Fitotecnia - Artigos
URI permanente para esta coleçãohttps://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/11742
Coleção de Artigos publicados por Docentes, Técnicos e Discentes vinculados ao departamento de Fitotecnia da UFV.
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Item Ar-turmerone from Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae) rhizomes and effects on Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)(Industrial Crops and Products, 2013-04) Tavares, Wagner de Souza; Freitas, Silvia de Sousa; Grazziotti, Geisel Hudson; Parente, Leila Maria Leal; Lião, Luciano Morais; Zanuncio, José ColaTurmeric, Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) has well-known insecticidal and repellent effects on insect pests, but its impact on the Maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, 1855 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith, 1797 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is unknown. In this study, we evaluated the insecticidal and repellent effects of ar-turmerone, extracted from rhizomes of C. longa, on the S. zeamais and S. frugiperda. Individuals of S. zeamais died after six days of contact with ar-turmerone at 1% (m m^−1 ), while individuals of S. frugiperda showed a 58% mortality rate after ingestion of this compound at 1% (m v^−1 ). The width of head capsule, and length and weight of body of surviving S. frugiperda caterpillars exposed to ar-turmerone were 60.0, 59.6 and 93.8% lower than those of control caterpillars, respectively. Dry weight of ingested food, feces produced, weight gain and dry weight of food assimilated and metabolized by surviving S. frugiperda caterpillars were lower with artificial diet with ar-turmerone. Hatching of caterpillars from newly laid, 1- or 2-day-old S. frugiperda eggs was 48.6, 14.2 and 48.5%, respectively. Ar-turmerone is highly toxic to S. zeamais and S. frugiperda at low doses.Item Effect of growing Brachiria brizantha on phytoremediation of picloram under different pH environments(Ecological Engineering, 2016-09) Braga, Renan Rodrigues; Santos, José Barbosa dos; Zanuncio, José Cola; Bibiano, Camila Silva; Ferreira, Evander Alves; Oliveira, Maxwel Coura; Silva, Daniel Valadão; Serrão, José EduardoPicloram is used in the management of Brachiaria brizantha (Poaceae) in pasture. The persistence of this herbicide varies with climate and soil characteristics, such as texture and pH. The aim was to determine the capacity of B. brizantha (Hochst.) Stapf. cv. Marandu to remediate soils of different pH levels contaminated with picloram. The experiment had a randomized block design with four replications. The remedial species was grown for 60 days after cucumber [Cucumis sativus L. (Cucurbitaceae)] was cultivated as an indicator of the presence of the herbicide in the soil. This plant reduced the picloram concentration in the soil layer surface, which can be attributed to its ability to degrade, to absorb, and/or to exude herbicides. The picloram has greater leaching potential in higher pH soils, in the absence of B. brizantha. Soils with lower pH tend to have higher sorption and concentration of this herbicide in the intermediate layers. B. brizantha can remediate soils contaminated with picloram and reduce leaching, which is higher in soils treated with limestone.Item Effectiveness of alternative herbicides on three Conyza species from Europe with and without glyphosate resistance(Crop Protection, 2018-10) Silveira, Hellen Martins da; Tahmasebi, Behroz Khalil; Alebrahim, Mohammad Taghi; Roldán-Gómez, Rafael A.; Silveira, Hellen Martins da; Carvalho, Leonardo Bianco de; Cruz, Ricardo Alcántara-de la; Prado, Rafael deGlyphosate has been applied in European countries for over a decade between rows in olive groves and grape vineyards to control Conyza species [hairy fleabane (C. bonariensis), horseweed (C. canadensis) and Sumatran fleabane (C. sumatrensis)], however poor control has been observed in recent years. Glyphosate susceptible (GS) or resistant (GR) populations were assayed in each species. In addition, Conyza spp. control with alternative herbicides (alone or in mixture with glyphosate) over two years was also assessed. The GS populations of the three species were controlled with glyphosate field doses (1080 g ae ha−1). The GR hairy fleabane, horseweed and Sumatran fleabane populations were 15.0, 15.7 and 19.8 times more resistant, respectively, than their respective GS population. The shikimic accumulation of GS populations was 4–6 times higher compared with the GR Conyza populations, confirming the glyphosate resistance of the latter ones. The increase in the glyphosate dose did not control the GR Conyza populations, despite providing a higher dry growth reduction. Glufosinate and flazasulfuron, alone or mixed with glyphosate, were the effective options to control GR and GS populations of hairy fleabane and Sumatran fleabane. However, the GR horseweed population might have evolved multiple resistance to glyphosate and flazasulfuron in Hungary. The other herbicides (PSI, auxinic and PPO) showed an additive effect together with the control provided by glyphosate in the GS and GR populations; however generally, these herbicides could be applied alone at the rosette stage. Effective herbicides with modes of action different from glyphosate, except flazasulfuron for controlling horseweed, should be used to delay the selection of herbicide resistance in perennial crops in Europe.Item Estimates of genetic parameters with selection within and between half-sib families of Jatropha curcas L.(Industrial Crops and Products, 2015-07) Spinelli, Victor M.; Dias, Luiz Antonio S.; Rocha, Rodrigo B.; Resende, Marcos Deon V.Jatropha curcas L., the most promising oilseed plant for biodiesel and biokerosene, is in the process of domestication, and the economic, social and environmental viability of the crop depends on increasing its yield performance. Low seed yield is due, above all, to planting of non-improved cultivars. We evaluated 16 half-sib families in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years after planting. The components evaluated were seed yield, number of trusses per plant, number of fruits per truss, fruit maturation rate, plant height and canopy diameter. We also estimated the genetic parameters of these components with a view toward quantifying genetic gain from plant selection. The main seed yield components exhibited predominant genetic control. Nevertheless, the environmental effect was the main determinant of uniformity in fruit maturation. Thus, management strategies have greater potential for having an impact on concentration of fruit production of this oilseed plant. Genetic gains related to seed yield in the cropping of genotypes selected in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years were 33.3%, 41.6% and 56.7%, respectively. The development of new genotypes should furthermore consider strategies for generation of variability using crosses between divergent plants with better agronomic characteristics.Item Estimation of genetic parameters for in vitro oil palm characteristics (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) and selection of genotypes for cloning capacity and oil yield(Industrial Crops and Products, 2015-12-23) Corrêa, Thais Roseli; Motoike, Sérgio Yoshimitsu; Coser, Sara Morra; Silveira, Gustavo da; Resende, Marcos Deon Vilela de; Chia, Gilson SanchezOil palm has stood out among the promising species for biofuel production and plant improvement through cloning superior individuals is the technology that contributes most to increase oil production. However, there are no studies on the genotypes behavior regarding both in vitro performance and yield potential simultaneously. By this mean, the objective of this paper was to study the genetic control of the related characteristics to the oil palm cloning process, and to identify responsive genotypes within a collection of 32 elite materials of a commercial planting in order to select the superior genotypes for the formation of a clonal garden. Callogenesis and production of embryogenic lines, which are main characteristics related to the cloning process, presented genetic control, verified through estimates of genetic parameters: heritability, coefficient of relative variation, and selective accuracy; also indicating efficiency in the selection of superior genotypes within the evaluated set. Genotypes A-13, A-14, A-18, A-20 and A-21 were selected as superior genotypes for both characteristics, such as oil yield and in vitro performance, due to formation of embryogenic lines. This has been the first study investigating the genetic control of the cloning capacity aiming to the selection of genotypes for a clonal garden formation.Item Explant origin and culture media factors drive the somatic embryogenesis response in Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart., an emerging oil crop in the tropics(Industrial Crops and Products, 2017-03-05) Granja, Manuela M.C.; Motoike, Sérgio Y.; Andrade, Ana Paula S.; Correa, Thais R.; Picoli, Edgard A.T.; Kuki, Kacilda NaomiThe explant origin and the factors in the culture medium are responsible for the response to somatic embryogenesis in most plant species, including palms. Acrocomia aculeata is a neotropical palm currently undergoing domestication due to its sustainability and profitability as an alternative oil crop. The attainment of productive cultivars of this palm may be speed up by somatic embryogenesis. Thus, this study sought to refine an existing somatic embryogenesis cloning protocol for A. aculeata and to investigate the possible genetic influence on the in vitro propagation response, using zygotic embryos from 19 matrices or open-pollinated families. The embryos were inoculated in modified induction media. The following characteristics were evaluated in this phase: swollen embryos, percentage of zygotic embryos that formed callus, embryogenic calli and oxidation. Afterwards the resulting pro embryogenic masses were subsequently cultivated in modified multiplication, maturation and gemination media. In those phases the open-pollinated families’ response was measured by the growth of their embryogenic mass and the quantity of regenerated and germinated somatic embryos. The refined micropropagation protocol was successful in establishing embryogenic lines and maintaining their cyclic multiplication for a long period; all without the loss of their potential to maturate and regenerate somatic embryos. In general, the multiplication of pro embryogenic masses was effective even in the lowest dose of Picloram (18 μM). The addition of activated charcoal in the medium favored the maturation of somatic embryos. Plantlets regeneration, although defective in some lineages, was promoted by GA3 (0.55 μM). The zygotic embryos’ responsiveness to somatic embryogenesis varied according to their matrices, indicating that if micropropagation is to be used as a mass propagation technique for the species, the explant́s genotype must be considered.Item Genetic diversity between and within full-sib families of Jatropha using ISSR markers(Industrial Crops and Products, 2018-11-15) Duarte, Anunciene Barbosa; Gomes, Wellington Silva; Nietsche, Sílvia; Pereira, Marlon Cristian Toledo; Rodrigues, Bruno Rafael Alves; Ferreira, Lucas Borges; Paixão, Pedro Thiago MedeirosThe aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity between and within of six full-sib families of Jatropha through ISSR molecular markers. Six genitors were selected based on oil and seed potentiality. A set of 20 ISSR markers was used. The genetic distances were estimated based on Jaccard similarity coefficient and the descriptive statistics of populations for estimation of genetic parameters were also performed. A total of 177 polymorphic bands were obtained. The polymorphism within full-sib families ranged from 22 to 51.6% for families 2 and 5, respectively. The similarity analysis between families presented an average distance of 61%. The effective number of alleles varied from 0.56 to 1.86. The lowest value for Nei’s gene diversity index was 0.34 and the largest was 0.46 and the Shannon information index ranged from 0.51 to 0.65. The genetic variability analysis, by ISSR molecular markers showed low genetic dissimilarity within of full-sib families of Jatropha. However, the evaluation between the full-sib families demonstrated that the accessions belonging to family 1 are the most divergent, and should be considered in future artificial hybridations strategies.Item Green manure -15 N absorbed by broccoli and zucchini in sequential cropping(Scientia Horticulturae, 2017-01-05) Pacheco, Anália Lúcia Vieira; Vargas, Thiago de Oliveira; Diniz, Ellen Rúbia; Santos, Ricardo Henrique Silva; Urquiaga, SegundoShort-cycle crops use part of the N from green manure fertilization, while the remainder continues to be available for the subsequent ones. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the N use efficiency of sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea L. (Fabaceae) in the sequential cropping of Brassica oleracea var. italica (Brassicaceae) followed by zucchini, Cucurbita pepo L. (Cucurbitaceae). Three doses of C. juncea green manure 3, 6, and 9 t ha^−1 were evaluated, each one added with 12 t ha^−1 of organic compost. The N use efficiency was based on the 15 N isotope dilution technique. The total N accumulated in the shoots of broccoli and zucchini with the highest dose of C. juncea was 78.25 and 70.42 kg ha^−1 , respectively. The green manure-N recovery efficiency and quantity with the highest doses of C. juncea in broccoli were 74.39 and 47.42 kg ha^−1 and in zucchini 58.82 and 31.95 kg ha^−1 , respectively. The green manure-N supplied 28.50% of N for broccoli and 16.22% for zucchini. The N residual effect from C. juncea green manure is enough to provide for the cultivation of at least two vegetable crops — broccoli followed by zucchini.Item Harvest and post-harvest conditions influencing macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) oil quality attributes(Industrial Crops and Products, 2016-03-02) Grossi, José Antonio Saraiva; Evaristo, Anderson Barbosa; Pimentel, Leonardo Duarte; Goulart, Samuel de Melo; Martins, Adalvan Daniel; Santos, Vera Lúcia dos; Motoike, SergioMacauba (Acrocomia aculeata), also known as macauba palm, is a good source of vegetable oil in tropical America. Its fruits are highly suitable for biodiesel production owing to the high quantity and quality of its oil. However, commercial exploitation of this species remains insufficient. Forms of harvesting, the storage period, and the use of chemicals for the postharvest preservation of macauba fruits and their effects on the associated microbiota were investigated. Mature fruits were collected only once from the mother tree and separated in two groups, a group of fruits not exposed to the ground surface (0 days) and a larger group of fruits that was placed in contact with the soil surface for 7, 14, and 21 days, to allow infestation of soil-borne microorganisms. Then the fruits were treated with 3 doses of fungicide fungicide (0, 0.2, and 0.4% v/v) and storage at room temperature during 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 days. Hence the experiment was set in a randomized block design with four replications in a factorial Scheme 4 × 3 × 5 (period of ground surface contact, doses of fungicide and period of storage). The mesocarp oil content (OC), free fatty acids, and oxidative stability of the oil were evaluated, and the presence of microorganisms in the mesocarp and epicarp of the macauba fruits was quantified. Fungicide was found to be effective in maintaining low oil acidity of fruits unexposed to the soil surface for up to 20 days of storage and for maintaining oil oxidative stability. Regardless of the fungicide dose applied, an increase in the OC was noted for all harvest times during the first 10 days of storage. Therefore, for biodiesel production, it is recommended that the fruits should be harvested when in pre-absciscion stage (directly from the mother tree) or collected from the ground after no more than 7 days after abscission. In both cases, the fruits must be pre-treated with fungicide if storage is intended.Item The interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Piriformospora indica improves the growth and nutrient uptake in micropropagation-derived pineapple plantlets(Scientia Horticulturae, 2015-12-14) Moreira, B.C.; Mendes, F.C.; Mendes, I.R.; Paula, T.A.; Prates Junior, P.; Salomão, L.C.C.; Stürmer, S.L.; Otoni, W.C.; Guarçoni M., A.; Kasuya, M.C.M.Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Piriformospora indica are well known for promoting growth, development, and nutrient uptake and for improving plant photosynthesis. These fungi represent promising tools supporting micropropagated plants during the acclimatization stage, and their use can reduce the application of phosphate fertilizers, providing economic and environmental benefits. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the benefits of inoculation with AMF and P. indica for the growth of plantlets of the Imperial cultivar of pineapple inoculated during the acclimatization stage and grown with different levels of phosphorus (P). The experiment consisted of six P levels (0, 20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg kg −1 soil) with inoculation of Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Dentiscutata heterogama, Rhizophagus clarus, P. indica, a mixture of all fungi (Mix), or control (no inoculation). The parameters vegetative growth, the nutrient contents in the plants, photosynthetic efficiency, and the components of dependence and colonization by fungi were assessed. The fungal inoculation was effective for plantlet growth, especially up to a P dose of 40 mg kg^ −1 , increasing both plant biomass and the absorption of all evaluated nutrients. With P at 80 mg kg^ −1 , only the treatments with C. etunicatum and Mix produced plantlets of better quality than the non-inoculated control. The colonization by AMF and P. indica was not affected by the addition of P to the soil, although fungal dependence decreased under these conditions and could be considered moderate even at 40 mg kg^ −1 for plants inoculated with C. etunicatum, R. clarus, P. indica or Mix. The inoculation of pineapple plantlets is a promising method that can be employed to produce high-quality propagative material for the market.Item The introduced tree Prosopis juliflora is a serious threat to native species of the Brazilian Caatinga vegetation(Science of the Total Environment, 2014-02-05) Nascimento, Clóvis Eduardo de Souza; Tabarelli, Marcelo; Silva, Carlos Alberto Domingues da; Leal, Inara Roberta; Tavares, Wagner de Souza; Serrão, José Eduardo; Zanuncio, José ColaDespite its economic importance in the rural context, the Prosopis juliflora tree species has already invaded mil- lions of hectares globally (particularly rangelands), threatening native biodiversity and rural sustainability. Here we examine seedling growth (leaf area, stem diameter, plant height) and seedling mortality across five native plant species of the Caatinga vegetation in response to competition with P. juliflora. Two sowing treatments with 10 replications were adopted within a factorial 2 × 5 randomized block design. Treatments consisted of P. juliflora seeds sowed with seeds of Caesalpinia ferrea, Caesalpinia microphylla, Erythrina velutina, Mimosa bimucronata and Mimosa tenuiflora (one single native species per treatment), while seeds of native species sowed without P. juliflora were adopted as controls. Overall, our results suggest that P. juliflora can reduce seed- ling growth by half and cause increased seedling mortality among woody plant species. Moreover, native species exhibit different levels of susceptibility to competition with P. juliflora, particularly in terms of plant growth. Such a superior competitive ability apparently permits P. juliflora to establish monospecific stands of adult trees, locally displacing native species or limiting their recruitment. The use of less sensitive species, such as C. ferrea and M. tenuiflora, to restore native vegetation before intensive colonization by P. juliflora should be investigated as an effective approach for avoiding its continuous spread across the Caatinga region.Item Redefinition of sweet sorghum harvest time: new approach for sampling and decision-making in field(Industrial Crops and Products, 2017-12-15) Teixeira, Thaís Patrícia Moreira; Pimentel, Leonardo Duarte; Dias, Luiz Antônio dos Santos; Parrella, Rafael Augusto da Costa; Paixão, Mateus Queiroz da; Biesdorf, Evandro MarcosSweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) has been studied as an alternative raw material for ethanol production. A bottleneck of the crop is the determination of its harvest time in the field. Currently, stem maturation, measured through the Brix (soluble solids content) of intermediary internodes and the identification of grain maturity are used as harvest indicators. However, it is believed that this methodology is not suitable for this purpose, since these strategies have resulted in unsatisfactory industrial yields. The present work aimed to determine the ideal harvest time for sweet sorghum and identify which internode or segment of internodes better represents Brix of the stem juice. The experiment was conducted under field conditions, using the sweet sorghum cultivar BRS 511. It was set in a randomized block design with five replications and seven treatments. The treatments consisted in the sweet sorghum phenological stages, which were pre-flowering, flowering, milk dough, soft dough, mealy dough, hard dough and senescence. Were evaluated fresh (FBY) and dry biomass (DBY) yields, and moisture content (MC). It was quantified juice extraction (JE), juice yield (JY), tons of Brix per hectare (TBH) and total sugars in the juice (TS). Brix of the juice from each internode and from the whole stem (without segmenting the internodes = ‘real’ Brix) were evaluated. The highest Brix of stem juice (SB) was registered at the hard dough stage, with 16°Brix. The multiplicative index TBH, which combines SFBY, JE, SB and allows the estimation of sweet sorghum industrial yield, exhibited the highest value between the soft to hard dough stages, with an average of 9.40 t °Brix ha^−1. Regarding the internodes, the highest Brix values were observed at the ones located at the stem middle-third. However, Brix measured in this section was not representative of Brix obtained from the whole stem. Regardless of the phenological stages, the internode number 2 was the only one whose Brix had not differed from the whole stem Brix (‘real’ Brix). Analyzing only the soft, mealy and hard dough stages (harvest prediction), Brix of the internodes 2 and 3 had not significantly differed from the stem real Brix. The sweet sorghum BRS 511 harvest time is comprehended between the soft to hard dough stages, in which were found the highest industrial yields parameters. For cultivar BRS 511, in field-Brix sampling could be used as a harvest indicator and it must be done at the internodes 2 and 3, which better represents the real Brix obtained from the whole stem.Item Resistance of 57 greenhouse-grown accessions of Lycopersicon esculentum and three cultivars to Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)(Scientia Horticulturae, 2008-07-11) Oliveira, Fabrício Alves; Silva, Derly José Henriques da; Leite, Germano Leão Demolin; Jham, Gulab Newandram; Picanço, MarceloThe aim of this study was to evaluate resistance to Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) by antixenosis on 57 Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. accessions from the Horticultural Germplasm Bank (HGB) of Universidade Federal de Viçosa and by the three commercial cultivars (Santa Clara, Moneymaker and TOM-601) under greenhouse conditions. A randomized complete block design was used with three replications. Infestations with T. absoluta adults were performed weekly and the following characteristics were evaluated: number of small, large and total mines/leaf and % of leaves mined at days 60, 75 and 90 after planting. Low infestation occurred at days 60 and 75 but at day 90, infestation was sufficient to evaluate insect damage. Based on these data it was concluded that only accessions HGB-674 and HGB-1497 appeared to be the most promising. In addition, to determine possible chemical causes of resistance, hexane extracts were analyzed at day 90 by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and the major peaks identified by a mass spectral database using similarity index. Nine hydrocarbons, viz., hexadecane, heptadecane, eicosane, tricosane, 2-methyltricosane, tetracosane, hexacosane, octacosane and triacontane were identified in the hexane extracts in many samples. Tricosane, tetracosane and hexacosane presented significant correlations with the leaves mined. Only tricosane presented a negative correlation with the number of small mines (r = −0.28), total number of mines (r = −0.27) and % of leaves mined (r = −0.22). However, tetracosane and hexacosane presented significant positive correlations (r = 0.25 and 0.24, respectively) with the % of leaves mined.Item Short-term water stress affecting NO3− absorption by almond plants(Scientia Horticulturae, 2015-12-14) Martinez, Herminia E.P.; Olivos, Andres; Brown, Patrick H.; Clemente, Junia M.; Bruckner, Claudio H.; Jifon, John L.Identifying the rates of nitrate absorption by almond plants under water stress is important for improving nitrogen use efficiency in almond orchards. This study aimed to determine the rates of nitrate absorption by almond plants subjected to short-term water stress and no water stress, and the kinetic NO3− absorption parameters in well-watered three-year-old almond plants. Two assays were performed. In the first, fourteen plants arranged in completely randomized design received nutrient solutions with water potentials (Ψw) of 0.0, −0.2, −0.4 and −0.7 MPa and containing 1.2 mmol l^−1 KNO3. We accessed the NO3− depletion in these solutions over an 8-h interval and estimated regression curves of the quantity of nitrate in the nutrient solution (Q) as a function of time (t). Subsequently nitrate uptake rates were calculated. Water loss; nitrate reductase activity; nitrate and total N of the sap; nitrate concentration of leaf dry matter; and nitrate and nitrite concentration of root dry matter were, either, evaluated. The second assay was performed the same way of the first one, with four well-watered plants submitted to 0.3 mmol l^−1 KNO3 as initial concentration, and allowed estimating NO3− absorption parameters Vmax, Km and Cmin. We observed a linear decrease in the nitrate content of the containers receiving 1.2 mmol l^−1 of NO3− over a period of 8 h. In this concentration, the rates of NO3− uptake ranged from 1.11 to 3.43 μmol g^−1 h^−1 and decreased in low water potentials at the root medium. Root nitrate reductase activity followed the same trend of nitrate absorption. In the low NO3− concentration range, the absorption showed a Michaelis–Menten pattern, being the kinetic parameters of NO3− absorption 1.15 ± 0.27 μmol g^−1 h^−1, 28.81 ± 4.12 μmol l^−1 and 17.93 ± 1.1 μmol l^−1 for Vmax, Km, and Cmin, respectively. We concluded that NO3− uptake of almonds is affected by short periods of water stress, with harmful effects occurring at Ψw below −0.18 MPa.Item Somatic embryogenesis in macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata) from zygotic embryos(Scientia Horticulturae, 2009-02-17) Moura, Elisa Ferreira; Motoike, Sérgio Yoshimitsu; Ventrella, Marı́lia Contin; Sá Júnior, Adauto Quirino de; Carvalho, MychelleMacaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata) is an oleaginous palm tree that is highly productive and adapted to semiarid ecosystems, which oil can be used to produce biodiesel. Such characteristics make macaw palm a potential crop to be used by farmers from semi-arid regions, but its propagation is still problematic. This paper reports the first description of somatic embryogenesis for macaw palm from zygotic embryos. The explants were cultured on Y3 medium and different combinations of plant growth regulators. After 60 days of culture, embryogenic callus were induced with 9 μM of 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolonic acid (picloram) or 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), combined or not with 1 μM N-phenyl N′1,2,3 thidiazol-5-yl urea (TDZ). Naphthoxy acetic acid (NOA) and 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (CPA) did not generate embryogenic callus. Somatic embryos were only obtained when embryogenic callus were induced with 9 μM picloram and then subcultured for 120 days on the same medium with 3.0 g l^−1 activated charcoal. Anatomical sections showed that somatic embryos had a typical protoderm, procambial strands and an apical meristem. When transferred to Y3 medium +3.0 g l^−1 activated charcoal, without growth regulators, half of the somatic embryos germinated, but only a few completed the germination.