PHENOLOGICAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF Pereskia aculeata DURING CULTIVATION IN SOUTH BRAZIL

Resumo

Pereskia aculeata, known as ora-pro-nobis in Brazil, is native from tropical dry forests. This Cactaceae plant possesses succulent and edible leaves, which contain high amounts of protein, minerals, vitamins and fiber. The nutritional properties and ability to grow under limited water supply of P. aculeata are known, but little information is available about the growth behavior and composition of this plant when cultivated under a temperate humid climate. Therefore, we evaluated some phenological and physicochemical characteristics of P. aculeata cultivated in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, under temperate and humid climate. We observed that P. aculeata developed normally, but with a quiescent state in the winter, without producing leaves. The flowering of the plant started on February and the fructification started one month later. The physicochemical characteristics (humidity, leaf area, protein, color, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity) varied through the period of cultivation. All our findings support that cultivation of P. aculeata for production of leaves is feasible under temperate and humid climate.