On farm management of Acca sellowiana (Myrtaceae) as a strategy for conservation of species genetic diversity

Domesticated crop species are typically impacted, experiencing remarkable changes in the genetic structure of managed group of plants in comparison to its source populations. On the last years, several regional fruit trees have gained worldwide notoriety due to peculiar tastes and nutritional potentials. Therefore, cultivation of fruit trees became a suitable alternative to conservation of genetic resources as well as an important source of regional development. Acca sellowiana is a fruit tree with high economical potential. In this study, we evaluated the effect of management on genetic diversity in four differently managed populations of A. sellowiana, in comparison to plants of natural occurrence in Southern Brazil. Based on putatively neutral microsatellite markers, we show that managed populations of A. sellowiana retain high levels of molecular genetic diversity in comparison to natural populations, but also effects of plant selection on levels of inbreeding, LD, HWE and evolutionary patterns. Overall, we show that the management used by farmers, in addition to conserving molecular diversity, tend to increase the genetic variability, an important element for sustainable agricultural designs such as agroforestry systems, and better use of agroecosystem resources.