Ocorrência de condições ambientais para a indução do florescimento de laranjeiras no Estado de São Paulo Occurrence of environmental conditions for flowering induction of sweet orange plants in the State of São Paulo

O presente estudo objetivou avaliar a ocorrência de condições ambientais propícias para a indução do florescimento de laranjeiras no Estado de São Paulo, considerando como fatores de indução a baixa temperatura, dada pelo número de horas de frio abaixo de 13ºC (NHF), e a deficiência hídrica acumulada nos meses de junho, julho e agosto (DEF I), dada pelo balanço hídrico climatológico. Os cálculos e as estimativas foram realizados a partir dos dados de temperatura máxima e mínima diária e precipitação diária dos últimos 5 a 14 anos, dependendo da localidade. Foram consideradas áreas representativas das principais regiões produtoras de citros, onde os plantios estão em expansão ou áreas com potencial para exploração citrícola, sendo: Barretos, Bauru, Botucatu, Catanduva, Itapetininga, Itapeva, Jaboticabal, Jaú, Limeira, Lins, Matão, Mococa, Ourinhos, Piracicaba, São José do Rio Preto e Votuporanga. Com exceção de Botucatu, Itapetininga, Itapeva e Ourinhos, onde a indução do florescimento ocorre por baixa temperatura, a deficiência hídrica é o principal fator de indução nas demais regiões. Já nas regiões de Jaú, Limeira e Piracicaba, a indução do florescimento é ocasionada pelos dois fatores. A influência de NHF na indução do florescimento é mais variável se comparada à DEF I. Em 1996, 2000 e 2004, NHF foi superior a 300 h na maioria das localidades estudadas, mesmo em áreas onde a baixa temperatura não é comum, ex. Barretos, S. J. Rio Preto e Votuporanga. Em relação à deficiência hídrica, a maioria das localidades apresentou esse tipo de influência ambiental no período analisado, sendo as menores ocorrências observadas em Itapeva e Itapetininga (54,5 e 72,7% dos anos, respectivamente). Situação atípica ocorreu em 2004, quando a deficiência hídrica variou de fraca (10<DEF I<30 mm) a moderada (31<DEF I<69 mm) na maioria das localidades. Concluindo, a deficiência hídrica é a principal variável ambiental durante o período de indução do florescimento de laranjeiras na região centro-norte do Estado de São Paulo, enquanto a baixa temperatura é predominante na região centro-sul do Estado, havendo influência desses dois fatores ambientais na região central.<br>This paper aimed to evaluate the occurrence of favorable environmental conditions for induction of sweet orange flowering in the State of São Paulo, considering as induction factors the low temperature, given by the number of chilling hours below 13ºC (NCH), and the water deficiency accumulated during June, July and August (DEF W), given by the climatologic water balance. Calculations and estimatives were done using the maximum and minimum daily air temperature, as well as the daily rainfall recorded in the last 5 to 14 years, according to the local. There were considered areas in important regions of citrus production, where plantings are in expansion or in potential areas for citriculture, being: Barretos, Bauru, Botucatu, Catanduva, Itapetininga, Itapeva, Jaboticabal, Jaú, Limeira, Lins, Matão, Mococa, Ourinhos, Piracicaba, São José do Rio Preto and Votuporanga. Excepting Botucatu, Itapetininga, Itapeva and Ourinhos, where the flowering induction is triggered by low temperature, water deficiency is the principal factor for induction in other locals. At Jaú, Limeira and Piracicaba the flower induction is caused by both factors. The influence of NCH on flowering induction is more variable when compared to DEF W. In 1996, 2000 and 2004, NCH was higher than 300 h in most of evaluated locals, even in areas where low temperature is uncommon, e.g. Barretos, S. J. Rio Preto and Votuporanga. In relation to the water deficiency, most of the regions showed this kind of environmental influence during the evaluated period, being lower occurrences observed in Itapeva and Itapetininga (54.5 and 72.7% of years, respectively). Unusual situation occurred in 2004, when water deficiency varied from weak (10<DEF W<30 mm) to moderate (31<DEF W<69 mm) in most of the locals. Concluding that DEF W is the main environmental variable during the period of flowering induction in sweet orange plants in the Central-North region of the State of São Paulo, while NCH is predominant in the Central-South region of the State, having influence of both environmental factors in the Central region

The behaviour of queen honeybees and their attendants

The behaviour of queen and worker honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) was observed using small colonies in observation hives. Workers paid more attention to queens which had been mated for 2 months or more than to those which were newly mated; virgin queens received least attention. Queens received most attention when they were stationary and least when they were walking over the comb; virgin queens were most active. Queen cells had as many attendants as virgin queens and queen larvae were inspected almost continuously. The queen pheromone component 9-oxo-trans-2-decenoic acid stimulated 'court' behaviour when presented on small polyethylene blocks, but workers responded aggressively to complete extracts of queens' heads. Both the heads and abdomens of mated queens received much attention from court workers but the abdomens were palpated by more workers for longer and were licked much more. The queens' thoraces were least attended. Abdominal tergites posterior to tergite glands were licked for longer than those anterior to the glands. Only worker bees very near to the queen reacted to her and joined her 'court'. No evidence was found of a diel periodicity in the behaviour of a queen or her 'court'. During the winter the queen's court was smaller than in summer and she walked less and laid fewer eggs. When colonies were fed with sucrose syrup in winter, their queens laid more eggs and workers reared more brood but there was no change in the attention received by the queens. The implications of these findings for the secretion and distribution of queen pheromones are discussed

Forest type interacts with milkweed invasion to affect spider communities

Abstract Non-native tree plantations constitute a large part of forestation worldwide. Plantations are prone to invasion by exotic herbaceous plant species due to habitat properties, including understory vegetation structure. We established 40 sampling sites in 10 plantation forests. Sites were selected according to tree species (native poplar forests and exotic pine plantations) and common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) density (invaded and non-invaded sites) in a full factorial design. We collected spiders with pitfall traps. We found a significant effect of A. syriaca invasion on spider functional diversity (Rao's quadratic entropy), with invaded sites having a lower functional diversity than non-invaded sites. A larger effect of invasion with A. syriaca on the RaoQ of spiders was observed in pine compared to poplar plantations. Spider species were larger, and web-building spiders were more frequent in poplar forests than in pine plantations. We found no effect of A. syriaca invasion on species richness or abundance of spiders. Species composition of spider assemblages in the two forest types was clearly separated according to non-metric multidimensional scaling. We identified seven species associated with pine plantations and six species associated with poplar plantations. The similar species richness and the higher functional diversity of non-invaded sites suggested that these trait states were less similar than invaded sites and that functionally different species were present. In contrast, the invaded sites had lower functional diversities and thus more uniform trait state compositions, suggesting that environmental filtering played an important role in species sorting, making invaded plantations low-quality secondary habitats for the original spider fauna