Brugmansia suaveolens Leaf Productivity and Alkaloid Contents Under Different Doses of Organic Fertilizer

According to the World Health Organization, the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides should be avoided in the cultivation of medicinal plants due to their potential antagonistic actions. Brugmansia spp. is a perennial bush native to South America, but it is also cultivated in Europe, Central America, and Asia due to its ornamental characteristics. Aerial parts of this plant are used in ethnomedicine to alleviate ulcers and pain, as well as to treat abscesses, fungal infection of the skin, and dermatitis. Tropane alkaloids scopolamine and atropine are recognized as active principles of this plant. This study evaluated the applicability of organic agricultural techniques in the cultivation of Brugmansia suaveolens. The influence of different dosages (0-60 tons/ha) of organic fertilizer on the mass productivity of plant shoot as well as their atropine and scopolamine contents were investigated. The average dry matter of leaves (26.54±5.12-55.41±12.85 g) and stems (26.73±8.51-58.60±17.62 g) per plant increased with increasingly availability of organic fertilizer (0-60 ton/ha). The same behavior was observed when the contents of the active tropane alkaloids scopolamine (0.72±0.03-0.86±0.13 mg/g) and atropine (0.79±0.03-0.96±0.11 mg/g) were monitored by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer. Overall, the treatment at the maximum level tested in this work (60 ton/ha) should be preferred over the other treatments. B. suaveolens could be a potential source of tropane alkaloids for the community of Botucatu city, which is a leading city in Brazil for the cultivation of food products under organic, biodynamic, and agroecology premises.