Data from: Chrysolaena obovata, A SPECIES NATIVE OF BRAZILIAN CERRADO: GENETIC DIVERSITY AND STRUCTURE OF NATURAL POPULATIONS AND POTENTIAL FOR INULIN PRODUCTION

<em>Chrysolaena obovata</em> (Less.) M. Dematteis, an herbaceous Asteraceae species widely distributed across different Brazilian Cerrado physiognomies, has underground organs, named rhizophores, that accumulate high concentrations of inulin-type fructans. These carbohydrates are recognized as beneficial soluble fibers for human health and are currently used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Considering that fructans, in addition to their economic potential, provide plants with greater tolerance to drought, heat and cold, it is important to understand whether their metabolism is conserved in natural populations. In this work, we aimed to investigate if the levels of genetic diversity in the populations studied allow the selection of localities with a high genetic base and higher fructan content for future programs of <em>in</em> <em>situ</em> conservation and genetic improvement for inulin production. Therefore, we characterized the diversity, structure, and gene flow of seven natural populations from Brazilian Cerrado, using nine microsatellite loci (SSR). In addition, we compared whether the fructan composition varied between populations of different Cerrado phytophysiognomies. Overall, we found that <em>C. obovata</em> populations exhibited moderate levels of genetic diversity, low genetic differentiation, and high gene flow. This study identified two populations with less genetic diversity and therefore, greater attention should be given to conservation programs including these populations. Fructan metabolism is conserved in all populations, indicating that <em>C. obovata</em> is an important genetic resource with high potential for inulin production. <strong>File descriptions</strong> Population_code.txt - Contains a matrix that indicates the population_code, Population_name, Brazilian-state, Phytophysiognomy, Collection coordinates and Altitudes (m). Date_ Diaz et al.xlsx – Contains Genotypes crude of the individuals analyzed. Primer used for nine microsatellite loci (Camacho <em>et al</em> 2017). Carbohydrates_Diaz et al - Contains data for carbohydrates in <em>C. obovata</em> plant rhizophores in each population (BRA, UB, SD, SP). <strong>Location: Brazilian Cerrado</strong>