Tatiane Paes dos Santos

With increased interest in cultivation, the study of white-fleshed pitahaya (Selenicereus undatus (Haw.) D.R. Hunt, Cactaceae family) seedling production is of fundamental importance in the search for novel techniques to increase cultivation and guarantee homogeneous and productive orchards. The present study investigated the influence of various gibberellic acid (GA3) concentrations and fruit maturation stages on seed germination and vigor of white-fleshed pitahaya seedlings, considering the physiological quality of seedlings produced to support genetic breeding and conservation programs of the species. White-fleshed pitahaya seeds at two maturation stages (physiologically ripe and maintained at 10 °C in Biochemical Oxygen Demand incubators for three months) were treated with varying GA3 concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 500 mg/L. We observed the influence of fruit storage on seedling germination, emergence, and growth as a function of GA3 concentration. According to the results, seeds extracted from ripe white-fleshed pitahaya fruits grown under the conditions tested here required GA3 application to increase seedling emergence and vigor, with optimal doses in the 150–300-mg/L range. In the case of pitahaya fruits intended for storage for future seed removal and maintained under the same sowing conditions, the application of higher doses of GA3 was necessary when compared to the previous condition, with a minimum dose of 500 mg/L GA3. The present study shows that the maturation stage of white-fleshed pitahaya fruits intended for seed removal influences the quality of seedlings; therefore, the use of seeds extracted from ripe pitahaya fruits without fermentation is more appropriate for the purpose.

Fig tree (Ficus carica L.) is a fruit of great importance worldwide, being able to be implanted as new source of agricultural variability. The aim of the present work was to characterize the active germplasm bank of fig trees by means of morphological descriptors of 45 fig accessions at the Faculty of Agrarian and Technological Sciences, Campus of Dracena, FCAT / UNESP aiming at the recognition of the quality and genetic variability potential of the species. Thus, their biometric characteristics were evaluated by qualitative and quantitative descriptors of leaves and fruits. Fig tree accessions were characterized by means of the morphological characteristics of leaves and fruits, identifying AGB with high phenotypic variability and well adapted to the region and, by the analysis of the qualitative and quantitative characteristics, it was concluded that the most divergent accessions presented characteristics of agronomic interest, allowing the selection of features in order to subsidize conservation works, genetic improvement and crop production.

Fruit growing has become an important alternative economic strategy for the social reproduction of small rural producers. Fig (Ficus carica L.) is a fruit of great world importance, and can be used as a new source of agricultural variability, adding advantages, both economically and socially. In addition, the characterization of active germplasm banks of the genus Ficus becomes an important research line for culture improvement, and it is necessary to gather information, mainly in relation to its genetic variability, so that adequate propagation and management projects are carried out. Therefore, the aim of this work was to establish and characterize an active germplasm bank of fig tree by means of the morphophysiological descriptors of 45 fig accessions, with a randomized complete block design at the Faculty of Agrarian and Technological Sciences, Campus of Dracena, FCAT / UNESP. To do so, the biometric features of re-growth, relative growth rate, plant height and morphophysiological characteristics of the best performance accessions during their vegetative development were evaluated. It could be concluded that most accessions presented good adaptation to the implantation region, especially accessions 18; 28; 29; 30 and 31, which were more promising.