Structure of the phenotypic variability of fruit and seeds of Dipteryx alata vogel (Fabaceae)

Abstract

Abstract Dipteryx alata Vogel (“baru tree”) is a fruit species native to the Brazilian Cerrado and presents a multiplicity of uses, constituting a priority species for domestication and cultivation studies. The objective of the current study was to characterize fruit and seeds of D. alata from several regions of the Brazilian Cerrado biome to support strategies for ex situ conservation and utilization of the genetic variability of the species. Fruits were collected from 25 subpopulations, sampling six mother plants per subpopulation, with collection of at least 25 fruits per plant. The physical trait data of the fruits and seeds were submitted to descriptive analysis, analysis of variance and correlation among traits. There was significant variation for all traits among subpopulations and among individuals within subpopulations. The highest proportion of variability was observed among individuals within subpopulations. The phenotypic differentiation among subpopulations was higher for fruit traits compared to seed traits. The correlation analysis showed the existence of significant correlations for most of the traits pairs in the different hierarchical levels. It was concluded that D. alata presents phenotypic variability to support germplasm collection programsand formation of base populations for breeding programs, recommending the sampling in several locations to ensure an adequate representativeness of the phenotypic variability.