The cultivation of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) in Brazil has great economic importance, as it generates income and jobs, depending on the cultivated area and production. During its industrial processing, its peels are normally discarded, generating negative financial and environmental impacts. But these peels can be used to obtain flour that can be used to produce other products. One way to increase food safety and reduce microbiological and chemical contamination is through ozonation. Ozonation prevents, reduces and eliminates food contamination. In view of the above, this work aims to evaluate the influence of the ozonation process of English potato peels in terms of physical-chemical, microbiological characteristics, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity, in addition to producing a by-product of agro-industrial residue. The potatoes were obtained from stores in Sete Lagoas-MG and were transported to the Laboratory of Bioactive Compounds and Food Preservation of the Department of Food Engineering, UFSJ, where they were sanitized and peeled. The peels then underwent separate treatments, namely: ozonation, sanitization with sodium hypochlorite and bleaching. The ozonized, sanitized and bleached peels were transformed into flour (dehydrated at 55ºC/48h and then crushed) and were analyzed for: antioxidant activity, total phenolic compounds, fungi and yeasts, total mesophiles, water solubility index (ISA), index water absorption index (IAA), oil absorption index (IAO) and instrumental color (L*, a* and b*). Moisture content, total lipids, protein, ash and carbohydrates were also analyzed for potato peel flour by difference. The cookies were made by replacing wheat flour by 12.5% (F12.5) and 25% (F25) in addition to the control formulation (FC). The nutritional table for the cookies was prepared. The results obtained were analyzed with the aid of the STATISTICA® 7.0 software, the comparison of means was carried out using the Tukey test at a 5% level of significance. There was no significant influence of ozonation and citric acid concentration for the variables studied, showing low correlation (R2=53%). However, the use of citric acid was able to guarantee greater luminosity for the potato peel flours. Chlorination decreased the content of fungi and mesophiles, but together with bleaching it also decreased the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of the samples. Potato peel flour and cookie biscuits presented higher protein values when compared to the literature: 8.41% for flour and biscuits in formulations FC, F12.5 and F25 was 14.99%, 15 .32% and 17.44%, respectively. It can be concluded that ozonation does not replace sanitization with sodium hypochlorite, however cookies made with potato peel have nutritional potential for food, being able to reduce waste and environmental and economic impact.

In Brazil, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the few commodities in which the country is not self-sufficient. A prominent alternative to reduce external dependence from other countries would be to encourage the expansion of culture to non-traditional regions, such as the Brazilian Cerrado. In this region, one of the main limitations to wheat cultivation is the occurrence of dry periods that can result in variability in crop productivity. Irrigation is one management option that can be adopted to solve this problem. However, due to water has become an increasingly limited resource, the biggest challenge for irrigated agriculture is to reach high production levels with high efficiency in water use. Therefore, the objective of the study is to evaluate the agronomic performance of wheat cultivars under different irrigation depths, in the Cerrado region of Minas Gerais. The experiment was conducted in randomized blocks, in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme: two cultivars (BRS 404 and ORS Feroz) in combination with 5 levels of crop evapotranspiration replacement (120%, 100%, 80%, 60%, and 40%), a total of 10 treatments with 4 replications each. Development (flowering, maturation, and plant height), wheat yield (shoot dry and fresh mass, number of spikes per unit area, number of grains per spike, weight of 1000 grains, and yield) and water productivity were evaluated. Data were submitted to analysis of variance, with qualitative variables submitted to Tukey's test (p<0.05) and quantitative variables submitted to regression analysis (p<0.05). The cultivar and irrigation depth interaction was significant only for the maturation variable. Cultivar BRS 404 showed greater plant height, shoot green mass and thousand-grain weight, and also a high susceptibility to lodging. ORS Feroz had the highest number of ears/m². Water and grain yields, as well as most of their components, differed significantly depending on the water regime. The 40% reduction in the water level received by the crop causes a 22.7% reduction in wheat yield, but provides a 57.7% increase in water productivity, which makes the adoption of reduced irrigation a viable strategy when the focus is on prioritizing water savings.

Soybean is a crop of great importance in the world's agricultural system, and currently Brazil is the largest producer of this oilseed, which has been increasing production over the years due to the correct use of the soil, genetic improvement combined with the various technological advances. One of the technologies available to improve soybean production is foliar fertilization, in order to make nutritional adjustments, mitigate stress, and supplement the crop in the phenological stages in which there is a greater demand for nutrients. This type of fertilization can be done with the various nutritional sources that exist on the market, an example is amino acid-based bioinputs, which can also be applied via fertirrigation and seed treatment. The objective of this work was to evaluate the physiological effect of proteins based on amino acids in foliar fertilizers and in the treatment of soybean seeds. The experiments were carried out at the Federal University of São João del Rei, on the campus of Sete Lagoas - Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The first work was conducted in the field in a randomized block design, in a 3 x 4 factorial scheme, with three replications. The treatments consisted of the application of isolated and combined fertilizers, at different soybean phenological stages. The factors consisted of: control, salts, salts + amino acids and only amino acids with applications in stages V4, R2, V4+R2. The data found were subjected to analysis of variance using the F. Productive, morphological and production characteristics of soybean were evaluated. The second work was carried out in germination seedbed, where 200 seeds were sown per experimental unit in four repetitions of 52 seeds. The Germination (GER) and Vigor test was carried out through the First Germination Count (PCG). The design was in completely causalized Blocks and parameters related to emergence rates, average shoot and root length, average total length, average shoot and root ratio, uniformity index, growth, vigor and corrected vigor were evaluated. The results showed that the use of biostimulants based on complexed collagenous proteins in foliar application did not result in a significant effect for any of the soybean crop variables. In relation to the experiment with seed treatment, there was no significant effect of the used doses of biostimulants in aged and non-aged soybean seeds for the characteristics related to germination and emergence in the field and in variables of initial growth of the soybean crop. Biostimulants based on complexed collagenous proteins do not influence the soybean crop in applications at different stages and doses in seed treatment.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a herbaceous plant belonging to the class Liliopsida (Monocotyledon), Family Poaceae (grass), tribe Triticeae. It is one of the most important cereals in Brazilian agriculture. Despite the plasticity presented by wheat, in terms of climatic characteristics of the different growing regions, this crop's yield and economic viability are strongly influenced by climate conditions. Therefore, this work aims to evaluate the health and performance of two wheat cultivars for silage, under different irrigation depths.
This work aims to highlight in two chapters the main factors related to the establishment and production of the irrigated wheat crop, in which the first chapter discusses the use of irrigation in relation to the development of the crop, determining the influence of different levels of irrigation on the productivity of silage and water productivity. The second chapter, in addition to the main factors related to cultivation, highlights the monitoring of diseases in the crop in relation to different irrigation depths, evaluating the health, susceptibility and quality of the cultivars under study, with the aim of establishing proposals that influence productivity and quality of culture.

Different soil use and management practices can significantly affect soil attributes, especially physical ones. In this sense, it is necessary to develop management strategies that promote improvements in soil quality, in order to favor the growth and development of crops, increasing their efficiency and consequent sustainable productivity. The study was carried out at Fazenda Lagoa dos Currais – Curvelo/MG, in an area of 44 hectares, it was divided into four pickets of 11 hectares each, where four different levels of fertilization management and integration of agricultural components were established: level one (Standard Regional), level two (Improved System), level three (Intensified System) and level four (Potential Production), with one level for each paddock, compared with an adjacent cerrado control area. Technological levels progress according to technology, investment in soil improvement and establishment of more intensive systems, ranging from investments in fertility to the adoption of more advanced production technologies. Soil sampling was carried out before and after the implementation of the Technological Reference Unit (URT) at two different depths (0-10 and 10-20cm) for chemical, physical and soil organic matter characterization in the years 2017 and 2019. The aggregation indices determined were: the weighted mean diameter (DMP), the geometric mean diameter (DMG) and the aggregate stability index (IEA). The collection of material used for soil physics analysis was performed only once at the end of 2020, after three years of experiment establishment. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to compare variables related to soil quality between the adopted management levels. Level three tends to have a greater positive influence on soil quality in the 0-10 cm layer, especially with regard to the accumulation of organic matter. The results indicate that depth, organic matter and fertilization were the most important indicators of soil quality, reflecting on the general quality of the soil. Based on the values obtained, level three is the most appropriate management of the integration system in this context, since it preserves soil quality at a lower cost than technological level four. It is worth noting that even after three years of evaluation, more studies need to be carried out in order to carry out a more accurate monitoring over time, especially in relation to the stability index IV of soil aggregates, which requires a longer time to have more expressive effects. related to changes in management

Tomato is one of the most produced and consumed fruits in Brazil, due to its sensory and nutritional characteristics. However, it has high perishability, which is mainly due to the ripening stage of the fruits, directly influencing their post-harvest life and consumer choice. Due to the great demand for high quality vegetables, the adoption of alternative techniques that allow the determination of quality attributes quickly, accurately and noninvasively is required. In this context, colorimetry is considered an efficient and easy alternative way to classify and model chemical composition. The present work aimed to characterize the grape-type cherry tomato of Sweet Heaven variety at different stages of maturation, estimating the lycopene contents from colorimetric analysis. Grape-type cherry tomatoes of the Sweet Heaven variety were used for the experiment, grown in a greenhouse at the Avestruz no Cerrado farm, located in the rural area of Araçaí-MG. In Chapter 2 the contents of the bioactive compounds (total phenolic compounds, total carotenoids, lycopene and flavonoids), the antioxidant capacity and the physicochemical characteristics (pH, total soluble solids, total titratable acidity and SST/ATT ratio) were evaluated. The results showed a reduction in the total titratable acidity, an increase in pH, total soluble solids and SST/ATT ratio. The samples collected in the mature stage showed the highest concentrations of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity. Despite presenting superior characteristics in relation to the other stages, the harvest of tomatoes at this stage becomes compromised due to their perishability to handling. In Chapter 3, the estimates of the correlation levels between the lycopene content in tomatoes, determined from spectrophotometry, and the values of the chromaticity components (L*, a*, b*) and ΔE*, obtained from colorimetric measurements, for the parameter b* of the calibrated model, showed a low correlation (R2 = 0.3084). Therefore, it should not be used to predict the lycopene content of tomatoes. On the other hand, the models based on the parameters L*, ΔE* and a* presented low values of Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Willmott Agreement Index (d) close to 1 (0.983; 0.993 and 0.994) respectively, which were considered very satisfactory. These results confirm that it is possible to indirectly estimate, with relative precision and accuracy, the lycopene content in intact tomato fruits at different stages of maturation from chromaticity values, without the need of complex laboratory analyzes and without using chemical reagents.

The bibliographic review is one of the alternatives to complete current information and direct researchers to generate contemporary knowledge, pointing out new proposals based on the already published information. Thus, an electronic search was carried out in the Scielo, Agrobase, and Scopus databases, using the words "acilaçúcares OR acilaçúcar OR acylsugar" as the search term. The variables were analyzed: the number of publications per database, year of publication, place of publication (country/state), name of the journal, arthropod-pest target of research, and maximum concentration of acylsugar found. A total of 98 publications involving acylsugars were found. In all the studies, there was a significant result when comparing the source varieties of acylsugars with the control varieties. Regarding the countries where the research was carried out, Brazil stands out with 46 publications, followed by the United States with 41 publications, China with five publications, Spain with two publications, Colombia, Netherlands, India, and Iran with one publication each. Only one study was identified involving the resistance promoted by acylsugars to aphids (Myzus persicae), beet fall armyworm (Spodoptera exigua), potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli), to thrips (Frankliniella fusca) and the potato moth (Phthorimaea operculella Zellere). In Brazil, research involving acylsugar is concentrated mainly in the states of Minas Gerais and Paraná. Thus according to the data analyzed, there is a need to produce new research, considering the relevance of acylsugars, as a source of resistance, to arthropod pests of tomato.

The growing demand for food production, combined with biotechnological development, made Brazil one of the largest consumers of fertilizers in the world, as a consequence, the input from the domestic market was not enough to supply the demand, causing the country to become dependent on imports, increasing the cost of production. Brazil stands out not only in agriculture, but also in the production of pig iron, with the city of Sete Lagoas - MG being one of the most important in the steel sector. Slag is a by-product of pig iron production that presents higth content of silicates that, in reaction with hydrogen protons available in the soil, reacts to form monosilicide acid, uptake form for plant. Silicon (Si) is considered a beneficial element and has been ignored for many years in agriculture. Research has shown improvement in plant nutritional quality and beneficial effects in correcting soil acidity. The tailings, produced in large quantities, can be used in agriculture, mainly for crops considered to accumulate Si, such as corn. On the other hand, beans are considered a non-accumulating plant, however, different sources can make Si available in greater or lesser amounts. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of using steel slag as a source of silicate in the correction of soil acidity and its effect on growth and productivity variables in corn and bean crops. As beans are considered a non-accumulating plant, it was decided that they should be cultivated after planting corn so that the slag had a longer reaction period in the soil, 8 months. In addition, the plant could take advantage of the phytoliths released by the straw from the previous crop that was deposited in the area. The work was carried out in randomized blocks in the experimental field Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei – Sete Lagoas campus, located in the central region of Minas Gerais, consisting of 6 treatments (slag doses) and 4 replications. The slag was ground, passed through a 2mm sieve and distributed in doses equivalent to 0 (control), 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 kg ha-1 of SiO2. The variables analyzed were those related to pH correction and plant productivity. None of the analyzed variables presented a significant result, probably due to the low solubilization of the silicate source used. The slag doses did not correct the soil acidity, did not influence the productivity and did not increase the Si content in the plant or in the soil. The corn plant showed potential for absorption, translocation and silicon polymerization, unlike common bean, which was not possible to observe absorption. Soil pH did not change due to slag non-reactivity. The slag used under the conditions of the experiment does not present efficient solubilization.

Brazil is the largest exporter of beef in the world and has pastures as a food base for all production in the country. However, the country has about 70 million hectares of pastures with some level of degradation and it is necessary for the livestock sector to make use of technologies that aim at the recovery of these areas and the more efficient management of pastures. Studies have been carried out with the objective of identifying microorganisms that have symbiosis with grasses and promote better plant development and increased production while contributing to soil quality and reduced degradation. One of the main obstacles to the efficiency of U. brizantha seed inoculation is the low quality of the seeds. Usually, seed lots of this genus have a large amount of clods, stones, insects and other contaminants that bring a large microbial load and negatively influence the germination process and the efficiency of inoculation of these seeds with beneficial microorganisms, which is another obstacle to be addressed. overcome when it comes to establishing pasture in good condition. Therefore, the initial objectives are to develop a protocol for cleaning and disinfesting seeds Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu that increase the efficiency of inoculation of seeds with growth-promoting microorganisms, the molecular characterization of Azospirillum strains and the evaluation of the influence of the symbiosis between Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Azospirillum sp. in the initial development of Capim-Marandu. Seed cleaning and disinfestation protocols, obtained by 2 different suppliers, with different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and different times of scarification in concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) were tested in order to obtain the best concentration and combination that meet the premises of U. brizantha seed purification; do not compromise its physical structure and enable inoculation with the microorganisms of interest. Germination and seed purity tests were applied. In all, 14 strains of Azospirillum were submitted to molecular techniques based on genotypic analysis of DNA and PCR BOX and ERIC PCR for the identification and differentiation of microorganisms. The tests of the influence of the inoculation of Azospirillum strains and AMFs on the initial development of U. brizantha were carried out at the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology - Nucleus of Applied Biology (NBA), belonging to Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, under greenhouse conditions using soil and substrate containing vermiculite and sand (2:1) focusing on the establishment of symbioses. 03 strains of Azospirillum sp., 2 strains of AMF, the synergy between them were tested. The experimental design was in completely randomized blocks (DBC), in a 4x3x4 factorial scheme. Evaluations were started 90 days after planting. The parameters evaluated are leaf area; root area; number of tillers; fresh weight, dry weight and root and shoot dry weight; rate of colonization of fungi and bacteria in the root system. It was possible to infer that the concentration of 4% of NaClO followed by washing the seeds in 92.8% alcohol provided the lowest growth of microorganisms in the seeds after cleaning and the time of 15 minutes of immersion of seeds in H2SO4 provided an improvement in germination of the seeds. Of the 14 Azospirillum strains, 11 were identified, one of them from the Pseudomonas genus, proving the importance of molecular and genotypic identification of microorganisms. BOX PCR and ERIC PCR techniques contributed significantly to the intraspecific differentiation of Azospirillum strains.

Weeds can cause high damage to soybean crops, so tools should be sought to manage them, such as tank mixing, but the effect of mixing herbicides and foliar fertilizers on both soybean crop and weed can be different. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of mixtures between glyphosate and foliar fertilizers on weed control and on soybean development and productivity. The experiment was carried out in the experimental area of Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in a randomized block design. The 16 treatments were applications of: glyphosate (720 g a.e and 1296 g a.e ha^-1) associated with different foliar fertilizers, in stage V4 of soybeans, and two controls, one with weeding until the crop canopy closure and the other without weeding throughout its cycle. For evaluations of weed control and phytotoxicity in soybeans, scores were given using a scale from 0 to 100, at seven-day intervals, where 0 meant no control and 100% total control. In relation to soybean were evaluated plant height, number of leafs, number of nodes, height at maturity, height of insertion of the first pod, dry matter of stem, leaf, petiole and pod, leaf area, number of pods per plant, number of pods with one, two, three and four grains, number of grains per pod, 100-seed weight  and grain yield. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and the means compared by the Scott Knott test (p ≤ 0.05). The original phytointoxication data were transformed into √x + 1. The soybean submitted to the application of glyphosate (1296 g a.e ha^-1) + Quimifol Cerrado® (1.0 L ha^-1) + Urea (22.4 g ha^-1) + Aureo® (0.15 L ha^-1) presented phytotoxicity of 33.75%. The mixtures did not control the Commelina benghalensis plants, with control levels <35%. Portulaca oleracea and Eleusine indica plants were controlled by glyphosate applied isolated (> 95%). Mixtures of glyphosate (720 g a.e and 1296 g e.a ha^-1) with different leaf fertilizers did not result in an increase in the effectiveness of weed control, these associations also do not alter most of the morphological and productive characters of the cultivar RK6813 RR. However, the application of the mixture of glyphosate (1296 g a.e ha^-1) + Urea (111.5 g ha^-1) + Admix Wet (0.15 L ha^-1), resulted in higher grain yield and dry matter stem.

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Maize is one of the main crops grown worldwide, being widely used for food, animal feed and raw material for industry. However, the crop is considered to be very sensitive to weather fluctuations, which is responsible for large variations in production during the years. Suboptimal irrigation is being used to increase water use efficiency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different irrigation depths and the integration of two brachiaria cultivars with maize in second season crop on the yield of phytomass for silage and grains and on water productivity. In addition, a financial analysis was applied regarding the use of suboptimal irrigation. The experiments were conducted at the experimental station of Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, during theyears 2018 and 2019,considering the production of silage and maize grains, intercropping with two forage grasses. In 2019, the cultivation of maize without an intercropping was also considered. The effect of six levels of water depth was evaluated from the Line-Source Sprinkler System, using randomized blocks in split-plot as experimental design. A financial analysis was applied to compose the optimal water depth identification study, covering production costs and production valuation. There were no significant differences for the interaction between the crop combination and the irrigation depth and for the crop combination factor in both years.Suboptimal irrigation did not cause a significant decrease in crop yield at levels reduced to up to 59% of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) in both years for silage and up to 48% and 51% of ET0 in the years 2018 and 2019, respectively, for grains, besidescausing an increase in water productivity.The results indicated the potential use of suboptimal irrigation asa strategy to reduce the demand for water resources. In addition, under the experimental conditions of this study, the cultivation of maize showed low average sensitivity to the water deficit imposed on the plant, with overall values of the production response factor (Ky) of 0.97 and 0.79 for silage and grain, respectively. For silage and grain production it was obtained the maximum net revenues of R$ 4,938.92 ha-1and R$ 654.20 ha-1, respectively. The financial viability of suboptimal irrigation depends mainly on the production selling price and the crop productivity

The use of biostimulants has been shown to be efficient for stimulating growth in species of agricultural interest, through direct or indirect mechanisms. Likewise, biostimulants appear to have properties which are able to reduce the abiotic stress effects, like saline, which is common in the main banana producing regions. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the micropropagated seedlings of banana cv. Prata Gorutuba during the acclimatization stage in response to the application of humic substances and seaweed extract, as well as the performance of these biostimulants in the saline stress condition. Two experiments were conducted in greenhouse conditions. The first one was consisted of a completely randomized design (CRD), with three replications, in a 5x5 factorial scheme represented by five doses of MultiHumic®, a humic substance-based product (0,3; 0,6; 0,9 and 1,2 mL plant-1), and five doses of MultiTurbo®, a seaweed extract-based product (0,034; 0,068; 0,102 and 0,136 mL plant-1). The second experiment was conducted in a randomized block design (RBD), in a split-plot scheme, represented by five salinity levels (0, 400, 800, 1200 and 1600 μS cm-1) as a plot, and biostimulants as a subplot, which were MultiHumic®, MultiTurbo® and both associated. The products applications were conducted via substrate in both experiments. Biometric, physiological, anatomical and nutritional assessments were carried out. The results demonstrated a greater effect with the applications of humic substances, once the internal leaves structure were improved and favored physiological parameters in banana seedlings cv. Prata Gorutuba during the acclimatization phase. The Prata Gorutuba seems to be able to adapt to the saline stress in acclimatization, whereas it did not show a reduction in growth, physiological and mineral content parameters. The use of humic substances and seaweed extract did not reduce the high salinity effects of the irrigation water.

Tomato is a fruit that is highly appreciated by consumers, with high production potential when grown under favorable conditions. Substrate cultivation is one of the technologies applied to increase productivity. Despite the high yields obtained, post-harvest losses consume a reasonable percentage of production, which leads to a continuous search for preservation methods in order to maintain the characteristics and prolong the shelf life of the fruits, which allows the availability of tomatoes of excellent quality, even in markets far from the producing regions. One of the ways of preserving tomato fruits is the use of packaging that has the function of controlling or minimizing the degradation processes, allowing the fruits to maintain the quality parameters for consumers. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of packaging on shelf life as well as the preservation of quality attributes, the contents of bioactive compounds and the antioxidant activity of tomatoes grape. The experimental design used was entirely randomized 2 treatments, 5 storage times and 4 repetitions, where the tested packages were PET packaging and active packaging. The evaluated characteristics were pH, TTA, TSS, Ratio, Firmness, Instrumental color and loss of fresh mass in addition to the contents of lycopene, total phenolic compounds, vitamin C and antioxidant activity (DPPH). The average levels of lycopene increased during the period of 20 days of storage. Beginning with 29.8 to 48.7 μg.100 g-1 at 20 days. There was degradation of vitamin C, whose average levels of stored fruits, regardless of packaging, ranged from 21.4 mg.100 g-1 to 15.9 mg.100 g-1. In general, all the characteristics evaluated were influenced by the packaging or storage time and also the interaction of both. The definition of the best packaging to be used depends on the storage period to which the fruits will be submitted. For mass conservation, the active type packaging presented the best result.  

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The objective of this research was to evaluate the use of two alternative techniques in the production of Mango Palmer during vegetative growth. The mangos were from Brazil, in the “Minas Gerais” State, from “Norte de Minas” area in the crop 2017/2018. The first evaluation explored whether the use of commercial fertilizer Multipotássio® could be used as an alternative source of the potassium nutrient in the maturation process of the branches and leaves. The second evaluation examined whether the MultiTurbo® biostimulant containing the seaweed extract Ascoplyllum nodosum would be a good alternative for the development of the crop. Both experiments were conducted in the same area, the first with Multipotássio® doses (0, 1, 2, 3 L ha-1) and two evaluation periods, and the second with Multipotássio® doses (0, 1, 2, 3 L ha-1) as well as MultiTurbo® doses (0, 0.625 ml ha-1, 1.25 ml ha-1, 2.50 ml ha-1). The panicle length and number, leaf and carbohydrate contents in the branches and leaves, percent of fruiting, fruit weight, fruit size and density and productivity were evaluated. The results show that in the branches, the sugar content increased and the starch contents decreased. In leaves both sugars and starches decrease. Regarding reproductive characteristics, there was a significant effect on panicle length, number of fruits and productivity. With the use of the algae extract based on Ascophyllum nodosum there was an increase in the productivity of the Palmer

Acerola is one of the richest sources of vitamin C, and contain carotenoids,
other vitamins and minerals, especially in the field of functional foods for their antioxidant
capacity. There is an increase in product demand in domestic and foreign markets, which
has led to the creation of new plantations. The high variability of Brazilian orchards is a
limiting factor for the development of culture, which requires studies on the fruit quality and
the divergence between genotypes , as well as ways to reduce the time and costs and works
with selection factor and breeding. The aim of the study quality of fruits and divergence
between West Indian cherry genotypes was in progress, and the evaluation of the correlation
between the characters in order to gain indirect selection. 24 cherry genotypes of the West
Indies as the main physical characteristics for the study of the correlations were evaluated,
and the chemical and physico-chemical analysis of the quality characteristics and genetic
divergence. Differences infruit quality were found. Genetic divergence with means
allowing the indication seven genotypes intersections promising for use in crop
improvement. The analysis showed that the correlation to be getting bigger and heavier
weight of the fruit pulp should be selected fruit genotypes with greater mass and smaller
diameter cross need to evaluate a large number of plants.