FLOWERING PERIOD AND INTERVAL BETWEEN INFLORESCENCES IN A POPULATION OF MACAÚBA (ACROCOMIA ACULEATA) OF OPEN-POLLINATED PROGENIES.

Macaúba is an allogamous specie with seasonal flowering and apparent biennial behavior. The same plant can produce many bunches in different interval lengths. To support the collection, processing activities and prediction of annual fruit production, the date of each inflorescence opening was obtained in 22 open-pollinated progenies from São Paulo State. The experiment was installed in 2013 at Apta Regional, Pindorama-SP, latitude 21º 22' 88" S, longitude 48º 89' 32" W, altitude 539 m, on Argisol soil with medium/abrupt sandy texture and Aw (Köppen) climate with 1258 mm precipitation and 23.8 ºC (summer) and 19.3 ºC (winter) annual averages. In 2022-23 harvest, flowering occurred from 09/25/22 to 01/02/23 (89 days) with 474 inflorescences in 148 plants, ranging from 1 to 6 inflorescences per plant (average of 3.2). In 2023-24 harvest, flowering ocurred from 09/14 to 12/22/23 (102 days) with 708 inflorescences in 169 plants, ranging from 1 to 7 inflorescences per plant (average of 4.19). 31% increase in inflorescences per plant and 49% of the population. In 2022-23 the average interval between inflorescences was 7.9, 6.9, 7.8, 6.1 and 6.1 days for plants with 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 inflorescences, respectively, and an overall average of 7.29 days. In 2023-24, the average interval between inflorescences was 14.9, 9.4, 8.2, 7.4, 7.6 and 6.0 days for plants with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 inflorescences, respectively, and an overall average of 8.67 days. The data suggest biennial behavior, however, the age of the plants and/or environmental factors could also explain the increase in the number of inflorescences, requiring further studies to prove statements to avoid errors.