Fruiting Phenology of Canjiqueira (Byrsonima cydoniifolia A.Juss.) in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

The canjiqueira (Byrsonima cydoniifolia A.Juss.) is a species that has been used and valued in some regions of the Pantanal. Its fruits, with high antioxidant potential, are used to produce juices, jellies, ice creams and liqueurs. The fruits are collected through extractivism. To optimize the collection of fruits and seeds, whether for consumption, commercialization or for seedling production, it is necessary to know the period of fruiting and seed dispersal. In the present study, we investigated the fruiting phenology of B. cydoniifolia in the Aquidauana Pantanal. Thirty small trees were monitored biweekly, and the number of immature and mature fruits was recorded. The canjiqueira produced high quantities of fruit. The fruiting of the canjiqueira occurs at the height of the rainy season (between December and February), has an intermediate duration and annual frequency, and the phenophase is seasonal and highly synchronous. The activity index and the intensity index reached their highest values ​​in January. The fruiting strategy during the rainy season in zoochoric species is related to fruit ripening and optimization of seed dispersal by animals.