Phenological characterization and temperature requirements of Annona squamosa L. in the Brazilian semiarid region

ABSTRACT The phenological growth stages of various species of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants can be uniformly coded using the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt, und Chemische Industrie (BBCH) scale. The aim of the present study was to determine the duration of different phenological stages and the temperature requirements of the sugar-apple, Annona squamosa, during two crop cycles in the semiarid region of Brazil. Phenological stages were divided into eight of ten possible principal stages: (0) bud development, (1) leaf development, (3) shoot/branch development, (5) inflorescence emergence, (6) flowering, (7) fruit development, (8) fruit maturity and (9) senescence and the beginning of dormancy. The phenological cycle of the sugar-apple from having closed leaf buds to the fruit ripening stage lasted 149 and 164 days with temperature requirements of 1684.5 and 1786.7 degree days (DD) for the first and second crop cycles, respectively. The results provided important information that will inform the correct timing for crop management practices.

Efeito de diferentes meios nutritivos e fitorreguladores visando à otimização da calogênese de Annona mucosa (Jacq. ) / Effect of different culture media and plant growth regulators for the optimization of callus induction of Annona mucosa (Jacq. )

Annona mucosa é uma árvore frutífera da família Annonaceae, produtora de importantes metabólitos secundários de interesse medicinal, como lignanas, acetogeninas e alcaloides. A cultura in vitro de calos representa um importante recurso para a produção contínua de metabólitos, viabilizando a conservação da biodiversidade química e a obtenção controlada de material para estudos biológicos e fitoquímicos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi otimizar a produção de calos friáveis de A. mucosa, avaliando o efeito de diferentes meios nutritivos e fitorreguladores. Segmentos de folha e de hipocótilo de plântulas germinadas in vivo foram utilizados como explantes e inoculados nos meios de cultura MS, WPM e B5 suplementados com picloram (2 - 20µM) isolado ou combinado com as citocininas BAP, KIN ou TDZ (0,2 - 1µM). As culturas foram mantidas a 26±2ºC, no escuro, com subcultivos mensais. A produção de calos foi avaliada por aferição do peso dos calos, após 90 dias. Em todos os tratamentos na presença da auxina picloram, o cultivo de hipocótilos resultou em maior porcentagem de formação de calos, sobretudo no meio de cultura WPM. A associação com TDZ produziu massa calogênica friável altamente proliferativa e ausente de oxidação, alcançando valores superiores àqueles obtidos em trabalhos prévios com a espécie. Os resultados viabilizam o uso do material em suspensões celulares e posterior caracterização fitoquímica para a exploração da produção in vitro de metabólitos da espécie.

The Annona mucosa is a fruit tree of the Annonaceae family that produces a range of secondary metabolites of medicinal interest, such as lignans, acetogenins and alkaloids. The callus culture represents a renewable source of valuable medicinal compounds and controlled supply of material for biological and phytochemical studies. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effects of three nutrient media, different concentrations of picloram and cytokinin types, in order to optimize the biomass yield and friability of calluses of A. mucosa. Leaf and hypocotyl segments from seedlings produced from in vivo seed germination were used as explants, which were inoculated in MS, WPM and B5 culture media supplemented with picloram (2-20µM) only or in addition to the cytokinins BAP, KIN or TDZ (0,2 - 1µM ). Cultures were maintained at 26±2ºC in the dark, with monthly subcultures. After 90 days, biomass production was evaluated. In all treatments, hypocotyl explants provided the highest percentage of callus formation, particularly in WPM. The association with TDZ produced highly proliferative friable callus, with no oxidation, reaching higher values than the previous works with this species. The results enable the use of the calluses produced in cell suspensions and the subsequent phytochemical characterization, in order to explore the in vitro production of metabolites of the species.