DIVERSITY AND GENETIC STRUCTURE OF NATURAL POPULATIONS OF ARAÇÁ (Psidium guineense Sw.)

• Published in: Caatinga 2016-01, Vol.29 (1), p.37-44
• Main Authors: SILVA, EDSON FERREIRA DA, ARAÚJO, RAFAELA LIMA DE, MARTINS, CRISTINA DOS SANTOS RIBEIRO, MARTINS, LUIZA SUELY SEMEN, VEASEY, ELIZABETH ANN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE; AGRONOMY; FISHERIES; FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY; FORESTRY; Psidium guineense; VETERINARY SCIENCES
• ISSN: 1983-2125; 0100-316X; 1983-2125
• DOI: 10.1590/1983-21252016v29n105rc

ABSTRAT: Psidium guineense Sw, popularly known as araçá, is a fruit tree there is widely distributed in Brazil and belongs to the Myrtaceae family. In northeastern Brazil, araçá occurs along coast and in the Zona da Mata; its fruit looks like guava but is more acidic and has a stronger smell. There is a little information about this species, which increases the difficulty of conserving its genetic resources and exploiting araçá as an economic resource. The objective of this research was the evaluation of the genetic diversity and genetic structure of P. guineense from Pernambuco's Zona da Mata. One hundred and fourteen individuals and 18 isozyme loci were evaluated, showing 28 alleles. The percentage of polymorphic loci () and the average number of alleles per locus () were 0.5 and 1.5, respectively, in this population. The expected heterozygosity, which corresponds to the genetic diversity, ranged from 0.22 to 0.23, a high value when considering that isozymes mark access from the functional genome. The differentiation index among the population was () = 0.015; therefore, the populations were not different among the sampled places. The inbreeding values () ranged from -0.549 to -0.794, indicating an absence of inbreeding and a greater-than-expected heterozygosity in all the studied populations. The estimated gene flow (Nm) for a pair of this population ranged from 3.23 to 20.77, sufficient to avoid genetic differentiation among the population and in accordance with the values of genetic divergence found in this study. RESUMO: Psidium guineense Sw., conhecida popularmente como araçá, é uma fruteira pertencente à família Myrtaceae que tem ampla distribuição geográfica. Nos Estados do Nordeste Brasileiro ela ocorre principalmente na faixa litorânea e Zona da Mata. O fruto do araçazeiro tem sabor que lembra o da goiaba, ligeiramente mais ácido e de perfume mais acentuado, e sua exploração é feita de modo extrativista. As informações sobre esta espécie são escassas, o que dificulta a conservação dos recursos genéticos e sua exploração econômica. Neste trabalho foram estudadas a diversidade e estrutura genética de quatro populações de araçá, tendo sido avaliados um total de 114 indivíduos por meio de 18 loci isoenzimáticos que revelaram 28 alelos. A porcentagem de locipolimórficos () e o número médio de alelos por loco () nas populações foram 0,5 e 1,5, respectivamente. A heterozigosidade esperada (), que corresponde à diversidade gênica, variou entre 0,22 e 0,2