Abstract
Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is an important commercially cultivated nut tree grown in several countries around the world, including temperate, tropical and subtropical regions. We employed morphometric, chemical and genetic analyses to characterize 60 pecan accessions from Southern Brazil. Here we show that a large spectrum of morphological traits is conserved in the trees cultivated by local farmers. On the other hand, chemical composition of the accessions did not diverge significantly. In addition, moderate to high genetic diversity is observed in these plants. Based on these results, we suggest the use of Participatory Plant Breeding as strategy for conservation of the genetic resources of pecan and improvement of nut production and commercialization. Moreover, the intellectual property of the farmers responsible for the genetic improvement of pecan have to be recognized and protected, since it is the key factor in this process.
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