Variability of fruits and seedlings of Coccoloba uvifera L. in coastal ecosystems of Cuba

Abstract

Fruit of the seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera L.), in coastal areas north and south of Cuba, in three provenances were collected: Guardalavaca, Cayo Coco and las Coloradas with the objective of evaluating the morphological and physiological variability in fruits and seedlings of this species. The mass, diameter and length of the fruits and seeds were evaluated. The collected seeds were sown under nursery conditions, six months later morphological characteristics of the seedlings were evaluated: stem height, root length, stem and root dry mass, as well as physiological characteristics: water content in the leaves and the roots, fluorescence of chlorophyll, leaf area and specific leaf area. The correlations between all the evaluated indicators were calculated. The results showed significant variations in the characteristics of the fruits and the growth of the sea grape seedlings from the provenances studied. The fruits of the Guardalavaca provenance showed larger size and the seeds of the Cayo Coco locality were those of greater size and mass. In the case of the seedlings, those of Cayo Coco showed the highest values of biomass accumulation in the aerial part, in the root, and of water accumulation in their tissues. A direct relationship between the parameters of the seeds and morphological and physiological indicators were found. Molecular biology assays are recommended to study if there are genetic differences in the same species, as well as to identify the adaptive mechanisms of the seedlings to the stressful conditions where they develop.