CROPPING OF DIFFERENT FIELD CROP AND GENOTYPES OF WOMEN IN FAMILY FARMING IN THE NORTHEAST SEMIARID
Carthamus tinctorius, biodiesel, Peasantry, Agricultural work, Woman in the field.
The industrialization process boosted the consumption of energy sources of fossil, non-renewable origin, as a result of this unbridled use, there is an increase in environmental problems, such as atmospheric pollution and an increase in the greenhouse effect. These problems directly affect man and the entire ecosystem in which we live. Therefore, it is necessary to expand research that seeks less polluting, renewable energy matrices that have high added value and that are tools for the inclusion of family farmers in the energy production chain. Among the potential crops for energy purposes, safflower has emerged because it has high added value and has tolerance to the environmental conditions of the semiarid region, marked by high temperatures, low humidity and low rainfall. Considering that Rio Grande do Norte is one of the Brazilian states that are part of the drought polygon, with the interior of the state marked by family agricultural production, studies on the investigation of safflower cultivation in the region have become socioeconomically relevant. Agriculture in RN is a productive sector that highlights women's participation in planting, cultivating, harvesting and marketing at fairs that take place in many municipalities in the state. However, this participation, often, has not had adequate visibility, being seen only as "help" even the woman working in the home, dedicating herself to the family, caring for small animals for consumption and commercialization, in addition to working in agriculture. The objective of this research is to evaluate three varieties of safflower cultivated in the semi-arid region of Rio Grande do Norte, regarding germination, development and productivity. It is also intended to understand the dynamics and participation of a group of women farmers in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte, in the context of family farming, in addition to verifying the group's acceptance of the cultivation of potential oilseeds for the region. The germination of the seeds was carried out in a roll system with a photoperiod of 12 hours and a temperature of 35oC, daily performed the verification and counting of the germinated seeds, in sequence, the germination speed index was calculated. Field cultivation of safflower cultivars 1750, 946 and 894 was developed on the premises of the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Norte - IFRN, Campus Apodi, with a 3 x 1 experimental design, in a block system interspersed with 3 repetitions and a drip irrigation. Photosynthesis and transpiration were measured with the LCpro-SD infrared gas analyzer (IRGA) (ADC Bioscientific). It was also calculated the area of the xylem on the stem, thickness of the palisade parenchyma, accumulation of dry biomass and moisture, in addition to seed yield and oil content of the cultivars. The oil from the newly extracted cultivars was submitted to quality analysis (infrared and saponification) and the residual biomass after oil extraction, to thermogravimetric analysis. The research with women farmers was carried out by applying a semi-structured questionnaire. Among the safflower cultivars in semi-arid conditions, the one with the best physiological performance was, in general, the cultivar 894. The cultivars showed good seed yield and high oil, still good chemical composition of the oil for application in the biofuels industry, with emphasis on the cultivar 894, which showed even greater productivity in terms of seeds. Its seed cake maintains its composition even after oil extraction, it can be used as animal feed because it remains with a high protein value, an important data for better and more efficient use of the culture. Through the aforementioned, it is evident the need to expand studies to map physiological mechanisms, from germination to productivity, as well as the quality of the oil produced from different varieties of safflower in search of combining the greatest number of development, productivity and physicochemical characteristics seeking greater efficiency and yield of cultivation in the field in semi-arid edaphoclimatic conditions. The Sítio Córrego farmers are receptive to the cultivation of safflower due to the high added value of the crop. They actively participate in agricultural work and have reflective thinking about the need for knowledge of the entire productive chain of culture for insertion in the region, aiming at local development, being able to contribute significantly to the construction of a success story of this oilseed in the Sertão.