As Plantas Ornamentais Não Convencionais no Amazonas: conservação e alternativa de geração de renda

Abstract

Ornamental plants play important landscaping, aesthetic and commercial roles, and are essential for the floriculture market, especially in the Amazon, where they boost the local economy, generate jobs, promote sustainable development and encourage entrepreneurship. Ornamental species such as Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don (vinca) and the Euphorbia milii Des Moul (crown of christ) have great landscaping and commercial value, as well as relevance in biodiversity conservation. Non-Conventional Ornamental Plants (PONC) are resilient and adaptable to challenging environments, characteristics that make them relevant in climate change scenarios. Recently, these plants have also demonstrated efficiency in the phytoremediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals. The study was carried out in the cities of Manaus, Manacapuru, Tabatinga, Humaitá and Parintins (AM), with the objective of identifying the forms of use and commercialization of ornamental species, in addition to presenting the modeling of geographic distribution in climate change scenarios and analyzing the inorganic components present in the soil and in the tissues of C. roseus. Forms were applied to 121 participants, including market vendors, vendors and residents. The modeling of the geographic distribution of PONC was performed using 19 bioclimatic and 14 soil variables, considering climate change scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585). For analysis of inorganic components, 103 soil and tissue samples were collected.C. roseus, analyzed by total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). The results showed that the most frequent ornamental species in the backyards of the five municipalities are Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f (aloe), Euphorbia milii Des Moul (crown of christ), Catharanthus roseus(L.) G.Don (vinca), Sansevieria trifasciata var. laurentii (De Wild.) NE Br (sword of Saint George) and Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult (desert rose). In all phytogeographic domains, there was a loss of areas with environmental suitability for C. roseus and E. milii, the former being more resilient. C. roseus demonstrated significant phytoremediation capacity, accumulating heavy metals such as Cu, Al, Pb, Cr, Zn and Ni in its leaves and flowers. The flower and ornamental plant market in Amazonas has great potential, requiring investments and public policies to support small producers. PONC, such as C. roseus and E. milii, play an important role in conservation and sustainability in climate change scenarios. Furthermore, C. roseus stands out as a promising alternative for the phytoremediation of contaminated soils. These findings highlight the importance of entrepreneurship and the development of viable conservation strategies for hardy and ornamental plants in the region.