Molecular characterization of Butia capitata populations do sul do Brasil atraves de marcadores AFLP

The Butia genus (Arecaceae) is a small genus with subtropical species distributed in South America widely used as an ornamental plant. Besides, its fruits are appreciated for its unique flavor and aroma. But in some regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul natural populations suffer with the progress of rural activities and development of buildings. The aim of this study, therefore, was characterizing eight populations of Butia capitata through AFLP markers. By analysis of molecular variance was possible to verify that 83.68% of the genetic variability is attributed to variation among populations and 13.67% is attributed to differences among populations within regions. In the pair-wise analysis, differences between 15 populations were significant, with an average of 14.72% of molecular variation attributed to differences between populations. This result indicates the presence of genetic variability distributed among all populations, without subdivision arising from geographical isolation.