"Características reprodutivas de Pau-santo (Gonopterodendron sarmientoi (Lorentz ex Griseb.) A.C. Godoy-Bürki), uma espécie arbórea de uso cultural no Território Indígena Kadiwéu. "

Abstract

Traditional people, such as indigenous peoples, have vast knowledge about plants that are useful for various purposes, including for their income, whether through food products or making handicrafts typical of their culture. The Kadiwéus, for example, who currently inhabit the Kadiwéu Indigenous Territory, in the ecotone between the Cerrado and Pantanal Biomes, into the Chaco, are known for producing ceramic pieces typically varnished with resin obtained from the wood of Gonopterodendron sarmientoi, popularly known as Pau-santo or Guayacán or Palo Santo or Elegigo (Mbaya/Kadiwéu). Gonopterodendron sarmientoi, distributed in fragments of vegetation in Chaco, is listed as threatened with extinction. Considering the value of G. sarmientoi for maintaining cultural traditions of the Kadiwéus, and the lack of knowledge about the conservation status of the species in the Brazilian Territory, efforts to reproduce and propagate the species are very necessary, aiming at the sustainability of extractivism combined with viable protocols for ecological restoration and conservation of the species. In this sense, studies on reproductive aspects (flowering and fruiting phenology and seed germination), as well as alternative forms of vegetative propagation (e.g., cuttings), are essential for the development of protocols for seed collection and seedling production for ecological restoration. However, G. sarmientoi lacks studies, especially in Brazilian territory, where the species' occurrence is extremely restricted and remote. Therefore, in this study we present preliminary data on; (i) flowering and fruiting period of G. sarmientoi through the evaluation of exsiccates deposited in botanical collections (herbaria) and from individuals on the field; (ii) seed germinability under differential storage time; (iii) evaluation of the initial growth of seedlings under different conditions of soil types (Carolina Soil®: substrate for plants with peat, vermiculite, and limestone compared with soil collected where pau-santo occurs, and post fertilizer use) and containers (1m pvc pipe and 1.7l pot of polyethylene plastic pot); Hence, with this study we intend to characterize the reproductive and seedling production patterns of G. sarmientoi, aiming to contribute to sustainable extractivism and the development of strategic plans for ecological restoration and conservation in the Kadiwéu Indigenous Territory. Pau Santo flowering during the rainy season and fruit along the year with an irregular distribution. The seed germination rate was high, as long as the seeds are processed, in contrast to some studies that demonstrated a low germination rate, but, after seeding, seedling growth was slow. There were no significant differences in relation to the type of container, soil and fertilizer used to develop the seedlings.