Structure and genetic diversity of macauba [Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart.] approached by SNP markers to assist breeding strategies

Macauba palm [Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart.] is a perennial oil, it stands out for having several characteristics of commercial interest, mainly for producing oil for biodiesel, it has high oil productivity, about 2.5 to 4.5 L center dot year(-1). Despite its great potential, o its cultivation is carried out mainly in an extractive way, so the domestication and breeding programs has been incipient. The study hypothesis is that macauba populations collected in different locations have sufficient genetic variability to initiate a breeding program. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate the genetic diversity and population structure of macauba palm genotypes by using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers in order to reveal genetic diversity and distribution of genetic variation within and between populations and use the genetic information obtained to assist breeding strategies. Leaf tissues were collected from 566 macauba plants belonging to the Embrapa Cerrados Active Germplasm Bank, composed of genotypes from five states in Brazil: Minas Gerais, Goias, Para, Sao Paulo, and Distrito Federal. Molecular variance analysis estimated, the genetic diversity parameters, the population structure and principal coordinate analysis. The genetic diversity is higher within than between populations. The results provided by PCoA and STRUCTURE were in agreement and indicated that the evaluated genotypes can be grouped into two groups. Genetic diversity parameters reveal the presence of inbreeding and a low number of heterozygotes, evidencing that the reproduction system of the species is mixed. The information revealed of the genotypes using SNP markers will be important for future studies using genome-wide selection and genomic association to develop cultivars of macauba with desirable traits, such as high yield of fruits and oil production.