Soil Chemical Attributes and Their Influence on Elemental Composition of Yerba Mate Leaves

Abstract

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) is a raw material used in making a beverage whose chemical composition can be altered by the growing environment and the management adopted during its cultivation. Thus, it is essential that scientific studies are undertaken to understand the chemical composition of yerba mate related to its growing environment. The aim of this work was to determine the elemental composition in the leaves of yerba mate from native cultivations that had never received fertilization and liming, from the Southern Region of the state of Paraná, Brazil. Soil and leaf samples were collected at 11 sites located in the municipalities of São Mateus do Sul, Mallet, São João do Triunfo, and Lapa. Leaf analyzes were performed in an Optical Emission Spectrometer with Inductively Coupled Plasma. The mean concentrations observed (mg kg -1 ), in decreasing order, were: Ca -7880; K -7310; Mn -2418; -Mg -820; P -720; Al -474; Fe -231; B -78; Zn -62; Ba -62; Cu -8.9; Ni -5.6; Cr -0.82; V -0.53; Co -0.17. The Mn concentrations were directly correlated with Al 3+ saturation and inversely correlated with base saturation, pH, and the available Ca 2+ , demonstrating that changes among these soil components can significantly modify the Mn concentrations in the yerba mate leaves. The high concentrations of Mn and Al in the leaves of yerba mate demonstrate the adaptation of this species to acidic soils with high saturation of Al 3+ . Keywords: Ilex paraguariensis, trace elements, mineral nutrition, soil fertility. Resumo Influência das propriedades químicas do solo na composição elementar das folhas de erva-mate.A ervamate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) é matéria prima de bebidas cuja composição química pode vir a ser alterada de acordo com o ambiente de cultivo e manejo adotados, tornando-se fundamental trabalhos que discutam a composição química de suas folhas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a composição elementar de folhas de erva-mate de ervais nativos, que nunca receberam adubação e calagem na região Sul do estado do Paraná. Amostras de solo e folhas de erva-mate in natura foram coletadas em 11 propriedades nos municípios de São Mateus do Sul, Mallet, São João do Triunfo e Lapa. As análises das folhas foram efetuadas em ICP-OES. As concentrações médias observadas em ordem decrescentes em mg kg -1 foram: Ca -7880; K -7310; Mn -2418; -Mg -820; P -720; Al -474; Fe -231; B -78; Zn -62; Ba 62; Cu -8,9; Ni -5,6; Cr -0,82; V -0,53; Co -0,17. Os teores de Mn mostraram-se diretamente correlacionado com a saturação por Al 3+ e inversamente correlacionado com a saturação por base, pH e Ca 2+ disponível no solo, demonstrando que alterações entre estes componentes do solo pode modificar significativamente os teores de Mn nas folhas de erva-mate. Os elevados teores de Mn e Al nas folhas de erva-mate demonstram a adaptação desta espécie para solos ácidos e com elevada saturação por Al 3+ . Palavra-chave: Ilex paraguarienses, elementos-traço, nutrição mineral, fertilidade do solo.

Influence of roadways on heavy metal content in soils and yerba mate tissue in southern Brazil

“…Study sites had acidic soils (Table 1) similar to that of other yerba mate cultivations under extractivism (Caldeira et al, 2006;Toppel et al, 2018). Such conditions favor high heavy metal availability.…”

“…Previously, the highest Mn levels recorded for yerba mate leaves were found in different regions of Paran a (Brazil) and were close to 3 g kg -1 (Reissmann et al, 1999;Toppel et al, 2018).…”

“…Reactions involving heavy metals in soil (including bioavailability) are mainly determined by clay content and type, organic matter content and type, soil acidity and soil cation/anion availability (Alloway, 1995). According to previous work, I. paraguariensis has a high soil nutrient absorption capacity as well as a large accumulation capacity of metals (Barbosa et al, 2018;Toppel et al, 2018). These characteristics can contribute to the uptake of undesirable elements in contaminated soil, such as heavy metals.…”

Poultry manure increases soil fertility, growth and nutritional status of yerba mate seedlings

“…the 4.7 g kg -1 indicated as ideal (Santin et al, 2013). However, the foliar content of the other nutrients is higher than those observed in other studies evaluating the influence of soil attributes on yerba mate elemental composition in the field without fertilizers (Toppel et al, 2018). It indicates the capacity of yerba mate to absorb and accumulate nutrients according to their availability in the soil, which was more significant for P, possibly due to the high concentration of these nutrients in the poultry manure.…”

Accumulation capacity of nickel and zinc in yerba mate cultivated in soils with contrasting parent materials

“…These combinations of factors may also be responsible for high concentrations of Ni and Zn micronutrients reported in yerba mate leaves from both fertilized and unfertilized areas [14,15]. However, wide variations in foliar micronutrient concentrations have been recorded for yerba mate.…”