-The objective of this work was to evaluate the genetic diversity of macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata) accessions from 35 municipalities of the state of Goiás, Brazil, in order to obtain information about the genetic variability and to provide subsidies for the commercial deployment of the culture in the Midwestern region of Brazil. The bunches were harvested with ripe fruits. The following were evaluated: fruit and almond lengths and diameters; the weights of fruits and almonds; the average number of almonds, as well as the oil contents in the almond and in the dehydrated fruit. The parameters that indicated significant contributions to the variability were fruit weight, fruit width, fruit length, and oil content in the almond.Index terms: Acrocomia aculeata, agroenergy, almond quality, biodiesel, divergence, oleaginous seed.
Diversidade genética de frutos de macaúba provenientes de 35 municípios de GoiásResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a diversidade genética de acessos de macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata) provenientes de 35 municípios de Goiás, a fim de obter informações sobre a variabilidade genética e fornecer subsídios para implantação comercial da cultura na região Centro-Oeste. Procedeu-se à colheita dos cachos com frutos maduros. Foram avaliados: os comprimentos e os diâmetros dos frutos e das amêndoas; os pesos dos frutos e das amêndoas; o número médio de amêndoas; bem como os teores de óleo na amêndoa e no fruto desidratado. Os parâmetros que indicaram contribuições significativas para a variabilidade foram peso do fruto, largura do fruto, comprimento do fruto e teor de óleo na amêndoa.Termos para indexação: Acrocomia aculeata, agroenergia, qualidade da amêndoa, biodiesel, divergência, semente oleaginosa.The search for viable alternatives for replacing fossil fuels by biodiesel is a growing concern, especially in relation to global climate change (Pimentel et al., 2016). The macaúba -Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart. -has been used as a raw material in the production of biofuels due to its high content of oil in the fruit, production of various energy residues, besides being a native perennial plant found naturally in almost all the Brazilian territory (Pimentel et al., 2015, Evaristo et al., 2016. The oil of the macaúba mesocarp is rich in oleic acid, and is demanded by both the food and the agroenergy industry (Coimbra & Jorge, 2011).Currently, a large part of macaúba cultivation is restricted to extractive activity, and the few plantations are not yet in full production, and others in some research centers (Oliveira et al., 2016). These research centers in Brazil have been evaluating the genetic potential of different genotypes through quantitative and qualitative analyses as well as physical and chemical analysis of macaúba fruits (Matsimbe et al., 2015).Thus, the macaúba is considered of great interest by the scientific community, especially for its oleaginous property, in relation to the possibility of obtaining genetically superior materials. This results in the identificatio...