Project seeks to preserve genetic diversity of pineapple in the Amazon

The Amazon is the main center of genetic diversity for edible pineapple in the world and, to reduce the risks of losing this variability of the genus, an active germplasm bank (BAG) is being installed at the Experimental Farm of the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam) In Manaus. With support from Embrapa Amazônia Oeste (AM), the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural and Forestry Development of Amazonas (Idam) and farmers from various Amazonian locations, the collection already brings together 54 accessions of edible pineapples from 32 Amazonian municipalities.

The activity is part of the project “Conservation of local varieties of pineapple cultivated in Amazonas”, which aims to contribute to the appreciation and conservation of agrobiodiversity through the collection, characterization and conservation of germplasm from edible pineapples, domesticated and cultivated by indigenous populations. and family farmers in the Amazon. Led by agricultural engineer Henrique dos Santos Pereira, professor at Ufam, the project includes the participation of researcher Ricardo Lopes, from Embrapa, and technicians from Idam. The project has financial support from the Amazonas Research Support Foundation (Fapeam).

The project foresees four conservation strategies for pineapple species. The first is to establish a BAG of edible pineapples under field conditions (ex situ conservation) that is installed on the Ufam farm. The second is to maintain the varieties in their places of origin (on farm conservation), which is the fields of traditional and indigenous farmers.

The third is in vitro conservation (ex situ conservation) as a “backup copy” of the BAG maintained in the field, at the Embrapa Amazônia Oeste Tissue Culture Laboratory. The fourth strategy will be to establish and evaluate the viability of pollen collection of local varieties under cryopreservation. The different conservation strategies are complementary and reduce the risks of loss of genetic variability, as well as facilitating the exchange and use of germplasm.

Pereira reveals that, to obtain the materials, there was strategic support from Idam, the state government's rural extension body, which has more than 60 offices spread across Amazonas. “Its technicians have played a key role in obtaining, storing and shipping the pineapples. It is up to them to identify the plants and put us in contact with the farmers”, he informs.

Preference for variety can threaten others

In Amazonas, the predominant variety in crops is known as “Turiaçu”, which is believed to have been introduced in the municipality of Itacoatiara (AM), from seedlings brought from the municipality of Turiaçu, in the Maranhão Amazon. This variety, selected by family farmers, predominates on a large scale in the cultivation of Itacoatiara, the largest pineapple producer in the state, increasing its spread to other municipalities.

“With this preference, there is a risk that this variety will replace native local varieties, causing genetic erosion and the loss of the species’ agrobiodiversity, which would be particularly serious, considering Amazonas is a center of diversity. of culture”, says Pereira.

To support the implementation of the BAG, the project team relied on the expertise of researcher Fernanda Vidigal, curator of the BAG Abacaxi at Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura, in the Bahian municipality of Cruz das Almas, the largest germplasm bank in the world in terms of number of accessions. gender. She visited the Ufam farm and participated in the exchange of knowledge, when she provided guidance on the techniques for identifying and maintaining the places where genetic materials will be preserved, as well as the protocol for collecting the material that should also be deposited at the BAG Pineapple maintained by Embrapa in Bahia.

According to Vidigal, BAG's work is very focused on the conservation and use of pineapple genetic resources. She reports that the Western Amazon is a very important center of diversity for the Ananas genus, and that in this region, with traditional, local and indigenous communities, the greatest genetic variability of pineapple in the world is protected, mainly of Ananas comosus var. comosus botanical variety to which the edible pineapple belongs.

The scientist highlights that there are still several steps left to be followed by the project, such as the characterization of the bank, carrying out new collections, the appropriate management of "on farm" conservation, which is carried out by farmers and traditional communities, the expansion of in vitro conservation and, in the future, cryopreservation.

In vitro conservation is carried out in laboratory conditions, where the plants are preserved in test tubes and under controlled conditions “When the plant grows, it must be renewed in the tube and thus the bank is maintained and renewed. Pineapple cryopreservation is carried out using plant tissue, which needs to be treated to resist the effects of freezing (-196C°). The material is saved and stored in liquid hydrogen tanks”, details the researcher, informing that Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura already has a cryopreservation protocol established for pineapple.

In vitro germplasm is safe

Lopes, technical responsible for the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, at Embrapa Amazônia Oeste, says that the in vitro collection has a low cost, requires small space and promotes high safety for the material, which is not exposed to adverse weather conditions, predator attacks , pests or diseases.

He emphasizes that, in addition to conserving germplasm, micropropagation allows traditional varieties with little availability of propagative material to be multiplied on a large scale, thus producing enough seedlings to carry out agronomic experiments and cultivation on a larger scale. The researcher considers this work valuable to conserve and enhance traditional varieties of edible pineapples existing in Amazonas.