Nitrogenous compounds, phenolic compounds and morphological aspects of leaves: comparison of deciduous and semideciduous arboreal legumes

Abstract

In general, perennial species contain higher concentrations of certain secondary compounds, such as phenolics, lower levels of nitrogenous compounds, and greater specific leaf mass (SLM) than deciduous species. The aim of this study was to verify whether the comparative data reported in the literature regarding deciduous and evergreen species, also applies to four selected species of a semideciduous tropical forest (a remnant of the Atlantic Forest). The four species chosen for this study, each with apparently different leaf life spans, were two semideciduous (Hymenaea courbaril L. var. stilbocarpa (Hayne) Lee et Lang., and Lonchocarpus guilleminianus (Tul.) Malme, and two deciduous (Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong., and Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub.). Plants were grown in a greenhouse in plastic pots containing soil taken from their natural habitat. Mature leaves were harvested for determination of the SLM and contents of phenolic compounds, tannins, nitrate, protein, free amino acids, chlorophyll, and nitrogen. Data registered are in agreement with those of the literature. Leaves with the longest life span had the highest content of phenolics and the lowest levels of tannins, nitrate, protein, amino acids, chlorophyll and nitrogen, as well as presenting the greatest SLM. Key words: leaf life span, specific leaf mass, total nitrogen, tannins, Atlantic forest COMPOSTOS NITROGENADOS, FENÓLICOS E ASPECTO MORFOLÓGICO EM FOLHAS: COMPARAÇÃO ENTRE LEGUMINOSAS ARBÓREAS SEMIDECÍDUAS E DECÍDUASRESUMO: Em geral as espécies perenifólias possuem maior concentração de alguns compostos secundários, como por exemplo fenóis, menor concentração de compostos nitrogenados e maior massa foliar específica (MFE), quando comparadas a espécies decíduas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar se as observações encontradas na literatura, comparando espécies perenifólias e decíduas aplicam-se também a quatro espécies de uma mata semidecídua, remanescente da Mata Atlântica. Das quatro espécies usadas neste estudo, que aparentemente apresentavam longevidades foliares diferentes, duas eram semidecíduas (Hymenaea courbaril L. var. stilbocarpa (Hayne) Lee et Lang. e Lonchocarpus guilleminianus (Tul.) Malme) e duas decíduas (Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vell.) Morong. e Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub.). As plantas foram cultivadas em vasos plásticos, contendo solo da mata. O cultivo foi feito em casa de vegetação. Folhas maduras foram coletadas para análise de fenóis totais, taninos condensados, nitrato, proteínas totais, aminoácidos livres totais, clorofila total, nitrogênio total e MFE. Os resultados obtidos corroboram os da literatura, já que as espécies com folhas mais longevas apresentaram concentrações maiores de fenóis totais, menores de taninos condensados, nitrato, proteínas solúveis totais, aminoácidos livres totais, clorofilas totais, nitrogênio total e maior MFE.

Fitness of Mango for Colonization in Low Fertility Soils and Dry Lands: Examination of Leaf Life-Span, Leaf Nutrient Resorption, and Nutrient Use Efficiency in Elite Mango Varieties

“…Species with longer LLS have lower leaf mass per unit area [6], lower chlorophyll content [31, 12,22], and lower soluble protein [12,36,22]. However, there is no information about the intra-species plasticity of these parameters.…”

“…LLS was estimated following the procedure described by Lima et al [22] and Corte et al [6]. Briefly, in 2006 very young whorls of leaves were selected in each tree and dated plastic tapes were placed around the petioles.…”

Nitrogen availability, leaf life span and nitrogen conservation mechanisms in leaves of tropical trees

“…As well as contributing towards greater leaf resistance, a greater leaf mass per area of A. occidentale may also be involved in the adaptation to the dry environment of the natural habitat of this species, since a reduction in leaf area relative to leaf mass tends to reduce transpiration. Species that have leaves with a longer life span show a lower level of total nitrogen (Chabot & Hicks, 1982;Diehl et al, 2003;Prior et al, 2003;Haddad et al, 2004;Ishida et al, 2006;Lima et al, 2006a;Sakata et al, 2006), chlorophyll (Prior et al, 2003Haddad et al, 2004;Lima et al, 2006a) and soluble proteins (Haddad et al, 2004;Takashima et al, 2004;Lima et al, 2006a) in comparison to species that have leaves with a shorter leaf life span. The longer leaf life span and the lower nutrient content of the leaves are important characteristics in making the colonization of low fertility soils possible (Carrera et al, 2003).…”

“…The leaf life span was monitored using dated plastic tape placed around the petioles of very young leaves (1 cm long petioles) (Lima et al, 2006a). The leaves of both species were dated at same time.…”

Produtividade de grãos e frações nitrogenadas do milho submetido a manejo de adubos orgânicos na região semiárida

“…Entretanto, estudos com plantas para avaliar a capacidade de absorção e quantificação das formas orgânicas de N (N-orgânico) vêm sendo realizados há algum tempo (SOUZA; FERNANDES, 2006) em gramíneas, como capim-colonião (SILVEIRA; SANT'ANNA, 1988), silagem de tifton 85 (PEREIRA et al, 2007) e o arroz (FERNANDES, 1990), em hortaliças como a alface (COMETTI et al, 2004) e com espécies de leguminosas arbóreas (LIMA et al, 2006), mas poucos estudos com o milho e, os existentes são com fertilização mineral (BORGES et al, 2006). Não há registro, de estudos de frações nitrogenadas na cultura do milho submetido à adubação orgânica em região semiárida no Brasil.…”