BIOMETRIC DIVERSITY OF FRUIT AND SEEDS OF BARBATIMÃO [Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville] IN NORTHERN MINAS GERAIS

Conservation, the use of sustainable management techniques and the development of management plans for the extraction of barbatimão are strategies to reduce their unbridled exploitation and threat of extinction. The aim of this study was to characterize and verify the biometric diversity of fruits and seeds from different localities for the collection of barbatimão [Stryphnodendron adstringens (Mart.) Coville] in the North of Minas Gerais. The fruits used were collected in nine locations in northern Minas Gerais in August 2014. The weight, length and width of the fruits were evaluated, and in the seeds, the weight, the number of seeds per fruit, the number of intact, malformed and predated seeds. Biometric data were submitted to multivariate analysis of clusters, discriminant and main components. The locations were grouped into four groups, and group 1, consisting of the locations MIR1 (Mirabela), BRM2 (Brasília de Minas) and MIR2 (Mirabela), presented the best biometric characteristics, being thus indicated for matrix selection. The morphological variations were greater within the locality than between the localities, and the most important variables for the study of seed biometrics were the number of seeds per fruit, the weight of the seeds and the numbers of intact and predated seeds.