Performance of Crambe Submitted to Aluminum Stress: An Important Oilseed Plant

Lucas B De C Rosmaninho,Aline De A Vasconcelos,Wedisson O Santos,Leonardus Vergutz,Martha F Da Silva,L A S Dias,Carlos Eduardo A Perez,Lurian G Cardoso

doi:10.5539/jas.v11n2p454

Abstract

Crambe is a potential oilseed plant, which has been suggested for cultivation as a cover crop in the Brazilian Savanna where acidic soils predominate. Understanding of its performance in those conditions is essential. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the morphological and physiological changes in crambe plants when subjected to Al exposure at different dose levels. Plants were allocated to a nutrient solution with Al treatments at concentrations of 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mmol L-1. The following parameters were determined: length of root (LR) and shoot (LS), dry mass of roots (RDM) and shoots (SDM), Al uptake in plant tissues, leaf area (LA), absolute growth rate (AGR), grain yield (GY), net CO2 assimilation rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E) and chlorophyll &alpha; fluorescence. The experimental design was completely randomized, consisting of five treatments with four replications. Regression analyses of growth parameters and mean comparative tests of physiological traits were performed. Roots concentrated approximately 40-fold more Al than shoots. There was a linear reduction in LS and LR with increasing doses of Al. For RDM, SDM, LA, AGR and GY, the reductions were similar and were better explained by quadratic models. Al damaged the photosynthetic apparatus of crambe plants, demonstrated by a significant reduction in the values of Fv/Fm (estimation of photosynthetic efficiency), A, gs and E, compared to the control. Al negatively affected growth parameters as well as the photosynthetic response of crambe plants, resulting in a substantial decrease in its grain yield.

Highlights

Crambe (Crambe abyssinica Hochst) is an oilseed plant, which has the potential for production of biodiesel, biodegradable plastics, dyes, lubricants, cosmetics, synthetic rubber and other products (Souza et al, 2009; Falasca et al, 2010; Pitol et al, 2010)
An important aspect to be considered for the establishment of this crop in tropical conditions is Al toxicity, the main abiotic limiting factor for plant production in Brazilian areas compounded by highly weathered soils (Kochian et al, 2015)
The findings show that roots of crambe plants accumulate more Al than shoots

Summary

Introduction

Crambe (Crambe abyssinica Hochst) is an oilseed plant, which has the potential for production of biodiesel, biodegradable plastics, dyes, lubricants, cosmetics, synthetic rubber and other products (Souza et al, 2009; Falasca et al, 2010; Pitol et al, 2010). Grain yield of crambe crops is approximately 1.500 kg ha-1 with seeds having an oil content of approximately 36%, rich in erucic acid (58%). Crambe has been shown to be highly adapted to weather and soil conditions in Brazil (Toebe et al, 2010). An important aspect to be considered for the establishment of this crop in tropical conditions is Al toxicity, the main abiotic limiting factor for plant production in Brazilian areas compounded by highly weathered soils (Kochian et al, 2015). Its toxicity to plants is most pronounced in acidic soils which present a pHwater generally less than 5.5, with 60% of these soils located in tropical and subtropicals regions, including Brazilian territory (Von Uexküll & Mutert, 1995)

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