Miroslava Rakocevic

Morphological and physiological responses of Cedrela Fissilis Vellozo (Meliaceae) seedlings to light

Seeds of Cedrela fissilis Vellozo were planted and maintained under two distinct conditions: at east border of a forest with red: far-red ratio of 1.15 and under canopy with photosynthetic photon flux density of 0.22-7% of full sun radiation and red: far-red ratio of 0.21-0.36. Seedling growth (height and stem diameter) was faster under sun, the development of roots more continuous and the number of leaves almost twice of that of shade plants. The leaf area was 10 times greater in sun plants with 15-25 leaflets per leaf while under shade only 5 to 10 leaflets were found per leaf. In shade plants, a higher proportion of dry mass was found in aerial parts. Leaves of sun plants had the capacity of gas exchange to respond to high light radiation, but leaves adapted to shade presented a lower response to light changes. When shade plants were transferred and maintained under the sun for 15 days, only the young leaves were adapted to increased light radiation, reaching the same photosynthetic rate as sun plants, while old leaves were shed. Sun plants transferred to shade conditions did not lose leaves, but did not reach the same photosynthetic rate attained by shade plants.

Intensity of bitterness of processed yerba mate leaves originated in two contrasted light environments

The bitterness intensity of beverage prepared from the leaves produced on the males and females of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis), grown in the forest understory and monoculture, was evaluated. The leaves were grouped by their position (in the crown and on the branch tips) and by the leaf age. The leaf gas exchange, leaf temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density were observed. Inter and intra-specific competition for light and self-shading showed the same effect on yerba mate beverage taste. All the shading types resulted in bitterer taste of the processed yerba mate leaves compared to the leaves originated under the direct sun exposure. The leaves from the plants grown in the monoculture showed less bitterness than those grown in the forest understory. This conclusion was completely opposite to the conventionally accepted paradigm of the yerba mate industries. The leaves from the tips (younger leaves) of the plants grown in the monoculture resulted a beverage of softer taste; the males produced less bitter leaves in any light environment (forest understory or in the crown in monoculture). The taste was related to the photosynthetic and transpiration rate, and leaf temperature. Stronger bitterness of the leaves provided from the shade conditions was related to the decreased leaf temperature and transpiration in the diurnal scale.

Strategies to reconstruct 3D Coffea arabica L. plant structure

Accurate model of structural elements is necessary to model the foliage and fruit distributions in cultivated plants, both of them being key parameters for yield prediction. However, the level of details in architectural data collection could vary, simplifying the data collection when plants get older and because of the high time cost required. In the present study, we aimed at reconstructing and analyzing plant structure, berry distributions and yield in Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee), by using both detailed or partial morphological information and probabilistic functions. Different datasets of coffee plant architectures were available with different levels of detail depending on the tree age. Three scales of decomposition—plant, axes and metamers were used reconstruct the plant architectures. CoffePlant3D, a software which integrates a series of mathematical, computational and statistical methods organized in three newly developed modules, AmostraCafe3D, VirtualCafe3D and Cafe3D, was developed to accurately reconstruct coffee plants in 3D, whatever the level of details available. The number of metamers of the 2nd order axes was shown to be linearly proportional to that of the orthotropic trunk, and the number of berries per metamer was modeled as a Gaussian function within a specific zone along the plagiotropic axes. This ratio of metamer emission rhythm between the orthotropic trunk and plagiotropic axes represents the pillar of botanical events in the C. arabica development and was central in our modeling approach, especially to reconstruct missing data. The methodology proposed for reconstructing coffee plants under the CoffePlant3D was satisfactorily validated across dataset available and could be performed for any other Arabica coffee variety.

Spectroscopic and chromatographic fingerprint analysis of composition variations in Coffea arabica leaves subject to different light conditions and plant phenophases

Fingerprints of self-shaded and sunlight-exposed leaves of the same Coffea arabica plant were obtained to determine metabolic concentration changes owing to different light environments and phenological stages. Leaf extract yields of the ethanol, acetone, dichloromethane and hexane solvents, as well as their statistical design mixtures, are reported. Highest yields are obtained with binary 1:1 ethanol-acetone mixtures for all sun-exposed and self-shaded leaves. Principal component analysis (PCA) of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of leaf extracts indicate spectral differences between 2962-2828, 1759-1543 and below 1543 cm-1 that can be attributed to higher concentrations of fatty acid esters or the ester group in triglycerides, caffeine, chlorogenic acids and carbohydrates that are more prevalent in leaves of flowering plants. High-performance liquid chromatography with UV diode array detector (HPLC-UV-DAD) spectra of the chromatographic peaks for the extracts showed that sun-exposed samples contain stronger absorptions for caffeine, chlorogenic acid and theobromine. Confirmatory experiments carried out with reference UV calibration curves determined caffeine contents for sun-exposed leaves that are about double those for self-shaded leaves of flowering plants. Knowledge of leaf caffeine content in Coffea arabica is of ecological importance since sun-exposed conditions seem more stressful than self-shading ones for this species. Lipid concentrations in self-shaded leaves are almost double those that were sun-exposed.

Software for interpolation of vegetative growth of yerba mate plants in 3D

The objective of this work was to build mock-ups of complete yerba mate plants in several stages of development, using the InterpolMate software, and to compute photosynthesis on the interpolated structure. The mock-ups of yerba-mate were first built in the VPlants software for three growth stages. Male and female plants grown in two contrasting environments (monoculture and forest understory) were considered. To model the dynamic 3D architecture of yerba-mate plants during the biennial growth interval between two subsequent prunings, data sets of branch development collected in 38 dates were used. The estimated values obtained from the mock-ups, including leaf photosynthesis and sexual dimorphism, are very close to those observed in the field. However, this similarity was limited to reconstructions that included growth units from original data sets. The modeling of growth dynamics enables the estimation of photosynthesis for the entire yerba mate plant, which is not easily measurable in the field. The InterpolMate software is efficient for building yerba mate mock-ups.

Chemometric Analysis of UV Characteristic Profile and Infrared Fingerprint Variations of Coffea arabica Green Beans under Different Space Management Treatments

Ultraviolet characteristic profiles and infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) fingerprints of green bean extracts of Coffea arabica L., cv. IAPAR 59, cultivated in two planting patterns, rectangular and square, and at two different densities, 10,000 and 6,000 plants ha-1, identified as R10, R6, S10, and S6 were analyzed with principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses. A simplex centroid design for four solvents (ethanol, acetone, dichloromethane, hexane) was used for sample extraction. The largest chlorogenic acid (CGA) contents were found at the lower planting density. The dichloromethane extracts of the S10 treatment showed the highest levels of unsaponifiable lipids (cafestol and kahweol). The R6 treatment showed a slightly higher content of cafestol and kahweol. Cluster analysis of FTIR fingerprints confirmed that the CGA and caffeine levels differentiate the spatial arrangements. The FTIR fingerprints suggest that green beans from S6 and R10 were richer in lipids and the other two treatments had more sugars and proteins.

Berry distributions on coffee trees cultivated under high densities modulate the chemical composition of respective coffee beans during one biannual cycle

ABSTRACT Coffee trees show the fluctuation in production related to biannual phenological development. We aimed to quantify the berry distribution over the vertical profile and relate the chemical composition of coffee beans during few subsequent harvests in each of two production years (PY). The analyzed coffee productions followed severe pruning of plants grown in different planting designs. In the second PY, coffee plants loaded roughly fourfold more berries than the first PY. In the first PY, berry distribution in zones of plagiotropic axes that passed all physiological phases was characterized by random maturation over three harvests, while in the second PY, berry maturation over the orthotropic and plagiotropic axes differed between two harvests, suggesting higher impact of local light microclimate and, consequently, local source–sink relations. Proteins, sucrose, and lipids were the most sensitive studied chemical components when modifications in coffee beans composition were analyzed, considering the impacts of PY, harvest time, planting design, and berry position. Sucrose content increased in latter harvests, indicating better berry maturation compared to the first harvest in both PY. Protein and caffeine contents increased and lipids decreased in higher density and low plant layer during the second PY, suggesting that deposition of those components was modified by self-shading and maturation time related to the berry position over the plant profile.

Structural and functional changes in coffee trees after 4 years under free air CO2 enrichment

Background and Aims Climate forecasts suggest that [CO2] in the atmosphere will continue to increase. Structural and ecophysiological responses to elevated air [CO2] (e[CO2]) in tree species are contradictory due to species-dependent responses and relatively short-term experiments. It was hypothesized that long-term exposure (4 year) to e[CO2] would change canopy structure and function of Coffea arabica trees. Methods Coffee plants were grown in a FACE (free air CO2 enrichment) facility under two air [CO2]: actual and elevated (actual + approx. 200 μL CO2 L-1). Plants were codified following the VPlants methodology to obtain coffee mock-ups. Plant canopies were separated into three 50 cm thick layers over a vertical profile to evaluate their structure and photosynthesis, using functional-structural plant modelling. Key Results Leaf area was strongly reduced on the bottom and upper canopy layers, and increased soil carbon concentration suggested changes in carbon partitioning of coffee trees under e[CO2]. Increased air [CO2] stimulated stomatal conductance and leaf photosynthesis at the middle and upper canopy layers, increasing water-use efficiency. Under e[CO2], plants showed reduced diameter of the second-order axes and higher investment in the youngest third to fifth-order axes. Conclusions The responses of Arabica coffee grown under long-term exposure to e[CO2] integrated structural and functional modifications, which balanced leaf area loss through improvements in leaf and whole-plant photosynthesis.

Variations in leaf growth parameters within the tree structure of adult Coffea arabica in relation to seasonal growth, water availability and air carbon dioxide concentration

Background and Aims Dynamics in branch and leaf growth parameters, such as the phyllochron, duration of leaf expansion, leaf life span and bud mortality, determine tree architecture and canopy foliage distribution. We aimed to estimate leaf growth parameters in adult Arabica coffee plants based on leaf supporter axis order and position along the vertical profile, considering their modifications related to seasonal growth, air [CO2] and water availability. Methods Growth and mortality of leaves and terminal buds of adult Arabica coffee trees were followed in two independent field experiments in two sub-tropical climate regions of Brazil, Londrina-PR (Cfa) and Jaguariúna-SP (Cwa). In the Cwa climate, coffee trees were grown under a FACE (free air CO2 enrichment) facility, where half of those had been irrigated. Plants were observed at a 15-30 d frequency for 1 year. Leaf growth parameters were estimated on five axes orders and expressed as functions of accumulated thermal time (°Cd per leaf). Key Results The phyllochron and duration of leaf expansion increased with axis order, from the seond to the fourth. The phyllochron and life span during the reduced vegetative seasonal growth were greater than during active growth. It took more thermal time for leaves from the first- to fourth-order axes to expand their blades under irrigation compared with rainfed conditions. The compensation effects of high [CO2] for low water availability were observed on leaf retention on the second and third axes orders, and duration of leaf expansion on the first- and fourth-order axes. The second-degree polynomials modelled leaf growth parameter distribution in the vertical tree profile, and linear regressions modelled the proportion of terminal bud mortality. Conclusions Leaf growth parameters in coffee plants were determined by axis order. The duration of leaf expansion contributed to phyllochron determination. Leaf growth parameters varied according the position of the axis supporter along the vertical profile, suggesting an effect of axes age and micro-environmental light modulations.

Irrigation and Light Access Effects on Coffea arabica L. Leaves by FTIR‑Chemometric Analysis

Coffee bean chemical compositions has been extensively studied. However, there is a small amount of research on other parts of the coffee plant, including leaves. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral profiles of Coffea arabica L. cv. IAPAR 59 leaf extracts from a simplex-centroid design were studied by principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the effect of solvent extractor on its metabolites. PCA indicated that the extractor solvents containing ethanol were the most suitable for this study. FTIR spectra in conjunction with orthogonal signal correction and partial least squares-discrimination analysis (OSC-PLS-DA) were used to classify and discriminate the leaves of irrigated and non-irrigated plants by bands related to carbohydrates, amino acids and lipids. Leaves receiving different intensities of solar radiation were also discriminated by bands corresponding to caffeine, carbohydrates and lipids. FTIR spectral profile analyzed with chemometric tools showed to be a useful, powerful and simple procedure to discriminate coffee leaves collected from different microclimate conditions.