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Genetic diversity and structure in a major Brazilian annatto (Bixa orellana) germplasm bank revealed by microsatellites and phytochemical compounds

  • Notes on Neglected and Underutilized Crops
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Abstract

Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is a tropical crop indigenous to the Americas, probably Amazonia. Annatto is commercially valuable in the food and cosmetics industries as a natural dye used instead of synthetic dyes. In addition, annatto contains other important substances for human health, such as geranylgeraniol, tocotrienols and other carotenoids. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of 63 accessions from the annatto germplasm bank at the Agronomic Institute (IAC), São Paulo, Brazil, using four phytochemical compounds and 16 microsatellite markers. Significant variation was observed for the phytochemical compounds, ranging from 2 to 7.31 g (100 g dry matter—DM)−1 for bixin, 2.14–7.11 g (100 g DM)−1 for lipids, 0.25–1.05 g (100 g DM)−1 for tocotrienols, and 0.49–2.61 g (100 g DM)−1 for geranylgeraniol content. A total of 73 alleles was observed in the molecular characterization with 16 microsatellite loci. We found higher expected heterozygosity than observed heterozygosity for all loci, indicating strong deficits of heterozygotes. For both molecular and phytochemical compounds, cluster and PCoA analyses tended to separate the accessions from Rondônia, northern Brazil, with only a few exceptions, from the Southwestern accessions. The same two groups were found in the Bayesian analysis with molecular data. Rondônia accessions showed higher values for all the phytochemical compounds and higher levels of genetic diversity. Some accessions presented bixin levels well above the average and are promising materials to be used in genetic improvement programs.

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Acknowledgements

This project was financially supported by São Paulo Research Foundation—FAPESP (2011/10357-8; 2012/08307-5). G. D. was supported by FAPESP with MSc and PhD scholarships (2011/05243-3; 2013/08884-5). E.A.V. and C.R.C. were supported by National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) research fellowships. Authors wish to thank Instituto Agronômico—IAC/APTA, for providing the annatto samples from the annatto Germplasm Bank for this study, and Polo Regional Centro Norte—PRDTA/APTA in Pindorama-SP, for maintaining the annatto Germplasm Bank.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias 11, CP 83, Piracicaba, São Paulo, 13400-970, Brazil

    Gabriel Dequigiovani, Alessandro Alves-Pereira & Elizabeth Ann Veasey

  2. Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Tecnologia em Itacoatiara, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Rua Nossa Senhora do Rosário, 3863, Itacoatiara, Amazonas, 69103-128, Brazil

    Santiago Linorio Ferreyra Ramos

  3. Centro de Horticultura, Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, Av. Barão de Itapura, 1481, Campinas, São Paulo, 13020-902, Brazil

    Eliane Gomes Fabri

  4. Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Av. Cônego Antônio Roccato, 2880, Campinas, São Paulo, 13073-001, Brazil

    Paulo Roberto Nogueira Carvalho & Marta Gomes da Silva

  5. Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios, Pólo Apta Centro Norte, PO Box 24, Pindorama, São Paulo, 15830-000, Brazil

    Maria Teresa Vilela Nogueira Abdo & Antônio Lucio Mello Martins

  6. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Cx. Postal 2223, Manaus, Amazonas, 69080-971, Brazil

    Charles Roland Clement

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  1. Gabriel Dequigiovani
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Dequigiovani, G., Ramos, S.L.F., Alves-Pereira, A. et al. Genetic diversity and structure in a major Brazilian annatto (Bixa orellana) germplasm bank revealed by microsatellites and phytochemical compounds. Genet Resour Crop Evol 64, 1775–1788 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-017-0535-z

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