Plant extracts and essential oils on the control of Alternaria alternata , Alternaria dauci and on the germination and emergence of carrot seeds ( Daucus carota L.)

ABSTRACT: The present study aims to investigate garlic, pepper and coriander plant extract as well as neem and orange peel essential oil effective ness to control Alternaria alternata and Alternaria dauci and their efficiency during carrot seeds germination and emergence. A completely randomized design was used in three different experiments. The first experiment evaluated the effect of plant extracts and essential oils on the incidence of A. alternata and A. dauci . It was done by means of a factorial design applied to five treatments (garlic, pepper, coriander, and neem and orange peel essential oils) at three concentrations (10, 20 and 30%).They also evaluated the controls untreated and with fungicide (Thiram).The second experiment evaluated the effect of the treatment at30% concentration on the germination and emergence of seedlings assessed on trays, and in the third experiment, the presence of A. alternata and A. dauci on the pericarp, endosperm and on the embryo. A. alternata showed higher incidence than A. dauci. The garlic extract and the orange essential oil showed the potential to control A. dauci and A. alternata, because their lower concentrations were able to sufficiently reduce the incidence of these fungi and because they do not affect carrot seeds germination and emergence. A. alternata conidia were found on the embryo (8%), pericarp (17%) and endosperm (31%)

Accelerated aging as vigor test for sunn hemp seeds

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to determine the most appropriate method to assess the sunn hemp ( Crotalaria juncea L.) seed vigor in the accelerated aging test. Five seed lots from harvest 2007/2008 were evaluated for germination, vigor and seedling emergence in the field. Accelerated aging test was performed at 41°C during 48, 72 and 96 hours, with and without sodium chloride saturated solution. Then, the promising procedure was also performed for 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 harvests. In the traditional accelerated aging test, the no-uniform water acquisition by the seeds adversely affected results. Accelerated aging test with sodium chloride saturated solution is the most appropriate method to evaluate the physiological potential of sunn hemp seeds, and the combination of 41°C and 96 hours is efficient for separating of seed lots in different vigor levels

Abrasion of eroded root dentine brushed with different toothpastes

This study evaluated the surface roughness change and wear provided by different dentifrices on root dentine previously exposed to erosive challenges. According to a randomized complete block design, 150 slabs of bovine root dentine (6 x 3 x 2 mm) were ground flat and polished. In an area of 4 x 3 mm on the dentine surface, specimens were submitted to five erosive/abrasive events, each one composed by: exposure to Sprite Diet or distilled water for 5 min, then to a remineralizing solution for 1 min, and simulation of 5,000 brushing strokes. Four dentifrices--regular (RE), baking soda (BS), whitening (WT) and tartar control (TC)--and distilled water (CO), used as control, were compared. Final texture and the wear depth were evaluated using a profilometer. ANOVA did not show significant interaction, indicating that the effect of dentifrices on both surface roughness change and wear did not depend on whether or not the dentine was eroded ( p>0.05). There was no difference between abrasion of eroded and sound dentine. The Tukey's test revealed that WT, BS and TC provided the highest increase in surface roughness differing from RE and CO. TC yielded the deepest wear of root dentine, whereas RE and CO, the shallowest. No significant difference in wear among BS, TC and WT were observed. Within the limitations of this study, the data showed that abrasion of both eroded and sound root dentine was dependent on the dentifrice used