Brazil

Country information

Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) (Image: R. Bourdeix)

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News from ICG-LAC: some coconut research activities

Presentation by Dr. Marcelo F. Fernandes during the 17th COGENT Steering Committee meeting.

Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7491 km. It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the overseas department of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean are part of the Brazilian territory.

Coconut growing is important for the economies of north-eastern and northern Brazil, accounting for approximately 82% of the country’s production. Brazil ranks fifth among the coconut producing countries in the world (FAO 2002). Coconuts are planted from the northern State of Roraima to the State of Paraná in the south, with high concentrations in the coastal line from Pará to Rio de Janeiro. Coconuts are cultivated in the most `diverse soil, climate and management conditions. The most utilized coconut parts are water from the green coconut (tendernut) and the fresh meat from the mature nut. The use of coconut by-products in Brazil is still very limited.

Populations of Tall coconut palms introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century spread through the northeastern coastal zone, adapting themselves to various environmental conditions to create different ecotypes (Ribeiro et al. 1995). The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) collected, characterized and conserved the genetic variability of these populations, and used them for developing superior hybrids with better production traits and quality, adapted to different Brazilian agroecological zones. Brazil has established a coconut genebank in the State of Sergipe to serve EMBRAPA´s coconut improvement programme. There is now a commitment to upgrade this genebank to become an International Coconut Genebank for Latin America and the Caribbean (ICGLAC) with the support of the Bioversity International and the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network
(COGENT).

More info: Conserved coconut germplasm from Brazil (2.7MB)

Collaborative Activities between BIOVERSITY/COGENT and Brazil

1. Capacity Building

a) Technical assistance/expert advice
In 1999, one expert was sent to Brazil for a technical assistance mission to assess the pest risk at the International Coconut Genebank.

b) Training and human resources development
Four local staff of collaborating agencies in the country underwent BIOVERSITY-COGENT-sponsored staff development training on such courses as STANTECH training of trainers; the use of the microsatellite kit (molecular marker) and dedicated statistical software; coconut cryopreservation; technical writing/ seminar presentation and proposal writing; Statistical Design and Germplasm x Environment Interaction Analysis Training Course; and Coconut embryo culture to improve collecting and safe movement of germplasm.

c) COGENT meetings/workshops
No COGENT-sponsored meetings or workshops have been held in Brazil.
 

2. Research Projects

A total of 3 projects either have been or are currently being carried out in the country, with CPATC/EMBRAPA as the local implementing agency.

3. Financial Support and Funding

Donor funding support for projects in Brazil amounts to US$ 133,333, provided by CFC, DFID and Brazil, while national government counterpart financing amounts to US$ 84,166.

4. Summary of Activities and Accomplishments, Brazil