Morphological characterisation and agronomical parameters of different species of Salvia sp. (Lamiaceae).

The aim of this work is to assess the morphological characteristics and parameters of biomass production, such as fresh and dry matter weight (FMW and DMW, g/plant), yield of dry matter (YDM) in terms of ton/ha, essential oil content (EOC, mL/100 g) and yield of essential oils (YEO) expressed as L/ha of the following plants Salvia verbenaca, Salvia argentea, Salvia lavandulifolia, Salvia pratensis, Salvia sclarea, Salvia triloba and Salvia officinalis. Except for Salvia argentea (S2) all other species have adapted to the south Brazilian climate conditions, with morphological differences among the species evaluated. In terms of DMW and YDM, S. officinalis was found to be the most productive species with 445.83 g/plant and 11.14 ton/ha. The higher essential oil content and yield was observed for S. officinalis, affording 1.99 mL/100 g and 221.74 L/ha, respectively. Chemical characterisation of the essential oils obtained from hydrodistillation was performed through GC and GC/MSD analyses, which revealed for most of the species studied, α e ß-thujone, camphor and 1,8-cineole as major compounds, apart from S. sclarea, for which linalool, linalyl acetate and α-terpineol were the major components.

Use of palmae wax hydrocarbon fractions as chemotaxonomical markers in Butia and Syagrus.

The wax hydrocarbon fractions of native Butia and Syagrus species collected from Palms in different regions of the of Rio Grande do Sul state (Brazil) and in Rocha (Uruguay) were analyzed to evaluate their potential as chemotaxonomic markers. The wax was extracted with chloroform and the resulting wax was fractionated by preparative TLC. The hydrocarbon fractions were analyzed by GC-MS. Statistical analyses were completed with the Statistica 5.0 program. The total crude wax yields averaged 0.31% w.w-1 dried leaves for Butia samples and 0.28% for Syagrus samples. The linear hydrocarbons represented on average 15% of the total waxes in the case of Butia samples and 13.7% in Syagrus samples. Hentriacontane and triacontane were the main components of all samples. The comparison of the means showed significant differences among Butia and Syagrus samples, and amongst Butia samples collected in different localities. In the case of the Syagrus collections no consistent groupings could be made. In the case of Butia samples the formation of three groupings could be observed, which were consistent with the species described for their geographical distribution. These results are discussed in the paper.

Use of palmae wax hydrocarbon fractions as chemotaxonomical markers in Butia and Syagrus / Uso de frações de hidrocarbonetos de palmeiras como marcadores quimiotaxonômicos em Butia e Syagrus

The wax hydrocarbon fractions of native Butia and Syagrus species collected from Palms in different regions of the of Rio Grande do Sul state (Brazil) and in Rocha (Uruguay) were analyzed to evaluate their potential as chemotaxonomic markers. The wax was extracted with chloroform and the resulting wax was fractionated by preparative TLC. The hydrocarbon fractions were analyzed by GC-MS. Statistical analyses were completed with the Statistica 5.0 program. The total crude wax yields averaged 0.31% w.w–1 dried leaves for Butia samples and 0.28% for Syagrus samples. The linear hydrocarbons represented on average 15% of the total waxes in the case of Butia samples and 13.7% in Syagrus samples. Hentriacontane and triacontane were the main components of all samples. The comparison of the means showed significant differences among Butia and Syagrus samples, and amongst Butia samples collected in different localities. In the case of the Syagrus collections no consistent groupings could be made. In the case of Butia samples the formation of three groupings could be observed, which were consistent with the species described for their geographical distribution. These results are discussed in the paper.

Frações de hidrocarbonetos das ceras de espécies nativas de Butia e Syagrus coletadas de palmeiras em diferentes regiões do Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil) e em Rocha (Uruguai) foram analisadas para avaliar o seu potencial como marcadores quiomiotaxonômicos. As ceras foram extraídas com clorofórmio e fracionadas por TLC preparativo. As frações de hidrocarbonetos foram analisadas por CG-EM. As análises estatísticas foram realizadas com auxílio do programa Statistica 5.0. O rendimento total de cera das folhas secas foi de 0,31% g.g–1 para as amostras de Butia e de 0,28% para Syagrus. Os hidrocarbonetos lineares representaram em média 15 e 13% do total das ceras para Butia e Syagrus, respectivamente. Hentriacontano e triacontano foram os compostos majoritários em todas as amostras. A comparação de médias mostrou diferenças significativas entre as amostras de Butia e Syagrus e entre as amostras de Butia coletadas em diferentes localidades. As amostras de Syagrus não formaram agrupamentos relacionados com os locais de coleta. Já no caso de Butia, três agrupamentos puderam ser observados e são consistentes com a distribuição geográfica desta espécie. Estes resultados são discutidos no trabalho.

Estudo do óleo essencial de algumas espécies do gênero Baccharis (Asteraceae) do sul do Brasil / Studies on the essential oils from several Baccharis (Asteraceae) from Southern Brazil

Cerca de 15 por cento das espécies de Baccharis têm sido analisadas do ponto de vista fitoquímico, mas trabalhos envolvendo estudos de óleos essenciais têm sido pouco informados. Este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar espécies deste gênero, nativas do Rio Grande do Sul, e avaliar o potencial aromático de doze amostras coletadas em diferentes localidades do Estado. O óleo foi obtido por hidrodestilação em Clevenger por 1 hora a partir do material desidratado a 30°C por quatro dias. As análises em CG foram realizadas em equipamento HP6890 Series, equipado com processador de dados HP-Chemstation e coluna HP-Innowax, e, as análises em CG/EM foram realizadas em equipamento HP 6890/MSD5973, com software HP Chemstation e biblioteca Wiley 275 de espectros, com coluna de mesma polaridade. O melhor rendimento foi obtido em B. articulata com 0,5 por cento p/v. beta-Pineno foi identificado nas amostras de B. articulata (41,4 por cento a 52,8 por cento), e em B. cogata (27,2 por cento). Espatulenol esteve presente nas amostras de B. semiserrata (15,5 por cento e 25,5 por cento) e nas amostras de B. uncinella (47,7 por cento e 23,1 por cento). B. oxyodonta apresentou limoneno (24,3 por cento). Duas amostras de B. milleflora apresentaram espatulenol, enquanto que uma apresentou beta-pineno.

About 15 percent of the known Baccharis species have been phytochemically studied, but few studies regarding their essential oils have been reported. The present work aims to identify native species of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and to evaluate their aromatic potential. Twelve samples were collected in different sites within the State. The essential oils were obtained by an one hour hydrodistillation in a Clevenger apparatus, using plant materials dried for four days at 30°C. The GC analyses were carried out with a HP6890 Series apparatus, equiped with a HP-Chemstation data processor and an HP-Innowax column. The GC/MS analyses were carried out with an HP 6890/MSD5973, equiped with an HP Chemstation and a Wiley 275 spectra library, using the same column as above. The best yield was those of B. articulata (0.5 percent v/w). beta-Pinene was identified as the main component in the samples from B. articulata (41.4 percent to 52.8 percent) and from B. cogata (27.2 percent). Spathulenol was present in the samples from B. semiserrata (15.5 percent and 25.5 percent) and those from B. uncinella (47.7 percent and 23.1 percent). B. oxyodonta showed limonene (24.3 percent). Two samples of B. milleflora had spathulenol as main component, but a third one had beta-pinene as main constituent.

Análise de taninos totais em plantas aromáticas e medicinais cultivadas no Nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul / Determination of tannin total content in aromatic and medicinal plants cultivated in Northern Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

Os taninos são componentes polifenólicos encontrados em plantas, alimentos e bebidas, sendo utilizados como fonte de matéria-prima para várias indústrias, como por exemplo a farmacêutica e a alimentícia, no curtimento do couro, na produção de borrachas, no tratamento de água em barragens, entre outras. Em vista da importância deste grupo de compostos, algumas plantas aromáticas e medicinais cultivadas no Núcleo Agronômico do Instituto de Biotecnologia da Universidade de Caxias dos Sul foram avaliadas quanto ao teor de taninos totais: Angelica archangelica , Cinnamomun camphora var. linaloolifera fugita , Cymbopogon citratus, Lavandula dentata , Lippia alba, Rosmarinus officinalis e Thymus vulgaris, e esses foram comparados com o teor de taninos totais da Acacia mearnsii (acácia negra), planta utilizada para a extração de taninos. O processo de extração empregado foi a maceração com metanol e a quantificação foi realizada por espectrofotometria, utilizando-se o reagente de Folin Denis. A partir da curva de calibração ( por cento equivalente ao ácido tânico) foram obtidos os teores de taninos totais, que variaram de 0,01 por cento para Cymbopogom citratus a 18,9 por cento para Lippia alba.

Tannins are polyphenolic compounds present in plants which are also found in foods and beverages. They are specially used by pharmaceutical, food, leather and rubber industries, and also for water treatment. Considering the significance of this group of compounds, several of aromatic and medicinal plants cultivated in Northern Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, were tested for their total tannin content. Angelica archangelica , Cinnamomun camphora var. linaloolifera fugita , Cymbopogon citratus, Lavandula dentata , Lippia alba, Rosmarinus officinalis and Thymus vulgaris were analysed and compared with Acacia mearnsii (black wattle) which is industrially used for tannin extraction. The extraction procedure was made by macerating the plants in methanol, and the quantification was done using Folin Denis reagent and spectrophotometry. By using a calibration curve ( percent tannic acid equivalent) the total tannin contents range from 0.01 percent ( Cymbopogom citratus ) to 18.9 percent ( Lippia alba ).