Potencial germinativo da jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneider) para áreas áridas e semiáridas: contribuições na pesquisa agronômica e no ensino regional

Abstract

The urrent agricultural practices have imposed costs on the economy, resulting in production losses and loss of human capital. In arid and semi-arid environments, these consequences are even more evident, as the climatic conditions of these regions lead to greater environmental impacts, such as the burning of fossil fuels and inadequate soil management, resulting from the development of activities that promote agribusiness. Therefore, the adoption of crops adapted to more hostile environments is an alternative to minimize the impacts that make sustainable development unfeasible. Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneider) is an oilseed species of desert origin and highly resistant to drought. For more than 30 years, the species has been commercially cultivated in several countries worldwide. The seeds produced by the plant contain a high-quality oil, which is used as a raw material in the agricultural, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, as well as the biofuel industry, a segment that is still in its early stages of study. Considering the role of educational institutions, which regardless of level, should commit to offering curricula that are contextualized with current topics and, whenever possible, linked to the reality of students, this work aimed to prove the hypotheses that jojoba presents high tolerance to the different abiotic stresses found in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, and that problematizing and contextualized botany teaching favors meaningful learning. In order to achieve these objectives, this work was structured into two chapters. Chapter 1 aimed to evaluate the effects of water and salt stress on jojoba germination and initial growth under different temperatures. For germination, Germitest paper rolls were used, moistened with 100 and 200 mM mannitol solutions; 50 and 100 mM NaCl and distilled water (control), which were placed in a germination chamber at 20, 28, and 32ºC, defined by the approximate average temperatures found in studies from a literature review. The variables analyzed were germination (%), germination speed index (GSI), fresh mass (g), and root length (cm) of normal seedlings. The results showed that the seeds and seedlings are moderately tolerant to salt and water stress, and highly sensitive to increased temperature. Chapter 2 aimed to understand the perceptions of students from the Integrated Technical Course in Biofuels about botany and to analyze the contribution of a didactic sequence in their teaching-learning process about the bioenergy potential of jojoba. Through a semi-structured questionnaire, the students were initially investigated, and some of them participated in a workshop subsequently developed, in which jojoba was used as a study object to apply botanical concepts. The activities carried out were effective in stimulating the interest of the participants in botany and helped in the construction of new knowledge related to the bioenergy potential of jojoba. In general, this work contributed to research and teaching focused on the cultivation and management of oilseeds resilient to the environmental conditions of arid and semi-arid regions; which are relevant from a social and economic point of view, and also potential renewable raw materials for the energy sector.