Acrocomia aculeata belongs to the family of Arecaceae, which has a worldwide geographic dispersion, and has many useful species, both domestic and industrial.
The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), the major producer of vegetable oil nowadays, and the coconut (Cocos nucifera) are the palm species that are most used industrially. However, there are dozens of other species used on a smaller scale, offering a multitude of useful products and services for humans, such as edible and industrial oils (and their multiple chemical derivatives), fruits or pellets (for food and animal feed), fibers, wax, flours and palmetto, liquors, solid fuels, special carbons and decorative use in gardens, etc.
In general, most of these species exist in a wild state or at primary stages of domestication. That is why, the productivity potential of these species and agronomic requirements for optimum yields are still unknown.
Acrocomia has already been used since the beginning of the 20th century in Paraguay as oleaginous raw material by natives and the local soap industry. Nevertheless, this exploitation has not been accompanied by a "domestication" of the species due to the relatively high abundance of "wild" material.
The increasing demand for biofuel has drawn attention to alternative raw materials and with it, also to the potential of Acrocomia.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Sub kingdom | Tracheobionta |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Liliopsida |
| Subclass | Arecidae |
| Order | Arecales |
| Family | Arecaceae |
| Subfamily | Arecoideae |
| Tribe | Cocoeae |
| Subtribe | Bactridinae |
| Genre | Acrocomia |
| Species | aculeata |
Acrocomia ssp. varies significantly from region to region, i.e. it shows a large variety of phenotypes (polimorphisms). Thus, more than forty species of Acrocomia have been described. However, recent studies suggest that there are only two Acrocomia species: A. hassleri, a dwarf palm that only exists in Brazil and north Paraguay, and A. aculeata, extending over a greater geographical area. A third species could be considered A. totai, although it is not sure whether it is just a variation or a kind of A. aculeata.
Distribution and ecology
The Acrocomia palm - called mbokayá, macaúba, bocaiuva, cocotero, winepalm, gru gru, coyol, corozo, totai and many other designations in various American regions - belongs to the family of Arecaceas. It is native to Latin America and can be found naturally in French Guyana, Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela, Colombia, North East Argentina, Brazil, Eastern Bolivia, Paraguay and is probably introduced to Central American (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico) and to the Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Martinique, San Cristobal and Nieves, San Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadinas and Trinidad and Tobago).
The population of Acrocomia extends from tropical humid and dry through subtropical humid and dry climates to more moderate climates. It prospers in regions where rainfall varies from 1000 to 3000 mm p.a., and average temperatures range between 21°C and 28 °C; up to 1200 meters above sea level and soil-pH of 4.5 to 7. It grows in drier zones than most other palms, and can withstand periods of drought for several months.
The variety previously known as Acrocomia totai Mart. can endure several frosts a year and minimum temperatures as low as -5°C without any apparent damage either in the palm or in its fruit production.
It grows in different soil types, except those that are water-logged However, it seems to prefer sandy and well drained soils, even in high zones. It is markedly photophilic, robust and quite resistant to fire, wind and frost. Acrocomia can be found in latitudes from 30° south to 30° north.
Morphology of Acrocomia
Shape: It's a medium-sized palm of 6m to 15m in height and has a diameter from 0.2m - 0.4m. The canopy (whose diameter varies from 3m - 5m) is built up out of 20-25 arched leaves. The trunk is straight and cylindrical; its color is light grey with a smooth or winding surface. The trunk almost always has large flat pointed black spines that are up to 15cm long. They are arranged in horizontal lines around the trunk, especially on its upper part and on young specimens.
Leaves: The palm fronds are arched, alternated, pressed together and extended at the apex of the trunk. They are always green, and are 2m - 4m long. The foliage is plentiful, 30cm - 60cm in length and 1cm - 2cm in width. It is a glossy green, with the inner side being light green. The palm frond vein is provided with numerous spines of dark brown or black, of 2cm - 6cm in length.
Flowers and fruits: The flower is a panicle of 50cm - 150cm in length and is inserted between the bases of the leaves. It is covered by a hairy spiny leaf of 1m - 1.7m in length and 20cm - 40cm in width. The white, yellowish flowers are less than one centimeter long with three sepals and three petals. The masculine ones are numerous and pressed together and the feminine ones are scarcely distributed at the base.
The round fruit, of 25mm - 50mm in diameter, is fleshy-fibrous and of an olive green or caramel-yellow color. It has a pleasant fragrance, and a shell that is smooth, shiny and fragile. The fruits appear in bunches, in variable quantities from 200 to 700 fruits per bunch; an adult palm develops from 4 - 13 bunches per season. This variation depends on the genetics of the specimen and the conditions of the region. The fruit normally contains a very hard round seed of 1.5cm - 3cm in diameter.
It blooms from the start of summer and it bears fruits in summer and autumn. The fruits ripen in thirteen to fourteen months.
Rootstock: The root system of the adult palm is powerful. The main roots are buried deep in the soil, forming an angle of 30° to 40° with the vertical shaft of the trunk. Primary to quaternary roots are to be found. This explains the tolerance of the palms to tillage and allows other crops to be grown between the rows.
Propagation
Reproduction by seeds: It is possible to obtain small plants of Acrocomia from seeds. Nevertheless, the dormancy lasts naturally from 1 to 7 years, which makes it very difficult to produce plants from seeds on a large-scale basis. Acrocomia Solutions and its associates are in the last stage of developing methodologies which allow a uniform and much faster germination of seeds.
Transplantation of seedlings: This method is currently most widely used. Small wild plants which germinate naturally under palms are collected and transplanted into pots or brought to a designated place. Although it is possible to obtain appreciable quantities of small plants, it is difficult to track the genetic origin of these; this is why it is necessary to be conservative in foreseeing the uniformity and output of a plantation, based on this method. Furthermore, it is difficult to transport small plants over large distances and therefore this method is limited to regions close to already existing populations.
Embryonic in-vitro propagation: This type of reproduction consists of germinating an embryo (previously extracted from the seed) in an artificial cultivation medium under strictly controlled conditions. The advantage of this (labor and cost-intensive) method is the rapid propagation in a given time-frame but it still needs further development.
Cloning: Cloning permits the production of plantlets that are genetically identical to the mother plant. By means of this technology, it is possible to avoid genetic variability, ensuring the identical reproduction of certain plants, previously selected for their particular characteristics. With Acrocomia, the first stages of this technology have recently begun being utilized.