Estresses abióticos em plantas de Ricinus communis

Abstract

Among the oil plant species used as a renewable source of fuels and industrial raw material, castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is of great importance due high oil content of the seeds and content of ricinoleic acid (80-90% of the acid fatty composition), and its rusticity. The need to increase crop production in order to meet the energy needs ahead with rapid population growth, the understanding about environmental impact in the physiology of plants is of great interest, since the plants are often exposed to abiotic stresses. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of environmental stresses such as drought, flooding and exposure to low temperature on the photosynthetic capacity and growth of young plants of castor bean. In the first experiment, young plants of castor bean cultivars 'BRS Gabriela' and 'IAC Guarani' were grown in the greenhouse. Plants were used at the primary pair leaf stage and divided into well-drained and drought treatments for 36 days. In the second experiment, young plants of castor bean cultivars 'AL Guarany 2002’ and ‘IAC Guarani' were grown in the same condition in the first experiment. Plants were used at the 7- to 8-leaf stage and were divided into well-drained and flooded treatments for five days. In the third test, young plants of castor cultivars 'AL Guarany 2002', 'BRS Gabriela' and 'IAC Guarani’ were subjected to low temperatures at primary pair leaf stage, through of the transfer to natural field conditions during the winter. In the first experiment, the impair of photosynthesis was due to increased stomatal resistance in the course of stress, and subsequently, increase of inactive reaction centers and dissipation of the absorbed energy, being observed reduction in performance indices at 36 days stress. It was noted that stressed plants showed lower growth. In the second experiment, the reduction of carbon assimilation occurred due to decreased of both stomatal aperture and carboxylation efficiency. On the other hand, the transport chain activity of electrons was stimulated in flooded plants, with largest performance index in relation to the control. In the third experiment, exposure to low temperatures affected the functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus, with decrease the photochemical activity and the electron flow from the intersystem. The time to reach maximum fluorescence increased in plants exposed to low temperatures. It was identified that the activity of photosystem II was more sensitive than photosystem I in castor bean plants exposed to low temperatures. However, despite the damage incurred to the photosynthetic apparatus during stress, castor bean seedlings showed resilience after returning to the greenhouse with normal temperature. Therefore, during the development of this work, it can be noted that the stresses changed the photosynthetic activity of the castor bean plants with intensity and different mechanisms, and observed a lower tolerance 'IAC Guarani' to water stress studied in this work compared to cultivars 'AL Guarany 2002' and 'BRS Gabriela', while in stress low temperatures the three cultivars behaved similarly, however, ‘BRS Gabriela’ was less sensitive to this stress.