Idioblasts formation and essential oil production in irrigated Piper aduncum

Ana Carolina Pires Jacinto,Adriana Tiemi Nakamura,João Luis Zocoler,Celso Luis Bergo,Leonardo Paula De Souza,Edson Simão,Fábio Janoni Carvalho

doi:10.1590/1983-40632018v4853165

Abstract

ABSTRACT The growing of Piper aduncum for essential oil extraction has increased, but there is a lack of basic information about its management and cultivation, which allows the productivity and quality of the oil, in order to attend the market demands. This study aimed to evaluate the relation between the production of essential oils from P. aduncum and soil water pressure heads (20 kPa, 40 kPa, 60 kPa, 100 kPa and non-irrigated). The assessment comprised the quantification of idioblasts and the production of essential oil extracted from leaves of cultivated plants. The variation in the soil water pressure head alters the amount of idioblasts in P. aduncum leaves, with impacts on the essential oil production. A soil water pressure head range of 20-60 kPa is sufficient for this species to express the highest amount of idioblasts and the highest level of essential oil production. The species adapts itself to different water availability conditions in the soil. Under stress conditions, due to water deficit or excess, the production of essential oil is reduced.

Highlights

Piperaceae is comprised of five genera, and around 3,615 species spread throughout tropical areas (Quijano-Abril et al 2008, Melo et al 2016)
In comparison to the amount of idioblasts obtained at 60 kPa, which is the treatment where the highest amount of idioblasts was observed, there was an average reduction of 49 %
The amount of idioblasts (Figure 2) and the essential oil production were altered in extreme ranges of less water availability and water excess in the soil

Summary

Introduction

Piperaceae is comprised of five genera, and around 3,615 species spread throughout tropical areas (Quijano-Abril et al 2008, Melo et al 2016). Several of these species present properties suitable for pharmacological and chemical uses, such as Piper aduncum L., popularly known as “pimenta-demacaco” in Brazil and exploited commercially for the production of monoterpene (Taiz et al 2017), which is basically an essential oil from which the dillapiole phenyl ether is extracted (Siviero et al 2015). The species is common in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes, as well as in humid areas of the Brazilian Savannah.

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Conclusion