Estresse oxidativo em plantas micropropagadas de pitcairnia albiflos herb. (bromeliaceae) durante a aclimatização e sob estresse hídrico

Abstract

Pitcairnia albiflos Herb. (Bromeliaceae) is currently in the list of endangered species. This species is endemic of the inselbergs of the city of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, and has been suffering with the mountaineer’s trampling, wildfires, invasion of exotic grasses and plant extraction. The micropropagation can be used as an alternative to the risk conditions under which populations of this species are submitted, aiming at the recomposition of endangered populations in the natural environment, as well as the supply of the consumer market. The final stage of the micropropagation is the acclimatization, period in which the plants become more susceptible and suffer from oxidative stress due to the changes in the environmental conditions. In the present study it were evaluated the antioxidative enzymatic activities of CAT, SOD, POD, PPO and proline content, besides the levels of photosynthetic pigments in plants of Pitcairnia albiflos grown in vitro in culture mediums containing two sucrose concentrations (15 or 30 g L-1). Part was covered with unsealed lids that allowed gas exchanges and part was kept in sealed flasks with lids and PVC plastic film, that didn’t allow the ventilation. Under these conditions, the plants were cultivated in culture mediums containing GA3 or NAA. After the in vitro growth period, the plants were transferred to ex vitro conditions at a greenhouse. The above mentioned analyses and the determination of total soluble carbohydrate levels, sucrose, starch, reducer sugars, relative water content and succulence were also performed on the plants previously grown in vitro with 15 or 30 g L-1 of sucrose and GA3 in tubes with sealed lids, after the submission of these to water stress during 24, 38 or 52 days. After the water stress period, the plants were rehydrated for 34 days under regular irrigation at the greenhouse. In the in vitro cultivated tissues it was noted the emergence of hyperhydricity characteristics in the plants grown with 15 g L-1 of sucrose, GA3 and tubes with sealed lids, which was evidenced by the lowest proline accumulation, the increased in the antioxidative enzymatic activities and the lowest accumulation of photosynthetic pigments. In the ex vitro condition, the plants previously grown in culture mediums containing 15 g L-1 of sucrose presented larger antioxidative enzymatic activities, which did not show, in some cases, significant differences compared with the largest concentration of sucrose. In this condition, the proline accumulation was lower, which is an indicative of larger oxidative stress in these plants during acclimatization. During the water stress, there was a fall in the activity of all studied enzymes, although that fall had been more evident in the plants that were initially cultivated with 15 g L-1 of sucrose. The proline accumulation increased with the extension of the water stress, being larger in the plants grown in vitro with 30 g L-1 of sucrose. There were no viii significant differences in the content of photosynthetic pigments and in their relation with any sucrose concentrations, except for total carotenoids, which significantly increased over the period of water stress for the plants previously grown with the lowest concentration of sucrose. The contents of total soluble carbohydrates and sucrose increased with the extension of the stress, being more accentuated in the 30 g L-1 of sucrose concentration. The contents of starch, the relative content of water and succulence presented a reduction with the increase of water stress. After the rehydration, all plants showed recovery capacity, presenting values close to those from the control groups for all the analyzed variables. It should be noted, however, that the plants treated with 30 g L-1 of sucrose had better recovery compared with those that were treated with 15 g L-1 of sucrose. According to the obtained results, it is possible to conclude that the concentration of sucrose used in vitro presents influence on the process of ex vitro acclimatization and also, later in the field, in the recovery capacity of the plants to drought when they are submitted to water stress. The plants grown in vitro with 15 g L-1 of sucrose were more sensitive to drought and, possibly, would not survive if they were transferred from the test tubes directly to the field. The plants grown in vitro with 30 g L-1 of sucrose were apparently more resistant to the ex vitro acclimatization process, presenting greater survival chances in the field, larger drought tolerance and larger recovery capacity after extended periods of water stress.