Orientador: João Domingos Rodrigues / Banca: Vandeir Francisco Guimarães / Banca: Elizabeth Orika Ono / Banca: Tatiane Maria Rodrigues / Banca: Marcelo de Almeida Silva / Resumo: A eficiência na fixação de estruturas reprodutivas apresenta efeitos diretos sobre a expressão do potencial produtivo da cultura da soja, podendo ser afetada por fatores endógenos de caráter anatômico, nutricional ou fisiológico; ou exógenos relacionados ao ambiente de cultivo. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos (i) caracterizar o tecido vascular e o momento da fecundação de flores em genótipos de soja; estudar os efeitos da aplicação isolada ou combinada de cálcio e citocinina durante os estádios iniciais do desenvolvimento reprodutivo de plantas no comportamento produtivo da cultura da soja e (iii) verificar a existência de interações, em nível fisiológico e produtivo, entre a aplicação de cálcio e citocinina, com a ocorrência de estresse por deficiência hídrica e de luminosidade. Foram conduzidos três experimentos no período entre 2010 e 2012, nas dependências da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA/UNESP), Campus de Botucatu (SP). O primeiro experimento foi implantado em 2 cultivo protegido, onde o tecido vascular e o momento da polinização e da fecundação de flores em oito genótipos de soja foram estudados, desde a fase de botão floral até a fase de flor senescente, em delineamento de blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. O segundo experimento foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial 3 x 3 com testemunha, repetido duas vezes a campo. Os fatores foram formados pela aplicação de cálcio (Ca), citocinina (CK) e Ca + CK, realizada nos estádios fenológicos Vn, R1 e R2 do desenvolvimento da cultura, com quatro repetições. Foram avaliados o índice SPAD e as trocas gasosas das plantas no período de zero aos 12 dias após a aplicação em cada estádio. Ao final do ciclo da cultura foram determinados os componentes da produção nos estratos inferior, médio e superior do dossel das planta ... / Abstract: The efficiency of the reproductive units fixation has direct effects on the soybean yield potential. It can be affected by endogenous factors such as anatomical, physiological, and nutritional, or exogenous related to the growth environment. The objectives of this work was (i) to study the vascular development and the fecundation time of flowers in soybean genotypes; (ii) to study the effects of isolated calcium application or combined application of calcium and cytokinin during the initial stages of reproductive development of the plants in the productive response of soybean; and (iii) to verify the physiological and productive interactions between calcium and cytokinin applications under drought and light stresses. Three experiments were carried out from 2010 to 2012, at the Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA/UNESP), Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. The first experiment was grown in a greenhouse. The vascular tissue and the pollination and fertilization time of the flowers from eight soybean genotypes were studied from flower bud stage to bloom senescent stage. The experimental design was a randomized blocks with four replications. The experimental design of the second experiment was a randomized block design in a 3x3+1 factorial with four replications, replicated twice under field conditions. The treatments consisted of isolated calcium (Ca) application, isolated cytokinin (CK) application, and combined application of Ca and CK, applied at the Vn, R1 e R2 stages of the crop development. SPAD index and gas exchange were determined in the period between zero and 12 day after application, in each stage. At the maturity, yield and yield components were determined in the three canopy extract of the plants. The third experiment was grown in a greenhouse and the experimental design was a split-plot design with four replications. The plots were consisted of different conditions during R2 ... / Doutor

Due to end users irrigating with excess water, water conservation of turfgrass can make a large impact in urban water conservation by reducing water applied while still maintaining visual appearance. This study was conducted to determine if Kentucky bluegrass (Poapratensis L.) can be deficit irrigated to maintain minimum acceptable appearance while conserving water. The study investigated water stress in terms of stomatal conductance, chlorophyll index, leaf temperature and predawn leaf water potential at the point of water stress, or where visual quality no longer meets expectations during dry down conditions. Water use was measured over well established Kentucky bluegrass with an eddy covariance system that was validated with soil water measurements. Turfgrass was irrigated at 80% of reference evapotranspiration based on allowable depletion of 12 mm of soil water during growing season that was considered to be well-watered. Two dry downs were conducted over a two-year period (early and late summer). Turfgrass was allowed to dry down without irrigation until visual quality reached the minimum acceptable points (score ≤ 6). During drying periods, visual rating, chlorophyll index, predawn leaf water potential, and leaf temperature with stomatal conductance rapidly decreased once stomatal conductance fell to approximately half of well-watered levels. Both soil water content and evapotranspiration had weak correlation with stomatal conductance; however, stomatal conductance tended to have higher correlation with the change in soil moisture than with the change in crop evapotranspiration. Soil water use and eddy covariance data in terms of crop evapotranspiration had high correlation. The plant water use factor ranged from around 0.8 to 1.1 under well-watered condition corresponding to visual rating from 7 to 9. At the minimum acceptable point of visual rating, which is 5.5 to 6, the plant factor ranged from 0.65 to 0.87. This value of plant factor is quite high at this point. Even when Kentucky bluegrass went below acceptable visual quality, the grass still used significant amounts of water with the plant factor value ranging from 0.6 to 0.8. The data suggested that deficit irrigation cannot be applied with Kentucky bluegrass in the Intermountain West area.

The urban water demand in Southwest Texas has grown rapidly in recent years due to the population increases in urban areas, which caused conflict between municipal and agricultural water use. Deficit irrigation is one important measure for solving this problem. A field experiment with seven different irrigation treatments and four cotton varieties was conducted at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde in the summers of 2008 and 2009 to examine the water saving potential and related phenological/physiological responses in Southwest Texas. The results showed that: 1) The threshold deficit ratio for a traditional deficit irrigation scheme falls between 0.7 and 0.8 for cotton production in Southwest Texas under a low energy precision application (LEPA) sprinkler irrigation system. The 70 percent evapotranspiration (ET)-initialled regulated deficit irrigation scheme (70R) performed well in maintaining lint yield in most cotton varieties tested. The significant changes detected in lint quality failed to introduce premiums or discounts in cotton price. 2) The phenological parameters (plant height, node number and flower/fruit number) showed clear trends that illustrate the relationship between increased stress level and decreased plant growth and development. The observed inconsistency of the physiological responses in the two growing seasons may imply that physiological parameters are not good direct predictors of lint yield if measurements are conducted only on a point basis. The partitioning coefficients of boll dry weight in both years failed to show a significant difference between deficit irrigation treatments and the control, indicating that reallocation of carbohydrates may not be the major factor of maintaining lint yield for the deficit irrigation treatments. 3) Economic analysis showed that due to the low water price, it is not currently profitable to adopt deficit irrigation. In case that water price is increased, it may become more profitable to adopt deficit irrigation. This work provides reference information to water authorities and policy makers to set quotas for municipal and agricultural water use and to value water properly through setting different water prices.

[Truncated abstract] Nematodes are known to significantly affect productivity of grapevines worldwide. Although major surveys have been carried out on nematodes infesting roots of grapevines elsewhere, only a preliminary survey has been carried out in Western Australia (W.A.). This study on the effect of irrigation systems on pathogenicity of nematodes on vines commenced with a survey of nematodes in two major grapegrowing regions of W.A. In this survey, soil samples were taken from 5 vineyards from Margaret River and 7 vineyards from Swan Valley regions of the state. Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) was found to be the dominant genus in both major grape growing regions. Meloidogyne spp. occurred 76% and 75% of total soil sample in Margaret River and Swan Valley. The highest density of Meloidogyne spp. was 7 nematodes/g soil in Margaret River and 3.17 nematodes/g soil in Swan Valley. In both regions, other plant parasitic nematodes were recorded that included the root lesion (Pratylenchus spp.), dagger (Xiphinema spp.) and stubby (Trichodorus spp.) nematodes. Paratylenchus spp. were found in a few soil samples from Margaret River region, and Helicotylenchus spp. were found only in Swan Valley region, but was widespread. Some vineyards have established only resistant cultivars (Schartzman, Ramsey and 34 EM) resistant to nematodes. In these vineyards total nematode population was lower than most of other vineyards. However, in comparison of nematode numbers between cultivars, there were lower number of nematodes in some susceptible cultivars than in the resistant cultivars. Most common nematode taxa were Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus and Xiphinema in both regions. Root-knot and root lesion nematodes were the most widespread and economically important genera. These two genera are known to have different life cycle and feeding habits.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-08-02Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:00:35Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000755173.pdf: 2573698 bytes, checksum: d54d32e62062e7cd35dfc09e101391d5 (MD5) / A eficiência na fixação de estruturas reprodutivas apresenta efeitos diretos sobre a expressão do potencial produtivo da cultura da soja, podendo ser afetada por fatores endógenos de caráter anatômico, nutricional ou fisiológico; ou exógenos relacionados ao ambiente de cultivo. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos (i) caracterizar o tecido vascular e o momento da fecundação de flores em genótipos de soja; estudar os efeitos da aplicação isolada ou combinada de cálcio e citocinina durante os estádios iniciais do desenvolvimento reprodutivo de plantas no comportamento produtivo da cultura da soja e (iii) verificar a existência de interações, em nível fisiológico e produtivo, entre a aplicação de cálcio e citocinina, com a ocorrência de estresse por deficiência hídrica e de luminosidade. Foram conduzidos três experimentos no período entre 2010 e 2012, nas dependências da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA/UNESP), Campus de Botucatu (SP). O primeiro experimento foi implantado em 2 cultivo protegido, onde o tecido vascular e o momento da polinização e da fecundação de flores em oito genótipos de soja foram estudados, desde a fase de botão floral até a fase de flor senescente, em delineamento de blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. O segundo experimento foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial 3 x 3 com testemunha, repetido duas vezes a campo. Os fatores foram formados pela aplicação de cálcio (Ca), citocinina (CK) e Ca + CK, realizada nos estádios fenológicos Vn, R1 e R2 do desenvolvimento da cultura, com quatro repetições. Foram avaliados o índice SPAD e as trocas gasosas das plantas no período de zero aos 12 dias após a aplicação em cada estádio. Ao final do ciclo da cultura foram determinados os componentes da produção nos estratos inferior, médio e superior do dossel das planta... / The efficiency of the reproductive units fixation has direct effects on the soybean yield potential. It can be affected by endogenous factors such as anatomical, physiological, and nutritional, or exogenous related to the growth environment. The objectives of this work was (i) to study the vascular development and the fecundation time of flowers in soybean genotypes; (ii) to study the effects of isolated calcium application or combined application of calcium and cytokinin during the initial stages of reproductive development of the plants in the productive response of soybean; and (iii) to verify the physiological and productive interactions between calcium and cytokinin applications under drought and light stresses. Three experiments were carried out from 2010 to 2012, at the Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA/UNESP), Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. The first experiment was grown in a greenhouse. The vascular tissue and the pollination and fertilization time of the flowers from eight soybean genotypes were studied from flower bud stage to bloom senescent stage. The experimental design was a randomized blocks with four replications. The experimental design of the second experiment was a randomized block design in a 3x3+1 factorial with four replications, replicated twice under field conditions. The treatments consisted of isolated calcium (Ca) application, isolated cytokinin (CK) application, and combined application of Ca and CK, applied at the Vn, R1 e R2 stages of the crop development. SPAD index and gas exchange were determined in the period between zero and 12 day after application, in each stage. At the maturity, yield and yield components were determined in the three canopy extract of the plants. The third experiment was grown in a greenhouse and the experimental design was a split-plot design with four replications. The plots were consisted of different conditions during R2 ...

Orientador: Vera Lex Engel / Coorientador: Luiz Fernando Rolim de Almeida / Banca: Ademir Reis / Banca: Pedro Henrique Saintn Brancalion / Resumo: Euterpe edulis Martius possui elevado potencial econômico e ecológico em projetos de restauração da Mata Atlântica, como fonte de produtos florestais não-madeireiros e recursos alimentares a uma ampla guilda de frugívoros. Entretanto, por ser exigente em sombra e especialista de habitats úmidos, o déficit hídrico do solo pode limitar seu estabelecimento em áreas fora de sua zona ótima de distribuição. Em florestas naturais, a mortalidade de plântulas é muito alta (>95%) e quase nula em plantas com mais de 50 cm de altura, o que tem sido atribuído à maior plasticidade fenotípica, embora não haja estudos que comprovem tal característica. Visando ampliar as chances de sucesso em plantios de enriquecimento de Euterpe edulis em áreas de restauração da Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, conduzimos dois experimentos investigando respostas ao déficit hídrico na espécie. Em casa de vegetação, avaliamos plantas de dois estádios de desenvolvimento, representados pelas classes A (plantas com ±15 cm de altura e 2 anos) e B (±50 cm de altura e 4 anos), ao longo de três regimes de disponibilidade hídrica (déficit hídrico, reidratação e nova submissão ao déficit hídrico). Em resposta ao déficit hídrico e à reidratação, a classe B teve desempenho superior à classe A, promovendo o fechamento e abertura estomática mais rapidamente, o que foi atribuído às diferenças morfológicas existentes entre as classes. Na nova submissão ao déficit hídrico, a classe B apresentou controle estomático superior à classe A e ao grupo controle mantido sob contínua irrigação, demonstrando efeito de melhoria a um ciclo recorrente de déficit hídrico. Paralelamente, observamos um ajuste mais eficiente da relação massa seca da raiz e da parte aérea na classe B (0.91±0.32), enquanto a classe A atingiu apenas 0.51±0.17. Esse fato indica a possibilidade de se elevar a tolerância ... / Abstract: Euterpe edulis Martius has a high ecological and economical potential for ecological restoration projects in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, enhancing economic outcomes by providing NTFP as well as food for a wide guild of frugivores. However, as its optimal distribution range includes wetter habitats, the water deficit can constraint successful enrichment plantings in seasonally dry forests. In natural forests, seedling mortality is very high (>95%) and almost null in plants higher than 50 cm, what has been attributed to phenotypic plasticity, although there are no studies proving that. Aiming to increase the chances of success in Euterpe edulis enrichment plantings in seasonally dry forests under restoration process, we conducted two experiments investigating responses to water deficit in the species. In greenhouse conditions, we evaluated plants of two growth stages, represented by classes A (plants with ±15 cm of height and 2 years old) e B (±50 cm height and 4 years), during 3 regimes of water availability (water deficit, rewatering, and subsequent water deficit). The results showed plants of class B presented superior performance when compared to class A in response to water deficit and rewatering, promoting more quickly stomatal closing and opening, what has been assigned to existing morphological differences between classes. When subjected once more to water deficit, the class B presented superior stomatal control when compared to class A and to the control group kept under constant irrigation, demonstrating improvement effect to a recurring cycle of drought. Concurrently, was observed a more efficient adjust on class B regarding to root-to-shoot ratio (0.91±0.32), while class A just reached adjust of 0.51±0.17. The results indicate the possibility of improve water deficit tolerance trough by hardening techniques in nurseries, especially in plants of more advanced growth stages. In the ... / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-07-31Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:55:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 holanda_la_me_botfca.pdf: 708746 bytes, checksum: 436f70f6dc1411f7b13c5e62ce210175 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / Devido ao aumento na demanda por etanol combustível, principalmente por causa dos veículos bicombustível, há uma expansão das áreas cultivadas com cana-de-açúcar para ambientes menos favoráveis para o desenvolvimento da cultura, com períodos de déficit hídrico maiores e mais intensos. O estresse hídrico está entre os fatores que mais limitam o crescimento e a produtividade agrícola. Mesmo a cana-de-açúcar sendo uma cultura com resistência moderada à seca, tem grandes perdas de produtividade por causa da mesma. Por isso, a seleção de genótipos tolerantes ao déficit hídrico pode representar uma alternativa para diminuir a quantidade de água utilizada na irrigação, mantendo ou aumentando a produtividade. Esse trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de conhecer o comportamento de quatro cultivares de cana-de-açúcar durante o desenvolvimento inicial, sob condições de deficiência hídrica, por meio de variáveis morfológicas e fisiológicas, visando auxiliar na seleção de genótipos mais tolerantes à seca no sentido de promover diminuição de gastos com irrigação sem prejuízos econômicos à cultura. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação, no Departamento de Engenharia Rural da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas – UNESP/Botucatu - SP, entre os dias 26/11/2010 a 05/04/2011. Foram avaliadas quatro cultivares de cana-de-açúcar (RB855453, RB92579, RB965902 e RB965917), em seu desenvolvimento inicial, em um tratamento controle (100% da capacidade de campo) e com déficit hídrico (50% da capacidade de campo). As avaliações foram feitas em três datas diferentes (0, 28 e 63 dias após a aplicação do tratamento). Foram analisadas variáveis morfológicas: altura da planta; área foliar; comprimento da folha; largura da folha; número de folhas verdes, variáveis fisiológicas: conteúdo... / Due to increase in demand for ethanol fuel, mainly because of the flex-fuel vehicles, there is an expansion of areas planted with sugarcane to less favorable environments for the crop development, with major and more intense episodes of drought. Water stress is among the factors that limit growth and agricultural productivity. Even the sugarcane being a crop with moderate resistance to drought, it has high yield losses because of it. Therefore, the selection of tolerant genotypes to water stress may represent an alternative to reduce the amount of water used for irrigation, while maintaining or increasing productivity. This work was developed in order to understand the behavior of four sugarcane cultivars during the initial development under water stress conditions by means of morphological and physiological variables, aiming the selection of tolerant genotypes to drought to promote reduction of spending on irrigation without economic damage to the crop. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse at the Department of Rural Engineering, College of Agricultural Sciences - UNESP / Botucatu - SP, between 11/26/2010 to 04/05/2011. We evaluated four sugarcane varieties (RB855453, RB92579, RB965902 and RB965917) in its initial development under two treatments, i.e., in a control (100% of field capacity) and drought (50% of field capacity). Evaluations were made on three different dates (0, 28 and 63 days after treatment application). The morphological variables plant height, leaf area, leaf length, leaf width, number of green leaves, and the physiological variables total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll content through SPAD index, leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, maximum quantum yield of PSII, as well dry matter production of shoots and roots were analyzed. The cultivars RB855453 and RB92579 had better results of dry... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-07-31Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:30:35Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 correia_js_me_botfca.pdf: 402295 bytes, checksum: 099cc93f3511a57ff83eab684b636900 (MD5) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / As disponibilidades de radiação solar e de água para irrigação contribuem para a produção de uvas ao longo do ano no Vale do Submédio São Francisco. Diante da expansão da vitivinicultura nesta região, a demanda por pesquisas em relação ao manejo adequado e prático da videira para a região semiárida brasileira tem aumentado. Desta forma, o presente trabalho teve o objetivo de avaliar a influência de estratégias de irrigação na cultura da videira de vinho, e suas possíveis influências na produtividade e qualidade das uvas. O experimento foi conduzido na Embrapa Semiárido, em Petrolina -PE, entre 10 de novembro de 2010 a 28 de fevereiro de 2011, com a videira cv. Syrah/Paulsen 1103, plantada em espaçamento de 1 x 3 m, em um Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo Eutrófico Latossólico. O sistema de irrigação utilizado foi o gotejamento, com emissores espaçados em 0,5 m na linha de plantio, com vazão de 2,5 L.h-1. O delineamento utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados, com 3 tratamentos e 4 repetições. Os tratamentos foram: 1- irrigação plena (IP), irrigação realizada com base na reposição da evapotranspiração da cultura (ETc), durante todo o ciclo de produção; 2 - irrigação com déficit controlado (IDC), irrigação interrompida aos 65 dias após a poda de produção (dapp), porém com irrigações aos 91, 92 e 93 dapp; e 3 - irrigação deficitária (ID), irrigação interrompida aos 65 dapp até a colheita aos 110 dapp. A ETc foi estimada pela relação entre evapotranspiração de referência (ETo), e o coeficiente de cultura (Kc). O potencial hídrico foliar (Ψfoliar) foi medido em cada tratamento, do estádio fenológico de maturação até o estádio de cachos maduros. Durante o experimento, ocorreu uma precipitação total de 252 mm. A ETc durante... / The availability of solar radiation and water for irrigation contribute to the wine grape production throughout the year in the Lower Middle São Francisco Valley. In consequence of increase of vine growing area in this region, the research demand about suitable and feasible vine water management in the Brazilian semi-arid region has increased. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of irrigation strategies in vineyards, and their possible effects on yield and quality of wine grapes. The experiment was carried out at Embrapa Tropical Semi-arid, in Petrolina, State of Pernambuco, Brazil, from November 10, 2010, to February 28, 2011. The grapevive cv. Syrah, grafted on Paulsen 1103, was planted at a spacing grid of 1 x 3 m, in a Argissolo Vermelho Amarelo Eutrófico Latossólico. Drip irrigation was used, with emitters spaced 0.5 m within the plant row, with 2.5 L.h-1 flow. The design was a randomized complete block with three treatments and four replications. The treatments were: 1 - full irrigation (FI), where irrigation was performed based on crop evapotranspiration (ETc, mm) during all growing season, without water restriction to the vines; 2 – regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), where irrigation was performed based on ETc until 65 days after pruning (dap), but performed at 91, 92, and 93 dap and 3 – deficit irrigation (ID) – where irrigation interrupted at 65 dap until harvest at 110 dap. The ETc was estimated by the relationship between reference evapotranspiration (ETo), and crop coefficient (kc) for each phenological phase of vine. The leaf water potential (Ψpd) was measured... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Master of Science / Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering / Donghai Wang / Bioprocessing is widely involved in our daily life and significantly relative to the general public because bio-products are widely used in eating, clothing, and living as well as transportation. Due to the public concern of the environmental deterioration, limited fossil fuel resources, and energy price volatility, biofuel as a clean, safe and sustainable energy needs to be developed in response to this growing concern. Sorghum, an important dryland crop, represents a renewable resource currently grown on 8 million acres throughout the United States. Due to climate variability and the continuous decline of water resources, utilization of dryland to grow sorghum and forage sorghum is critically important in order to ensure available energy resources and sustainable economic development. The objectives of this research were 1) to study the impact of deficit irrigation strategies on sorghum grain attributes and bioethanol production, and 2) to evaluate the potential fermentable sugar yield of pedigreed sorghum mutants. Results showed that average kernel weight and test weight of grain sorghum increased as irrigation capacity increased, whereas kernel hardness index decreased as irrigation capacity increased. Starch content increased as irrigation level increased and protein contents decreased as irrigation level increased. Irrigation also had a significant effect on starch properties and bioethanol yield. Sorghum mutants had a significant effect on chemical composition and physical properties such as glucan content, glucan mass yield, ash content, and high heating value, and also had a significant effect on fermentable sugars yield and enzymatic conversion efficiency.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-09T13:52:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-07-15. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-12-09T13:55:27Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000872897.pdf: 1639135 bytes, checksum: 16259d72b24f51ffba277f27a8ae7c2d (MD5) / Euterpe edulis Martius possui elevado potencial econômico e ecológico em projetos de restauração da Mata Atlântica, como fonte de produtos florestais não-madeireiros e recursos alimentares a uma ampla guilda de frugívoros. Entretanto, por ser exigente em sombra e especialista de habitats úmidos, o déficit hídrico do solo pode limitar seu estabelecimento em áreas fora de sua zona ótima de distribuição. Em florestas naturais, a mortalidade de plântulas é muito alta (>95%) e quase nula em plantas com mais de 50 cm de altura, o que tem sido atribuído à maior plasticidade fenotípica, embora não haja estudos que comprovem tal característica. Visando ampliar as chances de sucesso em plantios de enriquecimento de Euterpe edulis em áreas de restauração da Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, conduzimos dois experimentos investigando respostas ao déficit hídrico na espécie. Em casa de vegetação, avaliamos plantas de dois estádios de desenvolvimento, representados pelas classes A (plantas com ±15 cm de altura e 2 anos) e B (±50 cm de altura e 4 anos), ao longo de três regimes de disponibilidade hídrica (déficit hídrico, reidratação e nova submissão ao déficit hídrico). Em resposta ao déficit hídrico e à reidratação, a classe B teve desempenho superior à classe A, promovendo o fechamento e abertura estomática mais rapidamente, o que foi atribuído às diferenças morfológicas existentes entre as classes. Na nova submissão ao déficit hídrico, a classe B apresentou controle estomático superior à classe A e ao grupo controle mantido sob contínua irrigação, demonstrando efeito de melhoria a um ciclo recorrente de déficit hídrico. Paralelamente, observamos um ajuste mais eficiente da relação massa seca da raiz e da parte aérea na classe B (0.91±0.32), enquanto a classe A atingiu apenas 0.51±0.17. Esse fato indica a possibilidade de se elevar a tolerância ... / Euterpe edulis Martius has a high ecological and economical potential for ecological restoration projects in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, enhancing economic outcomes by providing NTFP as well as food for a wide guild of frugivores. However, as its optimal distribution range includes wetter habitats, the water deficit can constraint successful enrichment plantings in seasonally dry forests. In natural forests, seedling mortality is very high (>95%) and almost null in plants higher than 50 cm, what has been attributed to phenotypic plasticity, although there are no studies proving that. Aiming to increase the chances of success in Euterpe edulis enrichment plantings in seasonally dry forests under restoration process, we conducted two experiments investigating responses to water deficit in the species. In greenhouse conditions, we evaluated plants of two growth stages, represented by classes A (plants with ±15 cm of height and 2 years old) e B (±50 cm height and 4 years), during 3 regimes of water availability (water deficit, rewatering, and subsequent water deficit). The results showed plants of class B presented superior performance when compared to class A in response to water deficit and rewatering, promoting more quickly stomatal closing and opening, what has been assigned to existing morphological differences between classes. When subjected once more to water deficit, the class B presented superior stomatal control when compared to class A and to the control group kept under constant irrigation, demonstrating improvement effect to a recurring cycle of drought. Concurrently, was observed a more efficient adjust on class B regarding to root-to-shoot ratio (0.91±0.32), while class A just reached adjust of 0.51±0.17. The results indicate the possibility of improve water deficit tolerance trough by hardening techniques in nurseries, especially in plants of more advanced growth stages. In the ...