Sustainable Production of the Priprioca Essential Oil (Cyperus articulatus var. nodosus L.) in Amazonia

Abstract

The Cyperus articulatus (Cyperaceae) is a plant used in the Amazon for bath scents. The essential oil (EO) from the plant is used by cosmetic industries to make fine fragrances. The region of West Pará State has climate, land and means suitable for cultivation. The objective of the work is the sustainable production of C. articulatus establishing the basis for agronomic experiments in degraded areas to obtain the minimal parameters for commercial cultivation. They were installed experiments Tabocal I and II (area producers) and Belterra (area of EMBRAPA). The availability of agricultural areas and the edafoclimatic factors in the region were considered, obtaining technical coefficients of production after 09 and 12 months of planting. The best production of fresh priprioca bulbs was after 12 months of planting, in Belterra, with 7.66t ha-Å, in Tabocal I 11.20t ha-Å and in Tabocal II 22.09t ha-Å. The cost of production per hectare varied. In Belterra it was R$ 12,410.00, in Tabocal II R$ 15,740.00 and in Tabocal II R$ 12,460.00. The profits, or the net gain of the production of bulbs for Belterra was R$ 1,910.00, for Tabocal I R$ 6,660.00 and for Tabocal II R$ 31,734.00. They were established extraction and chromatographic analysis of the essential oil of priprioca tubers in laboratory scale, pilot and industrial. The yield on the pilot extractor was 0.35%, Clevenger of 0.56% and 0.45% in the industry. A complementary chromatographic analysis of the EO of the priprioca is discussed based on the characteristics of the experiments. The chemical profile shows sesquiterpenes characteristic for this species, such as mustacone with variations of concentrates subject to edafoclimatic factors. The commercialization of the EO at US$ 500/kg shows that the cultivation of priprioca presents itself as a new economic alternative in the region.