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Mangaba (Hancornia speciosa Gomes - Apocynaceae) is a native fruit of Brazil which is of great importance in its areas of occurrence. This species has been subjected to habitat fragmentation that is mainly due to human activity, and requires conservation. The aim of the present review was to evaluate the biotechnological advances in the species. This paper deals with recent studies on the genetic diversity and bioactive compounds. Key words: Hancornia speciosa Gomes, bioactive compounds, genetic resources, conservation.

The Genipa americana L., a fruit-producing species found in several countries and commonly found in the Brazilian Northeast, is very important economically, both for its wood and as a source of food and dye. This study evaluate the effects of abscisic acid (ABA) and the concentrations of salt and sugar in MS medium on reducing Genipa americana L. growth for in vitro conservation, as well as the effects of benzylaminopurine (BAP) on the regrowth phase. Seedlings from accession CZA, after 90 days of in vitro cultivation, were transferred to Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 30 g L-1 sucrose and various concentrations of ABA (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mg L-1). In a second assay, various concentrations of MS medium salts and sucrose were tested. During the regrowth phase, nodal segments were placed in MS regeneration medium with 30 g L-1 sucrose and BAP (0 or 1 mg L-1). All the ABA concentrations affected the number of leaves, but significant effects on the length of aerial portion were not observed. The MS and ½ MS media with 30 g L-1 sucrose slowed plant growth and are recommended for conservation protocols for slow growth. Adding 1 mg L-1 BAP to the culture medium caused a greater morphogenic response, and the apical, medial and basal nodes retained morphogenic potential during regrowth. Key words: Genipa americana L., germplasm, abscisic acid, sucrose.

The sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam has its origin in Tropical America. In Sergipe State (Brazil), its production is very important, and to explore its potential in local agriculture in the State, the Embrapa Coastal Tableland created a collection with 52 accessions located in Umbauba City. Some accessions were from germplasm belonging to Embrapa vegetables and others from local farmers of Sergipe. Here, we provide the first data on the genetic diversity and structure of sweet potato collection of SPGB using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. RAPD data were used to determine genetic variability via a model-based Bayesian procedure (structure) and molecular variance analysis (AMOVA). In addition, Shannon index, genetic diversity and Jaccard coefficients were also estimated. RAPD was efficient for the analysis of genetic diversity to identify groups and measure the genetic distance between accessions. The markers showed that the collection had a high level of polymorphism. By UPGMA, we separated three groups of genotypes and identified two reconstructed populations by structure software. Keywords: Ipomoea batatas , cultivars, accessions African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol. 13(10), pp. 1109-1116, 5 March, 2014