Abstract

Cajui (Anacardium spp.) is a native fruit tree (small cashew) of the Brazilian Cerrado and possesses the potential for commercialization. However, cajui exploitation occurs exclusively through extractivism in the absence of conservation strategies. The lack of conservation strategies may lead to a decrease in genetic diversity of Anacardium. In this work, the genetic diversity and population structure of three natural populations in Sete Cidades National Park (PNSC; PI, Brazil) were assessed using ISSR analysis of 56 cajui accessions and two A. occidentale accessions (outgroup) from Pacajus (CE, Brazil). A total of 112 markers were obtained, 93 (83.04%) of which were polymorphic. The diversity indices of these populations indicated moderate levels of genetic diversity. According to AMOVA, 96.17% of the genetic variability lay within populations, with low genetic differentiation among populations (ΦST = 0.03828). Furthermore, STRUCTURE analysis indicated the existence of four connected genetic groups. The findings show that the individuals from the three collection sites did not represent different subpopulations, likely due to the high gene flow (Nm = 6.7) favored by the floral biology of Anacardium, pollinators and small-animal seed dispersers. This research identifies genetically divergent individuals (C-03, C-05, C-22, C-26, C-34 and C-39), which should be considered priority individuals for conservation and can inform conservation programs for Anacardium spp.

Highlights

  • The Brazilian Cerrado is considered a hotspot of biodiversity and presents a richness of fruit species with great potential for economic utilization (Myers et al 2000)

  • The lack of conservation strategies may lead to a decrease in genetic diversity of Anacardium

  • The highest number of bands was obtained with primer University of British Columbia (UBC) 834 (14 fragments), and the lowest number was obtained with primers UBC 840 and UBC 845 (7 fragments each), with a mean of ~10 fragments per primer

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Summary

Introduction

The Brazilian Cerrado is considered a hotspot of biodiversity and presents a richness of fruit species with great potential for economic utilization (Myers et al 2000). The term 'cajui' (small cashew fruit) is used to describe species of the genus Anacardium L. that produce small nuts (cashews) and peduncles (Borges et al 2018). The genus Anacardium, family Anacardiaceae, is native to Neotropical regions and presents two centers of diversity: one in the Central Amazon and the other in the Brazilian Cerrado (Mitchell and Mori 1987). Both the nut (fruit) and the peduncle (pseudofruit) can be consumed in natura or in the form of juices and sweets (Campos et al 2015; Porto et al 2016). The peduncle presents high contents of vitamin C and antioxidant compounds indicated for the prevention or therapy of pathologies in cells under oxidative stress (Barbosa-Filho et al 2014)

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