Rendimento de óleo essencial de lima ácida tahiti cultivada sob diferentes manejos de solo

Abstract

Citriculture plays an important role in Brazil's agricultural economy. Besides fresh consumption and juice industrialization, citrus fruits yield essential oils (EOs), valued by the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. This study aimed to quantify the EO extracted from the peel of Tahiti acid lime fruits harvested from plants under different scion and rootstock combinations, cultivated under distinct soil management practices. The experiment was conducted at the Centro de Citricultura “Sylvio Moreira” (CCSM) of the Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Urochloa ruziziensis was sown between orchard rows, followed by the planting of Tahiti acid lime seedlings. The trial was arranged in a randomized block design with split plots and four replications. Two soil management systems were evaluated: conventional (no mulch in the citrus row) and ecological (mulch in the citrus row). Three scions were tested: Tahiti acid lime IAC 5, Tahiti acid lime IAC 10, and Tahiti acid lime BRS IAC EECB Ponta-Firme, grafted onto two rootstocks: citrandarin IAC 3152 "Itajobi" and trifoliate orange IAC 718 Flying Dragon. Evaluations included leaf water potential, fruit yield, peel percentage, oil yield per fruit peel mass, oil yield per ton of fruit, and oil yield per area. Results showed that ecological management led to higher leaf water potential and fruit productivity, indicating benefits in water retention and soil structuring. However, conventional management resulted in higher EO yield per ton of fruit, likely due to water stress, which may stimulate the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Among the evaluated scion × rootstock combinations, plants grafted onto citrandarin IAC 3152 "Itajobi" exhibited greater drought tolerance and better productive performance under ecological management. It is concluded that conventional management increases oil yield per fruit peel mass and oil yield per ton of fruit. However, the greater fruit availability for oil extraction in ecological management (higher productivity) results in a higher EO yield per area.