Identification and characterization of allelopathic potential of bamboo poclada simplex McClure & Smith

• Grant number: 13/09122-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Applied Botany
• Principal Investigator: Maria Tereza Grombone Guaratini
• Grantee: Marco Aurélio Mata Gonçalves Torres
• Host Institution: Instituto de Botânica. Secretaria de Meio Ambiente, Infraestrutura e Logística (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Bamboos are perennial grass widely distributed in temperate forests, tropical and subtropical regions that have a wide ecological amplitude in response to disturbance and canopy may become dominant species in the understory and clearings. Associated with competitive efficiency due to intense biomass production for decades exclusively vegetative state has proposed the invasiveness and dominance can occur due to the release of allelopathic compounds. The suppression of the growth of a plant to another by releasing chemicals are known as allelopathic. Our hypothesis is that the absence of native plants nearby, a kind of native bamboo that occurs in the Atlantic forest, occurs due to the release of allelochemicals into the environment. The aim of this study is to determine the potential influence of allelopathy in the dominance of A. simplex in the area of Atlantic forest. The working hypothesis is that the allelochemicals produced by plants and released into the environment reduce the germination, growth and survival of native species. Associated with this, we will evaluate the chemical properties of the soil and the presence of fungi in the areas of occurrence and non-occurrence of A. simplex. The project will be directed to answer the following questions: i) which part of the plant (rhizome, stem or leaf) presents allelopathic activity? ii) what are the compounds present in the active fractions? iii) allelochemicals similarly affect various species? iv) these compounds are present in the ground? V) the chemical properties of the soil are the same areas of occurrence and non-occurrence of bamboo? vi) soil microflora differs among areas? To study the direct effects of allelochemicals produced by bamboo will be assessed the effect of extracts and fractions on the inhibition of seed germination and seedling growth in agriculture. At the same time we will evaluate the presence of compounds identified as plant allelochemicals in the soil.