Cultivation of Gindiroba (Fevillea trilobata L.) for medicinal purposes in traditional communities in Bahia, Brazil, with perspectives for income management and socio-environmental sustainability
Ethnobotany, Plant ecophysiology, Biometry of fruits and seeds, substrates based on forest residues, vegetable oils
The use of medicinal plants has been carried out by human populations since the beginning of civilizations. In the extreme south of Bahia, several traditional rural communities, whether quilombolas, riverside communities and indigenous people, use this resource for the most diverse purposes. Gindiroba (Fevillea trilobata) is one of the medicinal species used by these populations. Liana, dioecious, native to the Atlantic Forest, the species arouses interest due to the high oil content present in its seeds. Although it is used by communities, and some of them show interest in large-scale plantations for oil production, there are few studies on the species. This thesis will consist of four chapters. The first chapter covers the ethnobotanical study carried out with three Quilombola communities located in the extreme south of Bahia, with the aim of identifying different forms of use and management of the species. The second chapter includes a study on the oil yield, biometrics of fruits and seeds, from five different locations in the extreme south of Bahia, with the aim of characterizing the oil yield and providing information on possible sources of material for future plantings. The third chapter is an investigation into the production of seedlings using different organic substrates (gindiroba bark and annatto residue) that are produced from the processing of material by traditional communities, contributing to the noble destination of the residue, which in the future will be an environmental problem in these communities. The fourth chapter covers the physical-chemical characterization of F. trilobata oil.