Caracterização morfoagronômica das infrutescências de etnovariedades de abacaxi no Amazonas

Abstract

The conservation of agrobiodiversity is fundamental to the sustainability of agricultural systems and to the appreciation of genetic resources managed by traditional communities. This dissertation aims to contribute to the knowledge and valorization of the genetic diversity of pineapple Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill, integrating two complementary approaches. The first chapter presents a systematic review of the scientific literature on Active Germplasm Banks (AGBs) of pineapple, considering geographic location, conservation methods, preserved varieties, and institutional networks. Twenty-nine studies published between 2014 and 2025 were analyzed, which revealed the predominance of ex situ strategies in Latin America and Asia, with emphasis on Brazil, and highlighted relevant gaps in regions of high genetic diversity, such as the Amazon. The second chapter addresses the morpho-agronomic characterization of infructescences of pineapple ethnovarieties collected in the state of Amazonas and conserved in the AGB of the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM). Both qualitative and quantitative descriptors were evaluated, such as crown and infructescence shape and color, presence of spines, crown and infructescence weight and length, as well as physicochemical parameters, including pH, titratable acidity (TA), soluble solids (SS), SS/TA ratio, total soluble solids (TSS), and vitamin C. Statistical analyses comprised ANOVA, Tukey’s test, and multivariate approaches (PCA, cluster analysis, and discriminant analysis). The results revealed wide variability among the accessions. The ethnovariety ‘Garrafa’ stood out for its high vitamin C content, while ‘Abacaxi Grand’e showed higher pH (~4.2), indicating lower acidity and potential for fresh consumption. Meanwhile, ‘Cabeça de Onça’ exhibited greater accumulation of soluble sugars in the central cylinder, reflecting a distinct physiology in carbohydrate transport and storage. Multivariate analyses confirmed the existence of distinct clusters between the ethnovarieties and the commercial cultivar ‘Turiaçu Amazonas’, reinforcing the genetic and phenotypic uniqueness of Amazonian accessions. Taken together, this dissertation demonstrates that the Amazon plays a strategic role in the conservation and sustainable use of pineapple genetic diversity. Beyond ensuring food and nutritional security, Amazonian ethnovarieties present attributes of commercial and technological interest, with the potential to strengthen local agri-food chains and open new opportunities in differentiated markets with territorial identity