Maurício Reginaldo Alves dos Santos

Adubação orgânica e altura de corte da erva-cidreira brasileira

The effects of organic fertilization and cutting height on dry matter and essential oil production from leaves of Lippia alba, limonene-carvone chemotype, were evaluated in the Northeastern Brazilian Region. A split plot experiment was conducted with the organic fertilization (0; 2 and 4 kg m-2) as main plots and 15; 30 and 45 cm cutting height as subplots. First harvest was done 60 days and the second 120 days after planting date. Dry matter and essential oil production were not influenced by fertilization. Highest dry matter production was observed on 45 cm cutting height. Highest essential oil production was obtained on 30 and 45 cm cutting height.

Uso de plantas medicinais pela população de Ariquemes, em Rondônia

A utilizacao de plantas medicinais reflete a realidade de parte da populacao brasileira, cujo limitado acesso aos programas de saude publica levou ao desenvolvimento e conservacao de um conhecimento etnobotânico rico de informacoes. Porem, a sabedoria popular carece de sistematizacao, para que possa ser devidamente utilizada. O objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar o uso de plantas medicinais no municipio de Ariquemes, em Rondonia, bem como avaliar os padroes socio-economicos dos entrevistados em relacao a utilizacao da fitoterapia no seu cotidiano. Para coleta das informacoes etnobotânicas e etnossociais, foram aplicados questionarios estruturados a 44 individuos escolhidos por possuirem prestigio junto a comunidade em relacao ao conhecimento e uso de plantas medicinais, identificando-se a finalidade, os orgaos e o modo de uso da planta medicinal. Alem disso, foi identificada a especie de cada planta utilizada. Procurou-se ainda correlacionar o conhecimento etnobotânico (inferido a partir do numero de citacoes por individuo), com a forma de aquisicao dos conhecimentos, aspectos religiosos, educacionais, regiao de origem, tempo de residencia no local e genero dos entrevistados. Identificaram-se 63 especies de plantas medicinais em uso pela populacao, distribuidas em 38 familias, com maior representatividade para a familia Lamiaceae. A parte mais utilizada das plantas foram as folhas e o decocto foi o modo de preparo mais usual. Os estudos etnossociais permitiram inferir que os conhecimentos etnobotânicos da populacao estudada foram adquiridos principalmente por meio de livros e concentraram-se entre pessoas do genero masculino, de religioes evangelicas, com nivel de escolaridade Fundamental, da 1a a 4a serie, provenientes da regiao Sudeste; e do genero masculino. O tempo de residencia no municipio nao afetou significativamente o conhecimento etnobotânico na populacao estudada.

Avaliação de substratos e adubos orgânicos na aclimatização de plântulas de Heliconia psittacorum

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of three organic substrates, carbonised rice hull, dry and green coir dust, and two fertilizers, Vitasolo® and earthworm humus, in the acclimatization of plantlets of Heliconia psittacorum L., obtained from micropropagation. After 75 days, the height of the plants, diameter of pseudo-stem, number of leaves and area of the third leaf were evaluated. The rice hull was more efficient than the coir dust (dry or green); the green coir dust was more efficient than dry coir dust; and the humus was more efficient than Vitasolo®.

Composição química e atividade inseticida do óleo essencial de Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae) sobre a broca-do-café (Hypothenemus hampei) Ferrari

The essential oil from the leaves of Schinus terebinthifolius was obtained by hydrodistillation and was analyzed by GC-MS. The oil yield was 0.8%, and 37 chemical constituents were identified. The main components were germacrene D (25.0%), (E)-β-cariophyllene (17.5%) and δ-elemene (10.5%). The essential oil was diluted in acetone in concentrations of 10-2 to 10-8 and it was applied to insects (Hypothenemus hampei) by topical application and exposure to contaminated surface. Mortality rates were evaluated after 24 and 48 hours. The contaminated surface application resulted in 25.0% of mortality in control while the dilutions of 10-2 to 10-8 resulted in 100% to 30.0% of mortality respectively. In the topical application, it was observed 27.5% of mortality in control and 97.5 to 77.5% of mortality in dilutions of 10-2 to 10-8.

Superação de dormência em sementes de biribá (Rollinia mucosa (Jacq.) Baill)

The Rollinia mucosa belongs to the Annonnaceae family and its fruits have great popular acceptance, being commercialized and consumed in natura. As is the case of the majority of the native species, it needs agronomics studies, to be exploted in a rational and sustainable way. The objective of this research was to study the effect of appropriate treatments to overcome dormancy in seeds of R.mucosa. The seeds were submitted to the following treatments: T1 - control treatment (intact seeds); T2 - seeds scarified with sandpaper N° 80 on one of the sides; T3 -seeds scarified with sandpaper N° 80 on the two sides; T4 - seeds scarified with sandpaper N° 80 on the opposite side to the micropylar region; T5 - seeds scarified with sandpaper N° 80 on the opposite side to the micropylar region + soaked in distilled water for 24 hours; T6 - seeds scarified with N° 80 sandpaper on the two sides + soaked in water distilled water for 24 hours; T7- seeds scarified with N° 80 sandpaper on one of the sides + soaked in distilled water for 24 hours. The seedling emergence, emergence speed index, length and dry matter of the root and aerial part were evaluated. A randomized complete design was used, with seven treatments and four replications of 25 seeds per treatment. The averages were compared by the Tukey test. the treatments were efficient for overcoming Rollinia mucosa seed dormancy, and the seeds scarified with N° 80 sandpaper on the two sides + soaked in distilled water for 24 hours (T6) provided the greatest plantule emergency percentage.

Growth pattern of friable calluses from leaves of Capsicum annuum var. annuum cv. Iberaba Jalapeño

The genus Capsicum belongs to the Solanaceae botanical family and is notable for the production of secondary metabolites of medicinal and economical importance. In vitro methods have been successfully utilized for the large scale production of plant secondary metabolites. The objective of this study was to establish a protocol for callus induction from leaves, nodal and internodal segments of the cultivar C. annuum var. annuum cv. Iberaba Jalapeno, and to determine the growth pattern of the calluses, aiming at the identification of the deceleration phase, when the callus cells must be subcultured for the establishment of cell suspensions and the production of secondary metabolites. The explants were inoculated into a medium supplemented with BA and 2,4-D in factorial combination. Percentage of callus induction and the explant area covered by callus cells (ACCC) were evaluated. The procedures that resulted in higher proliferation of callus cells were repeated in order to determine the growth curve of the calluses. The highest callus induction percentage and ACCC were observed with the combination of 2.22 µM BA + 18.10 µM 2,4-D for leaf and internodal explants and 2.22 µM BA + 9.05 µM 2,4-D for nodal explants. The calluses produced were friable and whitish, and their growth pattern followed a sigmoid shape. The deceleration phase started on the 31st day of cultivation for leaf explants, on the 26th for internodal explants, and on the 29th day for nodal explants.

Induction and growth pattern of callus from Piper permucronatum leaves

Piper permucronatum is a perennial shrub, a medicinal plant native to the Amazon Rainforest. Traditionally, the tea of its leaves is used to combat menstrual and intestinal cramps, stomach pain, digestive problems, diarrhea, hemorrhage, and nausea. Its leaf’s essential oil is effective against Aedes aegypti larvae; its flavones and flavanones have a fungicidal effect against Clamidosporium cladosporioides and C. sphaerospermum; its hexanic extract is effective against Leishmania amazonensis. The objective of this study was to provide a protocol for callus induction from P. permucronatum leaves and an identification of the callus growth pattern, focusing on the deceleration phase, when the callus cells must be subcultured into liquid medium in order to produce a cell suspension cultures. Leaf explants were inoculated in a solid MS medium supplemented with factorial combinations of 2,4-D, BA, NAA and GA3. Callus formation was evaluated weekly until the 49th day. Subsequently, new explants were inoculated at the hormonal combination that resulted in the highest callus cell proliferation and, every seven days during a period of 70 days, samples were dried and weighed to determine the callus growth pattern. NAA and GA3 were not effective for callus induction. Combinations of 2,4-D and BA resulted in callus induction and proliferation. The highest percentage of callus induction was observed with the combination of 4.52 µM 2,4-D and 4.44 µM BA. The calluses thereby produced were friable and whitish. The callus growth pattern followed a sigmoid shape. The deceleration phase started on the 56th day of culture.

Antifungal activity of Hedychium coronarium J. König essential oil against Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht and Thanatephorus cucumeris (A.B. Frank) Donk in vitro

Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht and Thanatephorus cucumeris (A.B. Frank) Donk are fungi which cause some diseases in important plant cultures in Brazil - like bananas and beans. Hedychium coronarium J. Konig is a native plant from Asia that currently occurs in Brazil, where it is used in folk medicine to treat infections in general. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the H. coronarium essential oil from leaves on the in vitro growth of F. oxysporum and T. cucumeris colonies. Discs of 5 mm diameter from isolated cultures of each fungi were placed in the center of 90 mm diameter Petri dishes with potato dextrose agar. In the peripheral area of the dishes four discs of filter paper were placed with 10 µL of essential oil, extracted through distillation system. For a control treatment, discs without essential oil were used. A completely randomized design was used with four replications (of four dishes). Every 24 hours for 8 days the fungi growth was evaluated by measuring the diameter of the colonies. After 192 hours F. oxysporum colonies had 37.4 mm diameter in the treatment with essential oil, while in the control the diameter was 66.4 mm. T. cucumeris colonies reached 11.9 mm diameter with essential oil and covered the dishes in the control. The results showed that the essential oil from leaves of H. coronarium has an inhibitory effect on the in vitro growth of F. oxysporum and T. cucumeris , thus suggesting its potential use in agriculture, mainly with respect to banana and bean cultures. Keywords: phytopathology, medicinal plants, biological control.