Traditional knowledge and uses of the Caryocar brasiliense Cambess. (Pequi) by “quilombolas” of Minas Gerais, Brazil: subsidies for sustainable management

Abstract

Local knowledge of biodiversity has been applied in support of research focused on utilizing and management of natural resources and promotion of conservation. Among these resources, Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense Cambess.) is important as a source of income and food for communities living in the Cerrado biome. In Pontinha, a "quilombola" community, which is located in the central region of State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, an ethnoecological study about Pequi was conducted to support initiatives for generating income for this community. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and crossing. The most relevant uses of Pequi were family food (97%), soap production (67%), oil production (37%), medical treatments (17%), and trade (3%). Bees were the floral visitors with the highest Salience Index (S=0.639). Among frugivores that feed on unfallen fruits, birds showed a higher Salience (S=0.359) and among frugivores who use fallen fruits insects were the most important (S=0.574). Borers (folivorous caterpillars) that attack trunks and roots were the most common pests cited. According to the respondents, young individuals of Pequi are the most affected by fire due to their smaller size and thinner bark. Recognition of the cultural and ecological importance of Pequi has mobilized the community, which has shown interest in incorporating this species as an alternative source of income.Keywords: Cerrado, traditional communities, ethnoecology, income. Conhecimento tradicional e usos de

Population Structure and Fruit Productivity Analyses in Support of the Use of Caryocar brasiliense

“…Informal agreements with extractivists and merchants led to the suspension of the extraction of R. alatus during its reproductive period (Drumond et al, 2015). Because the pequi tree C. brasiliense (Caryocaraceae) occurs in this territory and produces fruits during the same period, its fruits have been indicated by the community as a potential NTFP for use as an alternative source of income (Pinto et al, 2016).…”

Growth of irrigated and fertilized pequi trees in the Cerrado of Goiás, Brazil

“…The raw sap flow is associated with plant transpiration. In order to carry sap, there is a need for water stress in the xylem (the main water transport cell in vascular plants) established by transpiration (Pimentel, 2004). Considering the whole evaluation period (calendar days 277 to 142), the mean orchard transpiration was 42.79 and 24.09 L d -1 per plant for irrigated plants and plants cultivated without irrigation, respectively.…”

“…A mong the fruit trees native from the Cerrado, the pequi tree (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.) can be emphasized due to a possibility of using fruits, seeds, leaves and peels in the food, energy and pharmaceutic industry (Pinto et al, 2016). However, the industrial use of the fruit is still limited.…”

Evaluation of the use of pequi pulp flour in breaded meat

“…Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) is a fruit native to the Brazilian Cerrado, physically characterized as a green to greenish-brown leathery epicarp fruit, an inedible external mesocarp of white color, with internally from one to four pyrenes composed of an edible mesocarp (pulp) orange-yellow and a seed or almond coated with a spiny woody endocarp (M. R. M. R. Pinto et al, 2018;Sousa, Fernandes, Alves, Freitas, & Naves, 2011;Torres, Santana, Shinagawa, & Mancini, 2018). It is a fruit widely used in food and income generation by communities in its original biome, in addition to having ecological relevance regarding its environmental preservation (Bailão, Devilla, Conceição, & Borges, 2015; L. C. L. Pinto et al, 2016).…”