MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF FRUITS AND SEEDS OF Annona crassiflora Mart. (ANNONACEAE) FROM CENTRAL BRAZIL

Abstract

With the existing reduction of the vegetation cover of the Cerrado, several tree species have their areas of occurrence diminished, and as a consequence, they lose part of their genetic diversity. To counter this scenario it is necessary to know the genetic diversity in order to base projects and practical conservation measures. Thus, the objective of this work was to investigate the genetic variability of Annona crassiflora by means of morphometric data of fruits and seeds in four populations in central Brazil. In total, 152 fruits were obtained from 73 matrices, of which the height, diameter, fruit mass, mass of 100 seeds and number of seeds per fruit were measured. The fruits were stripped and the seed removed to measure their height, width and thickness. The hierarchical cluster study showed the grouping of 11 small groups and two large groups, and in these two large groups there are representatives of the four populations sampled. This shows that there is no specific division of populations, indicating high genetic variability. The fruits of the Buritis population were, as a rule, significantly larger than those of other populations, which may indicate genetic distancing or different environmental conditions of pollination and dispersion. This pattern was not observed in the seed size analysis, although there was a statistical difference between the populations. In general, the largest dimensions were found in the populations of Planaltina and Buritis. Therefore, the analyzes indicate high genetic diversity and fruits/seeds with larger dimensions in the best-preserved state.

Scientific Advances in the Last Decade on the Recovery, Characterization, and Functionality of Bioactive Compounds from the Araticum Fruit (Annona crassiflora Mart.)

“…Therefore, araticum plants present high genetic diversity since they come from seeds that have not yet undergone genetic improvements, thus resulting in highly different individuals [ 3 ]. Moreover, several factors can affect the genetic diversity of this species, including climatic conditions (e.g., temperature), geographical location, and landscape where the matrix is located (e.g., percentage of forestry cover, water, and urban areas) [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Morphometry of fruits and pyrenes in two morphotypes and populations of Butia purpurascens Glassman (Arecaceae)

“…Therefore, due to reproductive morphometric differences, we suggested that fragmentation can cause these effects in the long-term. Other native, commercial and ecologically important plant species from the Cerrado showed morphometric differences between studied populations, as is the case of Dipteryx alata Vogel (BOTEZZELLI et al, 2000), Harconia speciosa Gomes (GANGA et al, 2010), Mauritia flexuosa (MATOS et al, 2014) and Annona crassiflora (PALERMO & SOUZA, 2019). This may indicate isolation of populations, caused by habitat loss and fragmentation.…”

“…The morphometric characterization of fruits and seeds is important in taxonomic studies, identification of varieties with economic value, verification of the phenotypic and genetic variation occurrence and association with environment, both within and between plant populations (SILVA et al, 2007;FELIZARDO et al, 2015;PADILHA et al, 2016;RIOS et al, 2016). Also provides support for research on fruit production and plant propagation (SCHLINDWEIN et al, 2019), since the degradation of natural ecosystems reduces the quality of progenies on a global scale (AGUILAR et al, 2019), and in the Brazilian Cerrado (MATOS et al, 2014;PALERMO & SOUZA, 2019).…”