Technical feasibility of conventional and nonconventional vegetables' intercropping under organic fertilization / Viabilidade técnica do cultivo consorciado de hortaliças convencionais e não convencionais sob fertilização orgânica

This work aimed to evaluate the technical feasibility of lettuce, Indian spinach and taro intercropping under organic fertilizer. The experiment was performed at Água Limpa Farm, belonging to the University of Brasília, located in Brasília - DF, from October 2014 to June 2015. A completely randomized block design with seven treatments and four replications was used. Each experimental plot had 18 m2 (4.5 m x 4.0 m), totaling 28 plots. The following treatments were assessed: lettuce monoculture, Indian spinach monoculture, taro monoculture, lettuce/Indian spinach intercropping, lettuce/taro intercropping, Indian spinach/taro intercropping, and lettuce/Indian spinach/taro intercropping. In all treatments, the following spacings were used: 0.25 x 0.25 m (lettuce), 1.0 x 0.6 m (Indian spinach), and 1.0 x 0.3 m (taro). Crop production was evaluated from sample plants taken from the central part of each plot. Two harvests of lettuce, two of Indian spinach and one of taro were carried out during intercropping. In the first cycle, lettuce highest mean yield values were observed in the lettuce monoculture (3.5 kg m-2) and lettuce/Indian spinach intercropping (3.4 kg m-2). The crop reached the commercial size in both production cycles, except when intercropped with Indian spinach in the second cycle. The highest Indian spinach mean fresh mass was recorded in the lettuce/Indian spinach intercropping (974.7 g plant-1; first harvest) and monoculture (327.5 g plant-1; second harvest). The yield of taro rhizomes was significantly higher when intercropped with lettuce, showing a mean value of 16.8 kg m-2. The intercropping arrangements with lettuce increased yield of nonconventional vegetables. The conventional and nonconventional vegetables' intercropping technique increased species diversity in the area without interfering in the agronomic performance and quality of the crops.

Gastroprotective effect of leaf extracts of Basella alba var. alba against experimental gastric ulcers in rats

The aqueous and ethanol extracts of the leaves of Basella alba L. var. alba Wight, Basellaceae, were investigated for antiulcer activity on rats employing the pylorus ligation and ethanol induced ulcer models. The various gastric secretion parameters such as total acidity, free acidity, gastric acid volume, pH and histopathological parameters such as ulcer index and percent protection were comparatively examined between control, test and standard groups. The antiulcer activity of aqueous extract of B. alba (AEBA) and ethanol extract of B. alba (EEBA) were studied in rats treated with the doses of 1 mL/kg of absolute ethanol, 200 and 400 mg of test extracts and 20 mg/kg of famotidine for control, test and standard groups respectively in both the models. The animals pretreated with AEBA and EEBA showed a dose-dependent protection against gross damaging action of ethanol and pylorus ligation on gastric mucosa of animals. Histopathological evaluation also revealed that Group I treated with absolute ethanol showed severe gastric mucosal damage. The AEBA and EEBA showed 68.25 and 58.11% protection in gastric mucosal damage as compared to control group. Both the extracts of B. alba var. alba were able to decrease the gastric acidity and increase the mucosal defense in the gastric mucosal area. This study indicate that B. alba var. alba possesses significant gastroprotective effect and the same is substantiated by the histopathological examination of the ulcerated stomachs of the animals.