Determination of the mating system of Tucumã palm using microsatellite markers

The Amazonian Tucumã palm (Astrocaryum aculeatum) produces edible fruit, traditionally consumed in indigenouscommunities and increasingly in urban centers. The species is incipiently domesticated and little studied, despite its growingeconomic importance for smallholder farmers and gatherers. Studies on the mating system are required for the conservation anduse of the species’ genetic resources. Our objective was to estimate mating system parameters of the Tucumã palm using microsatellitemarkers. Plants of 11 progenies of a spontaneous population were genotyped with eight microsatellite loci and the mating systemparameters estimated. The population outcrossing rate was estimated at 0.978, and ranged from 0.774 to 1at the family level. Theestimates of the correlation of paternity (0.176 and 0.205) suggest a low probability of full-sibs within progenies. Tucumã palm is apredominantly allogamous species and the open-pollinated progenies consist predominantly of half-sibs.