LOSS OF MONOTERPENES FROM Tagetes minuta L. FRUITS AT EARLY DECOMPOSITION PROCESS

LAURET CM; ZUNINO, MARÍA PAULA; DAMBOLENA JS; ZYGADLO JULIO,; LOPEZ MARÍA LIZA

San Juan

Congreso; Segunda Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biología de la República Argentina; 2011

Sociedad Argentina de Biología Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo Sociedad de Biología de Córdoba

Monoterpenes are secondary metabolites with recognized ecophysiologicalfunctions as anti-herbivory, allelopathic and modulatorsof nutrient cycling. No information is available on the patternof monoterpenes loss at early decomposition process of Tagetesminuta (Asteraceae), a species with presumably important chemoecologicalactivity. We conducted a litterbag study during a shortperiod of time (35 days) in order to detect the loss of monoterpenesfrom the essential oil stored in the fruits by means of GC studies.The overall decrease of essential oil content was 59% in contrast toa low decrease of biomass (11.4%). Loss of oxygenated monoterpenesfrom fruit litter was higher (58.8%) than hydrocarbon monoterpenes(54.3%). Major losses of compounds were registered forβ-ocimene (60.1%), (E)-ocimenone (62.6%), (Z)-ocimenone (59%),dihydrotagetone (55.1%) and (Z)-tagetone (57.2%). The pattern ofloss for each compound adjusted significantly to linear regressions.