Jatropha is a potential oilseed crop, which requires mitigating factors such as the low genetic variability of the species. The solution runs through the research of Brazilian germplasm. Attention should be given to the germplasm of jatropha the north of Minas Gerais, because this is the oldest national collection and because this region may be a regions of jatropha diversity due to selection pressure arising from environmental adversities. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of 48 accessions of collection from Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais (EPAMIG), using SSR and ISSR markers. The results showed low genetic diversity, but some individuals stood out as J. mollissima (48), J. podagrica (47), Mexican accessions (42, 43, 44 and 45) and some national accessions (28, 29, 41 and 46). Therefore, aiming to increase the genetic variability and improve the effectiveness of jatropha breeding programs, it is suggested to explore such as parental accessions to generate commercial hybrids. This fact implies the possibility to support future production of jatropha, since this culture may be an important source of income, especially for small farmers living in semiarid regions of Brazil.

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Despite being a major staple food in the world, banana production in the United States is still limited, with about 500 acres under cultivation. Micropropagation has been an effective method for the large-scale production of bananas to meet both domestic and international markets. However, the efficiency of micropropagation protocols depends on several factors, particularly on the types, combinations, and levels of plant growth regulators used in the culture media. Phloroglucinol is a growth regulator that acts synergistically with auxins and cytokinins. The use of phloroglucinol for Short Communication

The preservation of banana genetic material is usually performed through seedlings. However, most banana cultivars do not produce seed and are propagated vegetatively. Therefore, cryopreservation is a feasible technique that allows the preservation of banana genotypes indefinitely. For the success of cryopreservation protocols, the selection of cryoprotectants and pre-freezing techniques are important factor. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify the effects of different cryoprotectants with and without 1% phloroglucinol and pre-cooling periods on the development of a protocol for cryopreservation of in vitro rhizomes of Musa accuminata (AAA) cv Grand Naine banana. The addition of 1% phloroglucinol to the cryoprotective solutions, such as PVS2 enhanced recovery of cryopreserved banana rhizomes. In addition, pre-cooling of explants in ice for 3 hours in PVS2 + 1% of phloroglucinol allowed efficient cryopreservation of banana rhizomes, followed by successful recovery and regeneration of in vitro shoots of banana cv Grand Naine.

This work was conducted with the objective of evaluating the performance of cactus pear cultivars on in vitro culture using bioreactors and the conventional method. The treatments were arranged in a 3 × 2 factorial scheme with a completely randomized design, and the three cactus pear cultivars (Orelha de elefante mexicana, Miúda and IPA-Sertânia) were combined with two micropropagation methods (conventional and temporary immersion bioreactors), totaling six treatments with five replicates each. After 30 days, the following variables were evaluated: cladode length, fresh explant matter mass, number of shoots and number of roots. There was a significant interaction between the cultivar factor and the micropropagation method for the cladode length and fresh matter mass, with bioreactors being the most responsive. However, regarding to the number of shoots and number of roots, there was no interaction between these factors under the same level of significance, where the conventional crop stood out. The results indicate different morphogenetic responses among the tested cultivars, and specific in vitro propagation protocols should be developed for each one.