Cryopreservation of a threatened pindo palm species

Abstract Butia yatay is a palm tree native of Rio Grande do Sul that is in danger of extinction. Its propagation is carried out sexually, however, the seed germination is low, slow and uneven. Thus, a cryopreservation protocol was established aiming at the conservation of the species. Concentrations of sucrose were tested on embryo pre-treatment before freezing. Butia yatay embryos can be cryopreserved, with subsequent growth recovery, when they are submitted to previous treatment with 0.4 M sucrose. In this study, the embryos were frozen for 10 days, indicating that pretreatment allows the conservation of Butia yatay for a long time.