Resistance and differential susceptibility of Bidens pilosa and B-subalternans biotypes to ALS-inhibiting herbicides

The frequent application of herbicides in agricultural areas may select resistant biotypes in weed populations, whose biological characteristics influence the speed and patterns of resistance. This research aims to charactere, simultaneously, resistance patterns and differential susceptibility of Bidens pilosa and B. subalternans biotypes to ALS-inhibiting herbicides of the imidazolinone and sulfonylurea chemical groups. Six hairy beggarticks biotypes, four suspected resistant and two known susceptible, were treated with eight rates of chlorimuron-ethyl or imazethapyr, in greenhouse conditions. Percent control and percent fresh weight of the plants were evaluated at 28 days after the application. B. subalternans is less susceptible to ALS-inhibiting herbicides than B. pilosa; B. subalternans biotypes were more resistant than B. pilosa biotypes; there are B. pilosa and B. subalternans biotypes with cross resistance to the ALS-inhibiting herbicides of the sulfonylurea and imidazolinone groups; there are different patterns of cross resistance to the diverse groups of ALS-inhibiting herbicides.63213914

Seed bank and seed rain in a seasonal semi-deciduous forest in south-eastern Brazil

To examine the influence of seasonality on the abundance and composition of species in the community, we studied the seed rain and the seed bank in a seasonal, semi-deciduous forest in south-eastern Brazil. Soil samples (depth 3 cm, 0.25 m(2)) were collected within a 1-ha plot in the dry seasons of 1996 and 1997 and the rainy season of 1997 (84 samples per collection). Thirty-five seed traps (0.25 m(2) each) were placed randomly in the forest from March 1997 to February 1998. The greatest density of seeds in the soil occurred in samples collected during the rainy season, the period which coincides with the main fruiting period in this forest.. The Sorensen similarity index values for the seed bank composition among the three periods were high (> 0.50). The fallout of propagules was strongly seasonal, with more than half of the annual total number of seeds being caught in the two months around the end of the dry season and beginning of the rainy season. The mean density of seeds in the soil bank was nearly 86% lower than the seed rain density. There was no clear evidence of seasonal effects on species density and richness in this forest.o TEXTO COMPLETO DESTE ARTIGO, ESTARÁ DISPONÍVEL À PARTIR DE AGOSTO DE 2015.18575977

Sesquiterpene and polyacetylene profile of the Bidens pilosa complex (Asteraceae : Heliantheae) from Southeast of Brazil

The pantropical weed Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae) is a species with several taxonomic problems. Recently it has been shown to be a complex of different species. To shed light on this problem in Brazil, dichloromethane extract of leaves of several populations corresponding to three proposed species for the complex in southeastern Brazil (B. pilosa, Bidens alba and Bidens subalternans) were analyzed by GC-MS. Twenty-four substances were detected, of which four resemble polyacetylenes, the others sesquiterpenes. Five sesquiterpenes tentatively identified as E-caryophyllene, alpha-humulene, germacrene-D, bicyclogermacrene and alpha-muurolene were found in all three Bidens species. The polyacetylene phenylhepta-1,3,5-triyne was identified,only in B. alba. Multivariate analysis (cluster and principal component analyses) separated the three entities, suggesting that these compounds could represent a useful tool to distinguish species in the B. pilosa complex. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.33547948

Influência da superabundância por Aulonemia aristulata (Bambuseae) sobre o banco de sementes transitório em um fragmento de Floresta Atlântica

The aim of our study was to evaluate the community structure and species composition of seeds present in the transient seed bank in two areas of Atlantic forest fragment in São Paulo: an area where the bamboo is overabundant and another without bamboos, both located in a secondary forest fragment. Our hypothesis is that bamboo overabundance influences the availability and species diversity of seeds in the transient soil seed bank, what, in tum, can influence the potential for natural forest recovery. We collected 45 samples of litter in each site and sorted, quantified and identified seeds to the most precise taxonomic levels. We found lower species richness and higher proportion of exclusive species in the area where bamboo is overabundant, but there was no difference in the abundance of seeds in the transient seed bank between areas. Our results show that seed distribution in the bamboo overabundant area was more limited than in control area because 50% of collected samples did not present any seeds. It was not possible to conclude whether the reduction on species richness of the transient seed bank was a result of the lower density of tree species or just a side effect of the overabundance of bamboo. The decrease in species richness and seed dispersal limitation in transient seed bank found in bamboo overabundant area suggest the decreased contribution of this pathway regeneration of vegetation