Elicitation in the medicinal plant Varronia curassavica Jacq .: a proposal for increasing the production of essential oil anD SUSTAINABLE CULTIVATION

• Grant number: 20/16259-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2021
• End date: April 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy
• Principal Investigator: Ana Cláudia Pacheco Santos
• Grantee: Elisa Patricia Ramos de Melo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias. Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Essential oils in plants are secondary metabolites of great importance for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and sanitizing industries. They are produced in very low concentrations in the plant and among the techniques used to increase its productivity, elicitation stands out. Elicitors are diverse substances that, when applied to plants, stimulate secondary metabolism and increase the concentration of bioactive compounds. Additionally, elicitors can increase the growth of the plant, depending on the substance used. Therefore, the objective of the work will be to evaluate the potential elicitor of the plant regulator salicylic acid (SA) and the biostimulant seaweed extract (SE) on the biomass yield, content, and quality of essential oil in Varronia curassavica Jacq. plants. The experimental design will be completely randomized, with 3 treatments and 8 repetitions. The elicitors will be applied to the plants through foliar spraying in 4 serial applications after transplanting the seedlings to the pots (DAT), in concentrations of 1mM (AS) and 5 mL L-1 (SE). Control treatment plants will be sprayed with water. The evaluations to be performed will be: biometric measurements (plant height, leaf area, dry matter of the aerial and root parts, specific leaf area, and leaf mass ratio), biochemical analyzes (photosynthetic pigments and carbohydrates), content and yield of essential oil and chemical analysis of essential oil. The data obtained will be submitted to analysis of variance (p d 0.05) and, subsequently to the Tukey test (p d 0.01). The biometric data of height, leaf area, and dry mass of leaves will be compared with the content and yield of essential oil by Pearson's correlation test (p d 0.05). (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ELISA RAMOS MELO; ELIANE GOMES FABRI; HÉLIDA MARA MAGALHÃES; PEDRO HENRIQUE GORNI; ANA CLÁUDIA PACHECO. In vivo elicitation is efficient in increasing essential oil yield with high anti-inflammatory sesquiterpene content in Varronia curassavica Jacq.. Chilean J. Agric. Res., v. 83, n. 3, p. 369-379, 2023-06-00. (18/25812-1, 20/16259-7, 17/50338-9)