Elicitors are used in plant physiology studies for comprehension of defense mechanisms against herbivore attach and pathogen infections. For this reason, the exogenous chitosan effect was tested as an elicitor on Jaborandi (Piper mollicomum Kunth). Thus, it was evaluated the elicitor effect in the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) ,ascorbate peroxidase (APX),hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malonaldehyde (MDA) concentrations to estimate the lipid peroxidation. The experimental design was in randomized blocks in a factorial 5x2, being 2 controls (plants without pulverization and plants sprayed only with a diluting solvent chitosan) and 3 chitosan concentrations (2.5; 5.0 and 10.0 g L-1) in 2 leaf development stage (in development and fully expanded). At the fully expanded leaves, the antioxidant system presented higher active. The CAT had greater involvement in the kidnapping of free radicals induced by the application of chitosan in both leaf stages of development. The APX was induced only in fully expanded leaves and the highest concentration of chitosan. The MDA method was better to highlight the difference in hydrogen peroxide content as a function of stress induced by chitosan. According to the results of this test, it can be suggested that the plants Jaborandi antioxidant enzymes are required in response to the elicitor in question, chitosan, thus composing the defense mechanism of these plants.
chitosan elicitor; SOD; CAT; APX; Piper mollicomum
