Description of Platonia insignis, a fruitful Amazon, by histochemistry test, leaf anatomy and flow cytometry

Abstract

Bacuri, the fruit of the Amazonian bacurizeiro tree (Platonia insignis), shows great economic potential for widespread use. It can represent an excellent new addition to the exotic fruit market. Little is known about the anatomy of P. insignis, the types of reserves contained in the seeds and the DNA content of species of the family Annonaceae. The aimed was to characterize seeds and seedlings histochemically and anatomically and to determine the DNA content of bacurizeiro leaves. Seedlings were obtained from seeds collected in the Amazon region by Embrapa Roraima and sent to the Federal University of Lavras. The fruits were pulped and their seeds washed and sown in trays of 48 cells containing a sawdust substrate. The seeds remained in a growth chamber at 30 °C for 90 days. The samples were subjected to a histochemical analysis, an anatomical characterization and a determination of the DNA content. The The seeds of Platonia insigniscontain lipid as the primary reserve material, with smaller amounts of starch. The cross sections of the leaf blade show a dorsiventral type of hypostomatic organization, with the stomata paracytic and, to a lesser extent, anomocytic. Several secretory channels were identified in the leaf mesophyll and midrib. The sheets of P. insignis contain, on average, 13.30 pg of DNA.