DOMESTICATION STUDIES OF MATICO (BUDDLEJA GLOBOSA HOPE)

Buddleja globose commonly known as “matico” is a medicinal shrub native to Chile. Its leaves are traditionally used for healing wounds and ulcers. The plant is collected from the wild and then marketed. To avoid over-exploitation of the natural populations, domestication studies have been started. The plant proved to be an easy-rooting species. The best percentages (up to 83 %) were observed in spring with hormonal treatments of 500 to 2,000 ppm IBA. The highest flavonoid concentrations were found in adult leaves (0.51 %), followed by young leaves (0.37 %). Concentrations of flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids showed maximum values in spring (0.38, 1.07, and 0.012 %, respectively. Although the species is adapted to dry conditions, irrigated plants showed higher leaf yield, leaf area and tannin concentration than plants grown under water stress. INTRODUCTION Buddleja globose commonly known as “matico” is a medicinal shrub native to Chile. Traditionally, leaves are used for healing wounds and ulcers (Montes and Wilkomirsky, 1987, Mellado et al., 1996). Montes and Wilkomirsky (1987) reported tannins, alkaloids, and flavonoids as some of the active compounds. Matico leaves are collected from the wild and then marketed; however, this process involves overexploitation and a decrease in genetic diversity of the wild population. To overcome these difficulties, domestication studies of this species have been initiated, including studies on propagation, variability of alkaloids, flavonoids, and tannins, and cultivation in order to determine the effects of different irrigation and harvest treatments. MATERIAL AND METHODS Propagation For vegetative propagation, different treatments of the root cuttings were studied, including factors such as season (spring or autumn), application of auxins at different concentrations (from 0 to 3,000 ppm IBA), rooting medium (sand, perlite, and vermiculite), origin of the cuttings (tip, middle, and basal shoot portions), and wounding. The first two factors were studied using a completely randomized design with 4 replications of 50 cuttings each, whereas the studies of the other factors included 20 cuttings per replication. Studies were done in 1997 in Talca, under greenhouse conditions, irrigated by an intermittent mist system, with rooting media temperatures of 25° C in the day and 15° C during the night. Active Agents Variability of flavonoid, alkaloid and tannin concentrations was studied as Proc. Int. Conf. on MAP Eds. J. Bernáth et al. Acta Hort. 576, ISHS 2002 204 function of leaf age (senescent, adult, or young leaves) and seasonal effects (collection in spring, summer, or autumn). Samples were taken in three different locations (plants grown in nursery, plantings, and wild plants) analyzing three, eight, and five individuals, respectively, at 4 and 5 different harvest times. Leaves were dried at 40-45o C and ground. Flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins, were quantified photometrically with modified methods described by Franz and Koehler (1992). Irrigation For the irrigation studies different origins of matico, including individuals from three wild populations and three cultivated clones, were placed in a split-plot design, one fully irrigated, the other with water stress (65 and 20 % field capacity, respectively). The origins were distributed randomly within these plots. In 50 % of the plants in each plot, the main shoot was cut. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Rooting of the Cuttings Matico is an easy-rooting species. Best percentages (up to 83 %) were observed in spring with hormonal treatments of 500 to 2,000 ppm IBA (Table 1). Survival rates seemed to be better in autumn than in springtime, whereas in rooting, no significant differences could be observed, with the exception of the treatment with 1,000 ppm. In comparing the position of the cuttings, wounding, and rooting medium, no differences in rooting between treatments could be found after 11 weeks (Table 2), but cuttings taken from the tip of the shoots rooted faster than those taken from the middle part. At the same time, cuttings grown in sand and in a mixture of perlite and vermiculite showed better survival rates and faster root formation than those in perlite alone. Variability of Active Compounds Highest flavonoid concentrations were found in adult leaves (0.51 %), followed by young leaves (0.37 %). No significant differences among leaf ages could be observed in tannin and alkaloid concentrations (Table 3). Concentrations of flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids showed maximum values in spring (0.38, 1.07, and 0.012 %, respectively) followed by autumn. Considering that matico leaves are growing in spring it is not recommended to harvest them at that time, even though they showed highest concentrations of active compounds, they had low yields of dry matter. In autumn, concentrations of flavonoids and alkaloids are not significantly different from those in spring, but there is an increase in leaf-yield, and adult leaves are richer in flavonoid concentration than young ones. Late harvests should be avoided to prevent high percentages of senescent leaves in the product. Effect of Water Stress Although the species is adapted to dry conditions, irrigated plants showed higher leaf yield, leaf area and tannin concentration than plants grown under water stress (Table 4). Regarding the origin of plant material, no significant differences could be observed in leaf yield, leaf area, flavonoid and tannin concentration, only in alkaloids and the proportion of leaf: total yield. This indicates that cultivated plants have not previously been selected for the studied characters. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to thank FIA (Fundación para la Innovación Agraria), Chile, for financial support (Project Numbers: C-96-1-S-007 and V99-0-S-032), as well as Paula Jeldres, Benita González, and Andrea Pincheira for their collaboration in these studies.