ACTA AMAZONICA http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392202000581 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Phenology and fruit set comparison of camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) in a natural population and a plantation in the central Amazon, Brazil Grace Anne Coelho FERREIRA¹* , Adrian Paul Ashton BARNETT¹, Cristiane KRUG² ¹ Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Av. André Araújo 2936, Petrópolis, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil ² Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental, Rodovia AM-010, Km 29, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil * Corresponding author: [email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0867-2309 ABSTRACT Myrciaria dubia (Myrtaceae) is a shrub that produces fruits with high concentrations of ascorbic acid (1380 to 1490 mg 100 g-1 of pulp and 2050 mg 100 g-1 of peel), 20 times more than acerola and 100 times more than lemon. Native to the Amazon region, it occurs naturally on the seasonally-flooded banks of lakes and rivers, but also has been cultivated commercially in terra firme. In this study, phenological observations and fruit yield evaluations were carried out in a natural population of camu-camu in a floodplain habitat and a plantation in terra firme in central Amazonia. Biweekly visits were made over one year to collect data on flowering, fruiting and leaf phenology. At the height of flowering, flower buds were marked and tracked until fruit matured and were harvested for biometrics and seed counting. Fruits varied from 1.01 to 2.73 cm in diameter and 1.14 to 10.87 g in weight and fruit production was higher in the wild stand. Phenology differed between habitats and phenophase synchrony was higher in the natural population. Despite being native to flooplain forests, fruit production in terra firme occurred throughout the year, suggesting that there are few restrictions on fruit development in cultivated plantation. KEYWORDS: flowering, fruit yield, floodplain forest, terra firme, Myrtaceae Comparação da fenologia e produção de frutos de camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) entre uma população natural e uma plantação na Amazônia- central, Brasil RESUMO Myrciaria dubia (Myrtaceae) é um arbusto que produz frutos com altas concentrações de ácido ascórbico (1380 a 1490 mg 100 g-1 na polpa e 2050 mg 100 g-1 na casca), 20 vezes mais que a acerola e 100 vezes mais que o limão. Nativo da região amazônica, ocorre naturalmente em ambientes sazonalmente inundados, nas margens de lagos e rios, mas também é cultivado comercialmente em terra firme. Neste estudo, observações fenológicas e avaliação da produtividade de frutos foram realizadas em uma população natural de camu-camu em ambiente inundável e em uma plantação em terra firme, na Amazônia central. Visitas quinzenais foram feitas durante um ano para coleta de dados sobre floração, frutificação e fenologia foliar. No auge da floração, os botões florais foram marcados e acompanhados até a maturação dos frutos, que foram colhidos para biometria e contagem das sementes. Os frutos variaram de 1,01 a 2,73 cm em diâmetro e 1,14 a 10,87 g em peso, com maior produção de frutos em ambiente natural. A fenologia diferiu entre os habitats e a sincronia das fenofases foi maior na população natural. Apesar de ser nativo de florestas inundáveis, a produção de frutos em terra firme ocorreu ao longo do ano, sugerindo que há poucas restrições para o desenvolvimento de frutos em cultivo. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: floração, produção de frutos, floresta inundável, terra-firme, Myrtaceae INTRODUCTION ascorbic acid (1380 to 1490 mg 100 g-1 of pulp and 2050 mg 100 g-1 of peel), which is about 20 times more than in acerola, The Amazon rainforest is an important center for global Malpighia emarginata DC., and up to 100 times more than fruit species diversity (Chagas et al. 2014). Among these, the in lemon, Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck (Vidigal et al. 2011). It camu-camu, Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) McVaugh (Myrtaceae) also contains β-carotenes, phenolic compounds, some amino stands out, as it produces fruits with high concentrations of acids and minerals (Barros et al. 2018). Therefore, the pulp of CITE AS: Ferreira, G.A.C.; Barnett, A.P.A.; Krug, C. 2021. Phenology and fruit set comparison of camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) in a natural population and a plantation in the central Amazon, Brazil. Acta Amazonica 51: 91-101. 91 VOL. 51(2) 2021: 91 - 101 ACTA AMAZONICA FERREIRA et al. Camu-camu phenology and fruit set in central Amazonia camu-camu and its various by-products have aroused interest are associated with abiotic factors, including rainfall and in several commercial sectors (Yuyama et al. 2002). temperature (Marques et al. 2004), and every plant species Camu-camu is a shrub reaching up to 7 m in height (Barros behaves differently under particular environmental conditions et al. 2018), with axillary inflorescences, hermaphroditic (Segantini et al. 2010). It is necessary to monitor phenological polystemous flowers with inferior ovary, white petals and a patterns of a species, not only to understand its life cycle, but pleasant sweet smell (Maués and Couturier 2002). Flowers also how phenology influences the activity of pollinators, last for a single day, pollen grains are small compared to dispersers, herbivores and pathogens that interact with the other Myrtaceae and have a dry, granular, surface (Maués and plant community of which that species is part (Wallace and Couturier 2002). Individual camu-camu shrubs fruit annually. Painter 2002). The fruit is a rounded smooth and shiny berry, with a red to In the Brazilian Amazon there has, to date, been no purple hue when ripe (Barros et al. 2018). comparison of the phenology and fruit set of natural and Camu-camu is widely distributed in the Venezuelan, cultivated populations of camu-camu. Therefore, our Peruvian, Colombian and Brazilian Amazon. It occurs objectives were to: (i) compare the phenological aspects of naturally in seasonally-flooded environments, such as camu-camu in floodplain and terra firme environments; (ii) floodplain forests, and along the banks of lakes (Maués compare the number of fruits produced in each area; and (iii) and Couturier 2002). Camu-camu was first commercially quantify the characteristics of the fruits in each area. cultivated in Peru, which remains the largest producer and exporter of these fruit (Abanto-Rodriguez et al. 2014). In MATERIAL AND METHODS Brazil, camu-camu cultivation is concentrated in the states of Amazonas, Pará and São Paulo (Silva and Oliveira 2018). Study area The species is considered to be in the process of domestication Observations were made in two locations in Amazonas (Pinto et al. 2020). state, Brazil (Figure 1): (1) native habitat of the species in Studies of phenophases and their variability provide a floodplain area, located at Chácara Mariju (3°5’39.37”S; important data for the improvement of fruit productivity 60°22’11.08”W), at km 29 along state highway AM-070, in and quality, as phenological patterns of tropical species the municipality of Iranduba, where a large natural mono- Figure 1. Location of the two camu-camu, Myrciaria dubia study sites along the AM-070 highway, Amazonas state, Brazil. A – Chácara Mariju, Iranduba municipality; B – KXK Agroindústria, Manacapuru municipality. Modified from Google Earth. This figure is in color in the electronic version. 92 VOL. 51(2) 2021: 91 - 101 ACTA AMAZONICA FERREIRA et al. Camu-camu phenology and fruit set in central Amazonia specific population grows along the shore of the Negro River. Phenology The area is subject to seasonal flooding during the high To record phenological patterns (Figure 2), 20 individuals water of the river, as is characteristic for the region (Pires and in the natural population and 52 from the plantation were Prance 1985); and (2) a camu-camu plantation in an area of marked and monitored during visits every other week for terra firme (terrain that is never flooded) belonging to KXK 13 months (August 2018 to September 2019). The sample Agroindustry (3°14’17.09”S; 60°36’1.31”W), at km 70 along size in the natural population was limited by the individuals state highway AM-070, in the municipality of Manacapuru. that could be assessed at high water level. The following data The plantation comprises approximately 1,800 individual were recorded: flowering (presence of floral bud or flowers), camu-camu plants of varied origin that were planted in 2007. fruiting (green fruits, ripe fruits, drop fruits) and leaf changes The native population does not receive any type of cultural (new leaves, old leaves and leaf drop). Each evaluated plant or pruning treatment. The plantation receives minimal located in an area received a number from 0 to 4 based on treatments and maintenance, including chemical fertilization crown cover, where 0 = phenophase absent, 1 = 1 to 25%, 2 and pruning at least once a year, and the elimination of weeds = 26 to 50%, 3 = 51 to 75%, and 4 = 76 to 100%, based on between the planted rows, without using pesticides, according the methodology of Fournier (1974). A voucher specimen was to the landowner. deposited in the herbarium of Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas The regional climate is classified as Af (tropical humid), de Amazônia (Accession number 287337). according to the Köppen (1948) classification, characterized by an average annual temperature of 26º C, with the coldest Fruiting month temperature exceeding 18º C, and annual average At the peak of flowering (October-December), 100 flower precipitation greater than 2,500 mm. Highest temperatures buds (25 buds per branch) were randomly selected and occur between August and October. April and October are the marked on 10 different camu-camu plants (total = 1000 months of transition between the seasons. In 2019 it reached flower buds) in each population. Buds were individually approximately 35º C in October. Highest rainfall occurs in the identified with loops of colored ribbon and were monitored first quarter of the year, and in 2019 rainfall reached 1028.8 every 15 days until fruits matured.