the data. Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) was used to estimate fixed effects. Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) was used to estimate variance components, and a multiple trait model was used to estimate genetic and phenotypic covariances between traits. Genetic and phenotypic correlations ≥0.65 and <0.30 were considered strong or very strong and weak, respectively. Date of ripening, fruit development period (FDP) and date of full bloom had the highest heritability (h2) estimates, 0.94, 0.91, and 0.78, respectively. Fruit cheek diameter and titratable acidity (h2 = 0.31) were the traits with the lowest estimates. Fruit development period, fruit blush, and date of ripening had the highest predicted selection responses, whereas fruit suture, fruit cheek, L/W12 (ratio fruit length to average fruit diameters), and fruit tip had the lowest values. Most genetic correlations were ≥0.30 and were, in general, much higher than the corresponding phenotypic correlations. All four measures of fruit size were genetically and phenotypically very strongly correlated. Important genetic correlation estimates were also observed for date of ripening with FDP (ra = 0.93), date of ripening and FDP with fruit blush (ra = -0.77, ra = -0.72), SS (percent soluble solids) (ra = 0.63, ra = 0.62) and TA (ra = 0.55, ra = 0.64), and SS with TA (ra = -0.56). Direct selection practiced solely for early ripening and short FDP is expected to have a greater effect on correlated traits than direct selection for early bloom and large fruit mass.

Biofilm formation is considered to be a selective advantage for Staphylococcus aureus mastitis isolates by facilitating bacterial persistence in the udder. It requires attachment to mammary epithelium, proliferation and accumulation of cells in multilayers. The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of three techniques for the detection of S. aureus biofilm-positive strains. Two phenotypic tests, including growth on microtitre plates and Congo red agar, were compared with a PCR technique using 94 S. aureus strains obtained from cows with subclinical mastitis from two farms in the state of São Paulo. These strains were characterised by in vitro slime production on Congo red agar, biofilm formation on microtitre plates and the presence of the icaA and icaD genes. The results revealed that 85% of the isolates tested produced slime on the Congo red agar, 98.9% of the isolates produced biofilms in vitro by adhering to sterile 96-well “U” bottom polystyrene tissue culture plates, and 95.7% of the isolates carried the icaA and icaD genes. The results of the phenotypic tests for biofilm formation were compared with those of the molecular analysis, and the sensitivity and specificity of the Congo red agar test were 88.9% and 100%, respectively, while those of the microtitre plate test were 100% and 25%, respectively. When the phenotypic methods for the detection of biofilm producers, namely growth on microtitre plates and Congo red agar, were compared, the sensitivity and specificity were 86% and 100%, respectively. Therefore, growth on Congo red agar and the microtitre plate test are methods that could be used to determine whether an isolate has the potential for biofilm production.

RESUMO -Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a variabilidade de características físicas e químico-nutricionais de frutos de seis populações de pequizeiro de ocorrência nos Estados do Maranhão e Piauí (região Meio-Norte do Brasil). Os frutos foram coletados no estádio de maturação (frutos caídos no chão), na safra de 2008. Analisaram-se as seguintes características físicas do fruto: massa média, massa média da casca, massa média do caroço, massa média da amêndoa, percentagem de polpa, relação comprimento/ diâmetro médio do fruto, relação comprimento/diâmetro médio do caroço, relação comprimento/diâmetro médio da amêndoa e espessura média da casca. Na polpa e na amêndoa, foram analisadas as características químico-nutricionais: umidade, gordura, proteína bruta, fibra bruta, cinzas, carboidratos totais, energia e minerais (P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn e Fe). Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância, e as médias das populações foram comparadas pelo teste de agrupamento Scott-Knott a 5%. Observou-se elevada variabilidade fenotípica entre as populações para a maioria dos caracteres analisados. Ambas, polpa e amêndoa, mostraram-se ricas em termos nutricionais, sendo a amêndoa, porém, bem mais rica. Em média, a população de Alto Longá, no Piauí, é uma promissora fonte de variabilidade para a maioria dos caracteres físicos e químico-nutricionais estudados. Termos para indexação: Frutífera nativa, Caryocar coriaceum, recursos genéticos, variabilidade fenotí-pica. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL-NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PEQUI FRUITS (Caryocar coriaceum WITTM.) IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF THE MID-NORTH REGION OF BRAZILABSTRACT -The objective of this work was to evaluate physical and chemical-nutritional characteristics of fruits from six pequi populations of natural occurrence in the states of Maranhão and Piauí (Mid-North region of Brazil). Fruits were collected at the maturity stage (fruits lying on the ground), at the 2008 harvest. The following physical characteristics of fruits were analyzed: average mass, peel average mass, stone average mass, kernel average mass, pulp percentage, fruit length/fruit mean diameter ratio, stone length/ stone mean diameter ratio, kernel length/kernel mean diameter ratio and peel average thickness. In the pulp and kernel the following chemical-nutritional characteristics: moisture, fat, crude protein, crude fiber, ash, total carbohydrates, energy and minerals (P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn and Fe) were analyzed. The data were submitted to the variance analysis and population means were compared by Scott-Knott grouping test at 5%. It was observed a high phenotypic variability among populations for most analyzed traits. Both pulp and kernel are rich in nutritional terms, being the kernel, however, much richer. On average, the population of Alto Longá, from the state of Piauí, is a promising source of variability for most physical and chemicalnutritional characters studied.

Seedlings of 108 families from crosses among 42 peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] cultivars and selections were evaluated for six plant characteristics in 1993, 1994, and 1995. The data were analyzed by using a mixed linear model, with years treated as fixed and additive genotypes as random factors. Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) was used to estimate fixed effects. Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) was used to estimate variance components, and a multiple trait model was used to estimate genetic and phenotypic covariances among traits. The narrow-sense heritability estimates were 0.41, 0.29, 0.48, 0.47, 0.43, and 0.23 for flower density, flowers per node, node density, fruit density, fruit set, and blind node propensity, respectively. Most genetic correlations among pairs of traits were ≥0.30 and were, in general, much higher than the corresponding phenotypic correlations. Flower density and flowers per node (ra = 0.95), fruit density and fruit set (ra = 0.84) and flower density and fruit density (ra = 0.71) were the combinations of traits that had the highest genetic correlation estimates. Direct selection practiced solely for flower density (either direction) is expected to have a greater effect on fruit density than direct selection for fruit density.

Breeding values (BVs) for four plant (bloom date, fruit development period, fruit density, and blind node propensity) and five fruit (weight, blush, shape, soluble solids, and titratable acidity) traits of 28 peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch (Peach Group)] genotypes used as parents in the Texas A&M University peach breeding program were predicted using best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP). Data from seedlings of 108 families developed from 42 peach parents were analyzed by using a mixed linear model, with years treated as fixed and additive genotypes as random factors. The precision of the predictions was high for most parental genotypes, as indicated by the correlations (rTI) between predicted and true BVs and the standard error of the predictions (SEP). In most cases, the higher the number of progeny, the better the agreement between predicted and true BVs for that parent. Parents with observations from more than 30 seedlings had a rTI ≥ 0.90 and smaller SEPs. For all traits analyzed, the lowest precision (low rTI and high SEP) was observed for `Flordaking', whose predicted BVs was based only on pedigree information.