Bioactive compounds in edible flowers of garden pansy in response to irrigation and mycorrhizal inoculation

ABSTRACT Edible flowers have been increasingly used in the Brazilian gastronomy because they are considered functional foods with high antioxidant potential. Studies on the management of cultivation of edible flowers to increase the production of bioactive compounds have been developed aiming at the improvement of production systems. The objective of this work was to evaluate the production of bioactive compounds in garden pansy (Viola wittrockiana Gams ex Nauenb. & Buttler) plants submitted to different levels of irrigation and mycorrhizal inoculation. The greenhouse experiment was conducted in randomized blocks in a 2x5 factorial design with the presence and absence of mycorrhizal inoculation in combination with 5 levels of water evaporation (120%, 100%, 80%, 60% and 40%) replaced by irrigation, totaling 10 treatments with 6 replicates. The contents of bioactive compounds (total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and total anthocyanins) present in the flowers, collected over the reproductive period, were evaluated. There was a significant interaction between the factors mycorrhizal inoculation and irrigation levels by F test (p < 0.05) for total flavonoids and anthocyanins. The best results in the production of bioactive compounds were obtained for irrigation at the 100% replenishment level of water evaporation without the presence of mycorrhizal inoculation.