This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors, each one being responsible for one or more steps. Author CMG conducted the study, collected the analyzes in the field and did the statistical analysis of the data coming from his dissertation. Authors FBS and WDX were responsibles for the guidelines of the soils analyzes. Author CAGC was the supervisor of the master dissertation that originated the scientific article and responsible for the development of the project that originated the dissertation. Authors RRGF and ILNS formatted the article for publication, besides the reviewing the written article, ordering the text. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

No abstract

At level word fungal diseases that affect soybean crop are one of the main causes of low productivity and annual losses may reach 21% of total production. In this context, the objective of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of copper-based protectors associated with fungicides to control soybean diseases such as: asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi), target spot of soybean (Corynespora cassiicola) and cercospora leaf blight (Cercospora kikuchii) + frogeye leaf spot (Cercospora sojina) + brown spot (Septoria glycines), which together were considered as late-crop cycle diseases, with impact on grain yield, in the region of Aparecida do Rio Negro – TO, Brazil. Treatments were composed of different rates of copper-based pesticides associated with fungicides like Azimut® (first application), Orkestra® (second application), Ativum® (third application) and Horos® (fourth application) in soybean. Diseases were identified and crop damage evaluations on leaves were performed using LI-COR® portable meter 7 days after the fourth application. At physiological maturity, grain yield was evaluated. Combined rates of fungicides + Unizeb Gold® (1.5 kg ha-1), Difere® (0.5 L ha-1), and NHT® Copper Super at a rate higher than 0.109 L ha-1, were effective to control late crop-cycle diseases in soybean. Associated applications of fungicides + 0.219 L/ha of NHT® Copper Super reduced the severity of Asian soybean rust, target spot of soybean and late crop-cycle diseases with a greater increase in grain yield (4.5 Mg ha-1).

Cultivation system is one of the main parameters inherent to soil water dynamics. Studies indicate that in soil conservation systems, such as no-tillage and crop-livestock integration, soil quality is maintained and even improved due to higher input of organic matter and straw kept on the soil surface. Thereby, the aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the spatial variation of maize straw and organic matter content on soil moisture of an Oxisol at the municipality of Jataí, southwest of Goiás. Nine soil-sampling points were used in 1 ha, allocated to three different types of soil management (No-Tillage, Crop-Livestock Integration and Conventional Tillage). For the study of organic matter, soil samples were collected in nine points and three depths (0 to 0.12 m, 0.12 to 0.24 m and 0.24 to 0.36 m) for each point. The dry mass of straw was determined by a stove at 65°C, after sampling in the area using a circle with internal area of 1.0 m², released randomly near the sampling point. Soil moisture was determined immediately after straw sampling at the same site, using a time domain reflectometry sensor. The results indicated good distribution of straw on both systems, but there was no correlation between straw and soil moisture. The organic matter content was highly correlated with soil moisture, especially in No-Tillage and Crop-Livestock Integration systems. The authors recommend the increase of organic matter of the soils for better maintenance of soil moisture.

The species Cecropia pachystachya has important medicinal purposes and its leaves have been used in pharmaceutical research, so the drying of this product may help maintaining its chemical properties and ensure safe storage. Thus, the objective of this study was to select mathematical models to represent the drying kinetics of Cecropia pachystachya leaves, determine the effective diffusion coefficient and obtain the activation energy during drying at different temperatures. Leaves were dried in an oven under five temperature conditions (40, 50, 60 and 70 °C), until reaching hygroscopic equilibrium moisture content. Among the models analyzed, the Logarithmic model best represented the drying kinetics at temperatures of 40 and 60 °C, whereas Modified Henderson & Pabis and Dryceleaves represented temperatures of 50 and 70 °C, respectively. The effective diffusion coefficient increased with increasing air temperature, and the activation energy for liquid diffusion in the drying process was 64.53 kJ mol-1.