Caracterização fenotípica da parkia pendula: subsídios para a conservação e melhoramento genético

Abstract

Biodiversity conservation has become one of the most urgent issues in a global scenario of environmental degradation and climate change. In order to minimize these impacts, conservation strategies are sought, such as ex situ conservation, that is, conservation that occurs outside the natural site of the species. Given this scenario, native plant species, due to their adaptability, should be prioritized, since they play a fundamental role in ecological balance and in the maintenance of environmental services. Thus, the study aimed to phenotypically characterize Parkia pendula individuals belonging to the Federal University of Alagoas (Ufal) Arboretum, in order to understand their genetic variability, for management, conservation and future genetic improvement programs of the species. The following phenotypic traits were analyzed: plant height (ALT); diameter at breast height (DAP, above 5 cm); and mean crown diameter (DMC), obtained from the average between the measurements of the crown projection in the row (L) and between the rows (E) of the plantation, according to the expression: MCD = (L + E) / 2. The statistical analyses were performed using the Selegen Reml-Blup and RBio software. Phenotypic analysis revealed great morphological variability, especially in DBH and crown area. There was a positive correlation between DBH, height and crown area. The dendrogram formed 5 distinct groups. Individuals 8, 20 and 25 are the most genetically distant, therefore, they should be prioritized for conservation and genetic improvement.

Keywords: ex situ conservation; genetic variability; visgueiro; arboretum.