The present study evaluates the regenerative activity of a polysaccharide fraction from yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) using planarian (Girardia tigrina) as a model. At 10 mg L–1, the polysaccharide fraction improves the regeneration of the head, pharynx, and tail of G. tigrina. At the end of experiment, at 10 mg L–1, the planarians obtained are 22–72% higher than the control group. The planarian fragments exposed to the highest concentration used, i.e., (60 mg mL–1), show signs of toxicity, producing death of some organisms. Thus, the polysaccharide fraction presents a great potential for improving the regeneration of planarian segments, suggesting its potential use in tissue regeneration.

Background: Yerba-mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a perennial native tree from South America. Improper management of yerba-mate crops results in low yield. This work evaluated the recovery and the vegetative capacity of the crop after coppicing. Methods: A 2-year field observation approach was used and the study area was monitored from 2019 to 2021 in a 20-year-old yerba-mate crop with low yield. Drastic coppicing was used as a strategy, aiming to study the effect of the month and the height of pruning. Four groups were defined combining the trunk heights of 10 and 40 cm and the months of pruning June and August. Results: Yerba-mate plants showed a low mortality rate of 2%. In the first year after the intervention, the height of the cutting was the most important factor that influenced the amount of primary and secondary branches, validating response surfaces with r2 values of 0.9942 and 0.9084, respectively. In the second year of the experiment, full recovery in productivity was reached, with a mean rise of 109.7% in the plants of the group coppiced in June 40 cm above the soil. Conclusion: The techniques used in this study are appropriate for vigor recovery in yerba-mate plants inadequately managed and allow a new architecture on plants, enabling mechanical harvesting.