Population Structure and Fruit Productivity Analyses in Support of the Use of Caryocar brasiliense

ABSTRACT The Brazilian Cerrado, a global biodiversity hotspot, has been widely converted by agricultural expansion and pasture establishment. As a result of these activities, several plant species have experienced population declines such as pequi (Caryocar brasiliense ). We analyzed the feasibility of economic use of C. brasiliense based on population structure and fruit productivity. The average fruit production was high and significantly different between 2013 (515 fruits ind-1) and 2014 (344 fruits ind-1) (t = 2.32, p