ABSTRACT:
Dollarweed is a plant that is widely used by the Ayurvedic medicine and in the cosmetics industry because of its rejuvenating and revitalizing properties related to the nervous system and the brain. In order to evaluate the agronomic characteristics and the content of total flavonoids of the dollarweed, in response to the application of different levels of irrigation and shade, an experiment was conducted in an area at the coordinates 17º 47' 53'' latitude (S), 51º 55' 53'' longitude (W), with a mean altitude of 648m, from July to November. The climate is Aw (tropical), gently undulating relief (8% slope) with distroferric red latosol and clayey texture. The average annual temperatures are 18.1 ºC and 30 ºC. The average relative humidity of the air is 64.7% and the average annual rainfall is 1550 mm, with well-defined dry and rainy seasons. The assay was in randomized blocks, with a 2 x 2 factorial design, with 5 repetitions, amounting to twenty experimental units with two irrigation managements, being one with a daily application of water and the other with two daily applications of water. The shading treatments were under full sun and 50% shade. The fresh and dry weights of the aerial parts, the height and number of plants and the total content of flavonoids of the aerial parts were evaluated. The production of flavonoids was favored by the shade; irrigation did not influence the production of flavonoids or the agronomic characters evaluated.
medicinal plants; phenolic compounds; flavonoids
