Linking edaphoclimatic conditions with elementary composition of yerba mate leaves in South America

•Yerba mate plants have revealed interesting plasticity by growing under different environmental conditions.•Soil parent material is determinant for the elemental composition of yerba mate leaves.•Cultivation systems have directly affected Mn and P levels on yerba mate leaves.•Altitude and temperature have implications on foliar elemental composition too. This study aimed to identify the influence of soil and climate attributes on the elemental composition of yerba mate leaves based on 115 paired soil and leaf samples from Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. We collected the samples, gathered weather information from the study sites, and analyzed elemental leaf composition, soil chemical and granulometric attributes, Results showed a great amplitude of micronutrient contents in leaves such as manganese (Mn; 175–5873 mg kg−1), zinc (Zn; 7–483 mg kg−1), iron (Fe; 58–615 mg kg−1), aluminum (Al; 106–1057 mg kg−1), and barium (Ba; 5.2–107.2 mg kg−1). The elemental contents in leaves were generally smaller when yerba mate was cultivated on soils that originated from sedimentary material than on soils originated from basaltic rocks. Leaf content of Mn was higher in plants cultivated in agroforestry system than in plants from monocultures, and the opposite was observed for phosphorus (P). There was a positive correlation between boron (B) and calcium (Ca) in leaves with the mean annual temperature. Nitrogen (N) content in plant leaves grown on soils that originated from basaltic and rhyolite/rhyodacite materials correlated with soil organic matter and altitude. These results indicate that growing conditions affect the elemental composition of yerba mate plants.