The PUPUNHEIRA IN BRAZILIAN AMAZONIA
The peach palm is a fast-growing palm that can reach a height of 20 meters. Usually
a small way touceira. It is found in the humid tropics of the Americas between latitudes 16 S and 17 N (Urpí Mora et al., 1997). In the peach palm is grown in two very different ways: for fruit (400 feet or less per ha that develop to the mature phase, and may bear fruit until maximum height indicated previously) and palm (5 to 10,000 feet per ha; the plant is not enough to bloom, as it reaches 2-3 meters high is the stipe cut for the palm).
In the Brazilian Amazon peach palm is cultivated almost exclusively for fruit, mainly by farmers of low income. Virtually all of a small number of plants of this species. The fruit should be cooked to serve for human consumption. The main use of the fruit is as full as part of lunch or coffee in the morning. The fruit is usually not part of the main meals, lunch and dinner. The pupunha was domesticated by Amerindians, which resulted in several traditional
varieties that are differentiated mainly by the size of the fruit and by the percentage of oil (Mora-Urpí et al., 1997). There is also great variability within these varieties.
In recent decades, the Amazon, the market for fruit, in general, had a good development. Between 1980 and 2000 the urban population of Amazonia Legal almost tripled (Barreto et al., 2005) increasing the potential market for
fruits. Several native species have increased their sales substantially, as was the case of cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), bacuri-of-paragraph (Platonia insignis), açaí (Euterpe oleracea and E. precatória), tucumã-of-Amazons (Astrocaryum tucumã) and uxi (Endopleura uchi). Also non-native species, such as orange, coconut (Cocos nucifera) and acerola (EGS), showed strong growth. Special Products such as "wine" of açaí, water-de-coconut and "flesh" of tucumã, found new categories of consumers. High prices for fruit not formed, nor are, necessarily, an impediment to the sale, as it could be examined in supermarkets of Manaus.
Unfortunately, the peach palm not received such favorable conditions to expand its market, even though it was exactly with that kind INPA that began in 1975, a major research project (Kerr et al., 1997). Thirty years of research with the peach palm not promoted the use of its fruit (Clement et al., 2004). One explanation for this failure is undoubtedly the fact that no market varieties of the peach palm fruit with characteristics of well defined. Not having these varieties, often leads the consumer for home fruit that, once cooked and ready for consumption, do not meet. The consumer manauara is aware that trying to find a bunch of peach palm with the desired quality is like placing a bet, can make sure how you can not give certain. In these circumstances, withdraw from the purchase is often the option chosen. Farias Neto (2005) found the same problem in the market of Bethlehem, noting that the consumer often buys fruits of several bunches to run less risk of bter only fruits of sucks.
As a solution, it presented a strategy for genetic improvement of pupunha ara obtain varieties with characteristics of fruit according to the preferences of the public. The etalhes referring to the Brazilian Amazon, specifically the regions that can ornecer pupunha-fruit for the market of Manaus. Part of the considerations may have nteresse to other regions for the production of peach palm fruit-especially the region of elém, Pará