Abstract Limited experiential contact to natural environment can affect the knowledge of the local flora and, consequently, the intentions to conserve it. Therefore, this study aims to analyze whether high school students from Teresina (PI-Brazil) can identify more species of native than exotic plants and the factors that can affect this ability. 333 students from state public schools were interviewed through semi-structured questionnaires and with printed images of 20 species of plants found in the region. The data were analyzed using univariate non-parametric statistics. The results show that living in the countryside positively influenced the identification of local flora, but there was no significant difference in the number of identified plants between students who attended botany classes and those who did not. Two native plants (cashew-96.7% and pitomba-91.9%) and three exotic plants (mango-90.7%, guava-94.9% and acerola-82.0%) stood out among the most identified plant species. It was also found that, for two species of native plants very important for the State of Piauí, the caneleiro (0.6%) and the carnauba (26.7%), the identification rates were scarce. Thus, it is necessary to use Environmental Education and the teaching of Botany to prioritize native plant species, valuing local ecology and ensuring their protection.

RESUMEN La salinidad es uno de los principales factores de estrés ambiental, además de interferir en el crecimiento de las plantas perjudica directamente la producción agrícola. En ese contexto, se destaca la importancia de investigaciones direccionadas a la respuesta de las plantas sometidas al estrés salino, con el fin de evaluar el comportamiento fisiológico y bioquímico con el objetivo de seleccionar genotipos tolerantes a dicha condición. Una de las técnicas más utilizadas para uniformizar la respuesta de las plantas a una condición en particular es el cultivo de tejidos in vitro. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la respuesta de dos variedades comerciales de caña de azúcar (RB931011 e RB872552) expuestas a estrés salino con NaCl (56 mM e 112 mM) en diferentes condiciones, gradual y abrupta. Las respuestas del sistema antioxidante enzimático (catalasa, peroxidasa y ascorbato peroxidasa) y prolina libre, asi como las concentraciones de Na+ e K+ fueron evaluadas 30 días después del inicio de los tratamientos. Fueron observadas diferencias en la respuesta de las variedades en función del modo de inducción del estrés salino, graduado o abrupto, y no solo en función de las concentraciones de NaCl en el medio de cultivo. La respuesta al estrés es condicionada no solo por la concentración de sal sino también por la forma de exposición al medio salino.

ABSTRACT Salinity is one of the major environmental stress factors that affect crop productivity, as well as interfering with plant growth and development, resulting in reduced production quality. Given this, we highlight the importance of research in response to plants subjected to salt stress in order to assess the physiological and biochemical behavior of genotypes, with the objective of selecting the more tolerant. One way to ensure the uniformity of the response of the plants is through in vitro cultivation, which allows control of the cultivation conditions. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the response of two commercial varieties of sugar cane exposed to saline stress in different conditions (gradual and abrupt). Two varieties of sugarcane (RB931011 and RB872552) were subjected to in vitro salt stress by NaCl (56 mM and 112 mM), either gradually or suddenly. The responses of the enzymatic antioxidant system (catalase, peroxidases and ascorbate peroxidase) and free proline, as well as the Na+ and K+ contents, were assessed 30 days after the beginning of the treatments. Differences were observed in the responses of the varieties as a function of the induction mode of salt stress, graded or by shock, rather than as a function of the NaCl concentrations in the culture medium. The stress response is therefore conditioned not only by salt concentration, but also by the form of exposure to salt.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue inducir la embriogénesis somática directa en segmentos de hojas jóvenes en la variedad de caña de azúcar RB872552, e investigar la correlación de este evento morfogénico con el estrés oxidativo. Se utilizaron dos protocolos de inducción de embriogénesis somática, previamente descritos para caña de azúcar, con distintas suplementaciones en el medio de cultivo y en las condiciones de incubación. Para la conversión de embriones en plantas se utilizó el medio MS sin fitoreguladores. Se realizaron además análisis histológicas y de actividad enzimática antioxidante en tejidos embriogénicos y no embriogénicos. La formación de embriones somáticos ocurrió en 81 % de los explantes, con la combinación de los reguladores de crecimiento 2,4-D (ácido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético) y BAP (6-bencilaminopurina) e incubación bajo un fotoperiodo de 16 h. Respecto a las enzimas antioxidantes, se observó un incremento en la actividad de peroxidasa y en el contenido de proteínas solubles en los tejidos embriogénicos, mientras que la polifenoloxidasa y la catalasa presentaron valores más bajos de actividad en estos tejidos, en comparación con los no embriogénicos. Se podría inferir que el estrés oxidativo juega un papel importante en la inducción de la embriogénesis somática en caña de azúcar.

The objective of this work was to induce direct somatic embryogenesis from segments of immature leaves of the RB872552 variety of sugarcane and to correlate this morphogenic event with oxidative stress. Two previously described protocols were utilized for the induction of somatic embryogenesis in sugarcane with different supplementations of the culture medium and different incubation conditions. For the conversion of embryos into plants was used MS medium without phytoregulators. Histological analyses and activity of antioxidant enzymes were also conducted for the embryogenic and non-embryogenic tissues. The formation of somatic embryos was obtained in 81 % of the explants with the combination of regulators 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid)and BAP (6-benzylaminopurine) when incubated under 16 h photoperiod. With regards to the antioxidant enzymes, there was increased activity of peroxidase and an increase in the soluble protein content in embryogenic tissues, whereas lower activities of polyphenol oxidase and catalase appeared in these tissues compared to nonembryogenic tissues. It could be inferred that oxidative stress plays an important role in the induction of somatic embryogenesis in sugarcane.