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Native to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, cambuci fruits can be consumed either in natura or in the processed form, and cambuci trees can be used to recover degraded areas. However, studies regarding cambuci germination and seedling development are scarce. The main aim of this study was to understand how different substrates and containers influence the growth of cambuci seedlings. To this end, two experiments were conducted: five different substrates were tested in the first experiment, and based on the multivariate analysis of the first experiment, the effect of combination of the best-performing substrates and three commonly employed plant growth containers on seedling development was investigated. Overall, good quality cambuci seedlings were obtained when they were grown in the commercial pine bark substrate and peat and perlite mixture in a 260 cm3 container. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current literature is lacking regarding the vegetative propagation of the cambuci tree (Campomanesia phaea O. Berg Landrum). This study aimed to verify the efficiency of cutting techniques via the assessment of cuttings of varying types and sizes, sampling dates, and the influence of treatments containing plant growth regulator indolebutyric acid (IBA) combined with the antioxidant ascorbic acid across different immersion times. The species was found not to develop adventitious roots easily, and hence, the herbaceous and woody stem materials were subjected to histochemical studies to elucidate their anatomical and physiological processes. To this end, plant material was polymerized in glycol methacrylate resin, cut into sections, and stained using toluidine blue (0.05%) or via histochemical staining with PAS/naphthol blue black. Anatomical analysis of plant structures revealed the presence of phenolic compounds and sclerenchyma tissue, which in turn are expected to negatively impact the development of adventitious roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bees are the most important diurnal pollinators of angiosperms. In several groups of bees a nocturnal/crepuscular habit developed, yet little is known about their role in pollination and whether some plants are adapted specifically to these bees. We used a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the reproductive biology and to understand the role of nocturnal/crepuscular bees in pollination of Campomanesia phaea (Myrtaceae), popularly named cambuci., We studied the floral biology and breeding system of C. phaea. We collected the floral visitors and tested the pollinators' effectiveness. We also determined the floral scents released at night and during daytime, and studied behavioural responses of crepuscular/nocturnal bees towards these scents., The flowers of cambuci were self-incompatible and had pollen as the only resource for flower visitors. Anthesis lasted around 14 h, beginning at 04:30 h at night. The flowers released 14 volatile compounds, mainly aliphatic and aromatic compounds. We collected 52 species of floral visitors, mainly bees. Nocturnal and crepuscular bees (four species) were among the most frequent species and the only effective pollinators. In field bioassays performed at night, nocturnal/crepuscular bees were attracted by a synthetic scent blend consisting of the six most abundant compounds., This study describes the first scent-mediated pollination system between a plant and its nocturnal bee pollinators. Further, C. phaea has several floral traits that do not allow classification into other nocturnal pollination syndromes ( e.g. pollinator attraction already before sunrise, with pollen as the only reward), instead it is a plant specifically adapted to nocturnal bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The present study evaluated the variability of cambuci fruit ( Campomanesia phaea) cultivated in São Paulo State in the towns of Mogi das Cruzes, Paraibuna, Paranapiacaba and Rio Grande da Serra, and characterized it at different maturity stages with respect to size, firmness, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, phenolic content, ethylene production, respiration rate and in vitro antioxidant capacity. RESULTS Ripe fruit from the same locality, Paraibuna, showed large variations in size and acidity. Ripe fruit from different towns showed significant variation of total phenolics and, consequently, variation in antioxidant capacity. During maturation, the phenolic content and firmness decreased from unripe to ripe stages. The total soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio can be used as a parameter to differentiate cambuci at different maturity stages. However, the decrease in firmness combined with the absence of an ethylene climacteric peak does not allow us to conclude whether cambuci is climacteric or non-climacteric. CONCLUSION Genetic and soil composition studies are needed to assess the reasons for the differences found among fruit from the same location, as well as the variability among fruit harvested in four localities. The best parameters for assessing the maturity stages of cambuci comprise the rounding of its corners and its firmness because the more mature the pulp, the softer is the fruit. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand of the peppers market has driven the increase of cultivated area in Brazil annually, in the Brazilian Northeast this cultivation has been done not only in home gardens for domestic consumption, as well as in commercial gardens that supply the local and foreign markets. Therefore, it was decided to observe the effects of the use of organic fertilization on the cultivation of peppers in order to enable farmers to develop their production using practices where alternative products and low economic and environmental cost available on their properties as is the case of Cow urine that can be used as fertilizer besides possessing other properties favorable to this crop. The species Cambuci, Finger, Yellow Goat and the proportions of cow urine used in spraying were 1 to 5%.The analyzed variables were the height, stem diameter and dry matter of the stem of the plants after sowing. Urine dosage at concentrations of 2%, 4% and 5% obtained higher mean values of heights than the other concentrations exerting greater influence on the development of plants. In the diameter of the stem a greater development was observed in the applications with concentration of urine applied to 4%, 5%. And in the dry matter the best results were obtained in the plants that received fertilization with 3 to 5% urine in the majority of the samples indicating that the best effects were reached in the highest concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]