Turmeric or curcuma (Curcuma longa L.) is a Zingiberaceae whose essential oil and coloring pigments obtained from the rhizome have been widely used in the food industry and medicine. This study aimed to extract and identify the chemical compounds found in C. longa essential oil from rhizomes collected in six different locations of Brazil. The oil extraction was carried out by hydrodistillation technique, using a Clevenger- type apparatus. The chemical constituents were identified by Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The principal component analysis (PCA) and the hierarchical cluster analysis (cluster)were done for the obtained data; and the composition of the studied accesses was verified. Three groups of chemotypes were obtained: group I was formed by the accesses of Campo Grande / Indígena-MS, Mara Rosa-GO, Campo Grande-MS and Perobal-PR, and had Ar-turmerone as its main compound; group II, formed by the access of Santa Tereza do Oeste-PR, presented α-costol and α-Phellandrene as the predominant compounds; and group III, the access of Holambra-SP, differed from the others regarding its essential oil chemical composition whose main agents were Curlone, Zingiberene, β-sesquiphellandrene, Humulene epoxide II, cis-α-trans-Bergamotol. The predominant chemical class in all accesses was hydrocarbon sesquiterpenes (Santa Tereza do Oeste-PR and Holambra-SP) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (the others). This study evidenced the formation of three chemotypes

This study evaluated the effects of salinity on the development, growth and biomass production of two sweet maize genotypes ("Tropical Plus®" and "Doce do Havaí") and compared the oxidative stress marker responses of plant tissues from roots and leaves of different seedlings submitted to different amounts of NaCl in a nutrient solution. The experiment was carried out in a complete random design, in a 2x4 factorial arrangement (two sweet maize genotypes and four salt concentrations: 0, 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl). Previously, the seeds were distributed in Styrofoam trays containing commercial substrate and, 10 days after sowing, the seedlings were transferred to 2-litter plastic pots, containing nutrient solution without NaCl addition, where they were kept for 8 days. NaCl was added to the nutrient solution, according to the treatments. Each treatment consisted of four pots containing six plants each. The plants were kept in B.O.D. at 25°C with 18/6 light for 14 days. The nutrient solution with NaCl addition was changed every 7 days until the end of the experiment. Saline stress reduced root (13% and 29% for Hawaiian and "Tropical Plus®", respectively) and shoot length (36% for "Doce do Havaí" and 48% for "Tropical Plus®"), fresh shoot (29% for "Doce do Havaí" genotype, and 70% for "Tropical Plus®") and root mass (18% and 38% for "Doce do Havaí" and "Tropical Plus®", respectively), shoot diameter (18% and 20% for "Doce do Havaí" and "Tropical Plus®", respectively) and chlorophyll content in both genotypes, with results more significative in "Tropical Plus®" hybrid seedlings. However, the concentrations of proline and malondialdehyde in roots and leaves, as well as conductivity, increased in response to the addition of NaCl, mainly in "Doce do Havaí". These results suggest that the "Doce do Havaí" genotype is more tolerant to salinity compared to "Tropical Plus®" hybrid, and may be indicated for breeding programs aiming to develop saline tolerant plants.