Morphological characterization and productivity estimates of Acrocomia totai Mart. (Arecaceae) – a sustainable alternative of extractivism and cultivation

Abstract

The Acrocomia totai palm can be found in areas of Cerrado and Pantanal in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Its fruits are used by traditional and rural communities for subsistence or income source. Given the relevance of this genetic resource, we assessed the morphological and agronomic characters and estimated the population density in two physiognomies of the Pantanal. We found variation in all analyzed characters, such as the density of spines on the stipe, coloration of leaves, epicarp and mesocarp. The average number of fruits per bunch was 392.30±134.53, fresh mass (g) of the whole fruit of 15.50±3.87 and, the mesocarp oil content (%) of 14.94±8.06. The population density varied between 48 pls.ha-1 in area of shrubby grassland to 287 pls.ha-1 in open grassland. We estimated yields per hectare of 8.65 t of fruits, 4.77 t of pulp and 270 kg of oil in areas of shrubby grassland and 1.45 t of fruits, 0.8 t of pulp and 50 kg of oil in areas of open grassland. The data demonstrate the potential of profitable exploitation of the species in extractive or cultivation. The variation found can be useful for the genus taxonomy, breeding and conservation programs.

Biometric variability of inflorescence and flower traits among ex situ accessions of the neotropical oilseed palm Acrocomia Mart.

“…However, visual discrimination was not possible between the inflorescences of A. aculeata and A. intumescens . Compared to studies including inflorescence traits of A. totai (Silva et al., 2020; Vianna et al., 2021) and A. aculeata (Mazzottini‐dos‐Santos et al., 2015; Silva et al., 2020), for both species the length of the rachis of the inflorescences in the present study was shorter and the number of rachillae per inflorescence was lower, whereas the rachillae were longer.…”

“…However, visual discrimination was not possible between the inflorescences of A. aculeata and A. intumescens. Compared to studies including inflorescence traits of A. totai(Silva et al, 2020;Vianna et al, 2021) and A. aculeata (Mazzottini-dos-Santos et al, 2015;Silva et al, 2020), for both species the length of the rachis of the inflorescences in the present study was shorter and the number of rachillae per inflorescence was lower, whereas the rachillae were longer.The discrepancy of the biometric traits, particularly in pistillate flower number and size, and number of rachillae between the accessions of Acrocomia totai (TOT266 and TOT301: high number of small-sized pistillate flowers) to the other accessions (ACL125 and INT123: low number of larger pistillate flowers), could be attributed to resource allocation and reproductive strategies(Kettle et al, 2011). Mazzottini-dos-Santos et al (2015 observed a high variability in the biometry of Acrocomia aculeata flowering traits but could not distinguish between the environmental effect of the collection areas in northern Minas Gerais and the genetic variability.…”

“…There has been much disagreement among scientists on the taxonomic status of the Acrocomia species and the existing literature has not distinguished between species in a systematic way. For instance, A. totai and A. intumescens are considered either synonyms (Henderson, 1995; Lanes et al., 2015; Menezes Oliveira et al., 2013; Montoya et al., 2016) or ecotypes (De Lima et al., 2020; Machado et al., 2015; Madeira et al., 2024) of A. aculeata , or as distinct species (Díaz et al., 2021; Silva et al., 2020; Vianna et al., 2021; Vianna, Berton, et al., 2017; Vianna, Carmelo‐Guerreiro, et al., 2017). This contributes to a limited understanding of the economic potential of the species (de Lima et al., 2018; Vianna et al., 2021) and constraints in domestication programs and diversity conservation strategies (Hey et al., 2003; Morrison et al., 2009).…”

“…For instance, A. totai and A. intumescens are considered either synonyms (Henderson, 1995; Lanes et al., 2015; Menezes Oliveira et al., 2013; Montoya et al., 2016) or ecotypes (De Lima et al., 2020; Machado et al., 2015; Madeira et al., 2024) of A. aculeata , or as distinct species (Díaz et al., 2021; Silva et al., 2020; Vianna et al., 2021; Vianna, Berton, et al., 2017; Vianna, Carmelo‐Guerreiro, et al., 2017). This contributes to a limited understanding of the economic potential of the species (de Lima et al., 2018; Vianna et al., 2021) and constraints in domestication programs and diversity conservation strategies (Hey et al., 2003; Morrison et al., 2009). Regarding the species uncertainty and a genus in need of taxonomic revision, we suggest considering the current taxonomic Acrocomia species as hypothetical taxon entities, to be confirmed or rejected by morphoanatomical and genetic data available in the present and future.…”

“…In addition, the overlap in morphological traits is exacerbated by the high phenotypic diversity of wild populations (Abreu et al., 2012 ; Díaz et al., 2021 ; Lanes et al., 2016 ; Madeira et al., 2024 ; Oliveira et al., 2012 ). Consequently, species misidentifications of the wild populations are common as species‐related morphological differences are disregarded and viewed as phenotypic variations based on the environmental conditions, or vice versa (de Lima et al., 2018 ; Vianna et al., 2021 ).…”