Arbuscularmycorrhizal fungi and vermicompost to maximize the production of foliar biomolecules in Passiflora alata Curtis seedlings.

BACKGROUND:Arbuscularmycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are soil organisms that associatewith plant roots and promote plant growth, increasing theconcentrationof secondary metabolites, which aremolecules of interest to thepharmaceutical industry. Passiflora alata is a Brazilian medicinalplant that is used as a rawmaterial for anxiolyticphytotherapeutic agents. The anxiolyticproperties are related to the presence of biomolecules in the plant material, principally flavonoids. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of inoculation with AMF and organic fertilization on the production of soluble carbohydrates and total foliar proteins, phenols and flavonoids in P. alata seedlings. RESULTS: There was an effect of the tested treatments on the analyzed variables. Seedlings inoculated and cultivated in soil to which 0.15 kg vermicompost kg-1 had been added showed increased growth and production of primary and secondary metabolites comparedwith treatmentswith lower levels of manure, which did not differ fromthose cultivated in soilwith 0.2 kg vermicompost kg-1. CONCLUSION: The inoculation of P. alata seedlings with Gigaspora albida is an alternative to maximize the production of pharmacologically important foliar biomolecules, especially flavonoids, with benefits that vary in accordance with the fertility of the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]