Caracterização de frutos e enraizamento de estacas de umbu - cajazeiras

Abstract

Umbu-cajazeira (Spondias sp.) is an important species from the Brazilian Northeastern region. The fruit has considerable qualities and great diversity of characteristics. Due to the lack of knowledge on this species, basic studies as well as selection and protection of genotypes of interest in germplasm banks are required to minimize the risk of genetic erosion. This work aimed at physical and physico-chemical characterization of fruits during the period of 2007 and 2008 in plant samples collected from the Santo Antonio de Jesus, Feira de Santana and Jequie micro-regions in Bahia State, Brazil. Twenty-eight plants were evaluated in size, height, trunk perimeter and canopy diameter. Fruits were collected for physico-chemical analyses of acidity, pH, total soluble solids, contents of vitamin C, total soluble solids/total acidity ratio, total sugars, reducing and non-reducing sugars. Fifteen fruits of each sample were used for physical analysis of shape, pulp color, longitudinal and transversal diameter, mass, peel mass, endocarp diameter, transversal/longitudinal diameter ratio and pulp yield and weight. Two experiments were performed to evaluate the viability of vegetative propagation by cuttings: in the first one, three genotypes and two diameter cuttings were tested, in the second one, two diameter cuttings were exposed to five different concentrations of Indole butyric acid. A wide variation in plant and fruit characteristics and a effect of the genotype and cutting diameter over rooting was verified in umbu-cajazeira.