Diversidad genética y fisicoquímica en doce cultivares brasileños de anacardo (Anacardium occidentale)

Background and Aims: Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) is a native Brazilian tree, cultivated in various warm climates across the world. The cashew kernels production has been an important economic activity for many tropical countries, providing a variety of food with great nutrition value. The genetic diversity among the early dwarf cultivars used to production is poorly understood, as is the nutritional composition among nuts from those plants. This work aimed to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of cashew kernels and to study genetic diversity among twelve cultivars to indicate superior genotypes for future breeding programs. Methods: Cashew kernels from twelve cultivars were evaluated for pH, titratable acidity, moisture, ash, lipids and proteins. The genetic variability was assessed using RAPD and ISSR molecular markers. Data from molecular and physicochemical analyses were used to estimate the genetic distances and Mantel test approach was applied to calculate Pearson’s correlation between the data.Key results: A high genetic variability was found among the cultivars. BRS 274 and BRS 275 were the closest genetically, while CCP 09 and BRS 189 were the most distant ones. On the other hand, EMBRAPA 51 and BRS 226 showed cashew kernels with more similar physicochemical characteristics, while BRS 189 and BRS 253 had the more different ones. Moreover, no correlation was found between the physicochemical and molecular results. Cashew kernels had pH close to neutrality, low acidity, considerable moisture content, and high lipid and protein contents. Conclusions: The cashew kernels from the cultivars studied here had low acidity and pH, considerable moisture and ash contents, and high protein and lipid contents. BRS 189, BRS 253, and CCP 1001 showed the best values for proteins, lipids, acidity, and pH. In addition, those cultivars have maximum distance genetic among them, which can be used as parents in future gene combinations in breeding programs.Antecedentes y Objetivos: El marañón (Anacardium occidentale) es un árbol nativo de Brasil y cultivado en varios climas cálidos en todo el mundo. La producción de nueces de marañón ha sido una actividad económica importante para muchos países tropicales, proporcionando una variedad de alimentos con un gran valor nutricional. La diversidad genética entre los primeros árboles de marañón enanos utilizados para la producción es poco conocida, así como la composición nutricional entre los frutos secos de estas plantas. Este trabajo tuvo como objetivo evaluar las características fisicoquímicas de los granos de marañón y estudiar la diversidad genética entre doce cultivares para indicar genotipos superiores para futuros programas de mejoramiento.Métodos: Se evaluó el pH, acidez titulable, humedad, ceniza, lípidos y proteínas de los granos de marañón de doce cultivares. La variabilidad genética se evaluó mediante marcadores moleculares RAPD e ISSR. Se utilizaron datos de análisis moleculares y fisicoquímicos para estimar las distancias genéticas y se aplicó el método de prueba de Mantel para calcular la correlación de Pearson entre los datos.Resultados clave: Se encontró una alta variabilidad genética entre los cultivares. BRS 274 y BRS 275 fueron los más cercanos genéticamente, mientras que CCP 09 y BRS 189 fueron los más distantes. Por otro lado, EMBRAPA 51 y BRS 226 mostraron granos con características fisicoquímicas más similares, mientras que BRS 189 y BRS 253 tuvieron los más diferentes. Además, no se encontró correlación entre los resultados fisicoquímicos y moleculares. Los granos de marañón tenían un pH cercano a la neutralidad, baja acidez, considerable contenido de humedad y alto contenido de lípidos y proteínas.Conclusiones: Los granos de marañón de los doce cultivares estudiados aquí tenían baja acidez y pH, contenido considerable de humedad y cenizas, y alto contenido de proteínas y lípidos. BRS 189, BRS 253 y CCP 1001 mostraron los mejores valores de proteínas, lípidos, acidez y pH. Además, esos cultivares tienen una distancia genética máxima entre ellos, que pueden usarse como progenitores en futuras combinaciones de genes en programas de mejoramiento genético

Morphological and molecular characterization of Umbu-Cajá tree in the northeast region of Brazil

The umbu-cajá (Spondias sp.) is a fruit specie native of the brazilian semiarid region with high potential for cultivation. The juicy pulp is used in the production of juices and nectars. The aim of this study was to characterize 18 individuals of umbu-cajá tree at three sites located in the Brazilian northeast municipalities of Mossoró/RN and Apodi/RN to identify individuals with superior attributes for fruit processing and/or in natura consumption The morphological, physical and physicochemical characterization of 20 fruits of each individuals were performed. Leaves of trees were used for molecular analyses with Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. It was possible to verify that there are phenotypic variability among the fruits of umbu-cajá trees.  The individuals of the same region were grouped in the same group. JZ5, JZ6 and MA6 individuals can be used for pulp processing, while JZ1, JZ2, JZ3 and JZ6 are adequate for in natura consumption. The molecular analyses showed polymorphism for the two molecular markers used. The ISSR marker generated the greatest polymorphism among the individuals. However, the RAPD marker made it possible to achieve a more consistent cluster, which is in agreement with the geographical distribution of these individuals. The use of morphological markers together with molecular markers constitutes an important tool for characterizing umbu-cajá individuals.   Keywords: genetic resources, ISSR, RAPD, Spondias sp

Herbicide Leaching in Soil with Different Properties: Perspectives from Commercial Formulations and Analytical Standards

The leaching of herbicides into the soil is essential to control germinating seeds and parts of vegetative weeds. However, herbicide transportation to deeper soil layers can result in groundwater contamination and, consequently, environmental issues. In this research, our objective was to investigate differences in herbicide leaching between commercial formulations and analytical standards using three different soils. Leaching experiments were carried out for diuron, hexazinone, and sulfometuron-methyl herbicides isolated and in binary and ternary mixtures. The herbicide residue quantification was performed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). Diuron had less mobility in soils and was retained in the most superficial layers. Hexazinone and sulfometuron-methyl were more mobile and leached into deeper layers. The leaching process was more intense for hexazinone and sulfometuron-methyl. The additives present in the commercial formulation favored the leaching in soils of diuron, hexazinone, and sulfometuron-methyl herbicides isolated and mixture compared to the analytical standard. This fact highlights the importance of considering these effects for the positioning of herbicides in the field to increase the efficiency of weed control and minimize the potential for environmental contamination