EX SITU CONSERVATION OF DYCKIA DISTACHYA ON SOUTH BRAZIL

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome contains a high level of genetic diversity. Historically, several factors have contributed to the drastic reduction of its coverage, which is now restricted to less than 7%. Large forest areas have been cut down in Santa Catarina and Paraná states to make way for hydroelectric power plant dams, and many plant species are threatened to various degrees, especially the endemic. This is the case of the Dyckia distachya, bromeliad native to the rocky banks of the River Uruguay, which is threatened with extinction because of the construction of a dam for the Itá Hydroelectric power plant. The present study describes the plant’s most relevant characteristics and the results of ex-situ and in vitro conservation. Plants and seeds were collected and established ex-situ in the bromeliad germplasm bank. Seeds were germinated in the laboratory, and the resulting plants were conserved in vitro using the growth reduction technique. Both methodologies were considered adequate for germplasm conservation.