Abstract
Abstract Annatto (Bixa orellana) is a tropical crop native to the Americas with Amazonia as the likely center of origin of domestication. Annatto is important because it produces the dye bixin, which is widely used in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and textile industries. A total of 32 microsatellite loci were isolated from a microsatellite-enriched genomic library, of which 12 polymorphic loci were used to characterize four populations of B. orellana and B. orellana var. urucurana, the wild relative. Higher genetic diversity estimates were detected for the wild populations when compared to the cultivated populations. Also, higher apparent outcrossing rates were found for the two wild than the cultivated populations. These results indicate a mixed mating system for the species. All markers described herein have potential to be used in further studies evaluating the genetic diversity, population dynamics, domestication, breeding, and conservation genetics of annatto.
Highlights
Annatto (Bixa orellana L.; Bixaceae) is a tropical crop native to the Americas with Amazonia as the likely center of origin of domestication (Arce 1999, Clement et al 2010, Moreira et al 2015)domestication and dispersal of native Amazonian crops in an expanding archaeological context
The wild ancestor of cultivated annatto has recently been identified as B. orellana var. orellana (Willd.) Kuntze ex Pilg
Two were populations of cultivated annatto (B. orellana), one with 31 accessions located in São Francisco do Guaporé, Rondônia, Brazil, and the other with 22 accessions located in Rondon do Pará, Pará, Brazil
Summary
Annatto (Bixa orellana L.; Bixaceae) is a tropical crop native to the Americas with Amazonia as the likely center of origin of domestication (Arce 1999, Clement et al 2010, Moreira et al 2015)domestication and dispersal of native Amazonian crops in an expanding archaeological context. The wild ancestor of cultivated annatto has recently been identified as B. orellana var. Annatto is commercially valuable due to its applications in the food and cosmetics industries, as a natural substitute of synthetic dyes (Nisar et al 2015). It is the second most important economic crop worldwide among all natural colorants, and has gained fame for containing, apart from dye, other important substances for human
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