Caracterização de acessos do Banco Ativo de Germoplasma de Abacaxi Comestível (Ananas comosus var. comosus) da Universidade Federal do Amazonas

Abstract

Amazonas is one of the centers of edible pineapple diversity, however, the replacement of local varieties by commercial varieties may pose risks to the conservation of edible pineapple biodiversity (Ananas comosus var. comosus) and the development of new cultivars. In this sense, to increase the number of cultivars developed by pineapple breeding programs around the world, it is necessary to combine in situ and ex-situ conservation strategies, in addition to characterization and evaluation studies of conserved germplasm. This work aimed to create the Active Edible Pineapple Germplasm Bank at the Federal University of Amazonas and the first characterization of accessions. The BAG was installed at the UFAM Experimental Farm in Manaus, Amazonas. 21 accessions from seven sub-regions of Amazonas were evaluated regarding plant height and width, leaf diameter and length, variegation, color, presence of anthocyanin and the presence of thorns. Multivariate DIC analysis of quantitative data allowed the identification of three similarity groups, with leaf width being the characteristic that most contributed to variation. For the qualitative descriptors, 4 similarity groups were identified, 2 of which were formed by a single access. Given this, the edible pineapple BAG presents considerable diversity, presenting itself as a source for the production of new cultivars for the market and maintaining the biological diversity of the fruit in the Amazon, its place of origin. It is recommended that the project be continued to enrich the BAG and include reproductive descriptors (flower and fruit) for the complete characterization and identification of all accessions.