Biometrical Assessment of Urucum (Bixa orellana L) Seed Quantitative Features in the Northeastern Brazil
Roberto Pequeno de Sousa *
Federal Rural Semi-Arid University, Department of Agronomic and Forestry Sciences, Jitirana Research Group, Mossoró-RN, 59625-900, Brazil.
Janilson Pinheiro de Assis
Federal Rural Semi-Arid University, Department of Agronomic and Forestry Sciences, Jitirana Research Group, Mossoró-RN, 59625-900, Brazil.
Paulo César Ferreira Linhares
Federal Rural Semi-Arid University, Department of Agronomic and Forestry Sciences, Jitirana Research Group, Mossoró-RN, 59625-900, Brazil.
Eudes de Almeida Cardoso
Federal Rural Semi-Arid University, Department of Agronomic and Forestry Sciences, Jitirana Research Group, Mossoró-RN, 59625-900, Brazil.
José Aluisio de Araújo Paula
SEBRAE, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
Maria Francisca Soares Pereira
Researcher of the Green Group of Agroecology and Bees-GVAA- POMBAL, Brazil.
Neurivan Vicente da Silva
Masters Federal University of Campina Grande, Campus Pombal, Pombal-PB, 58840-000, Brazil.
Francisco Laíres Cavalcante
Masters Federal University of Campina Grande, Campus Pombal, Pombal-PB, 58840-000, Brazil.
Ariana da Mota Oliveira
Masters Federal University of Campina Grande, Campus Pombal, Pombal-PB, 58840-000, Brazil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Urucum (Bixa orellana L.) is a shrub plant occurring in the caatinga biome. This study evaluated the biometrical assessment of quantitative features of Urucum in northeastern Brazil. Fruit samples were taken from an area of native vegetation of the Federal Rural Semi-Arid University (UFERSA), Mossoró, RN. Measurements on seed length and width of fruit samples were done at the plant science laboratory. Descriptive and graphical analysis were carried out using the R statistical software. Seed length and width showed a small range of variation with an excellent and reasonable values of coefficient of variation, respectively. A regular degree of symmetry and a mesokurtic distribution were observed for seed length and width. There was non-significant linear correlation between both variables which did not fit to the normal probability distribution.
Keywords: Medicinal plant, descriptive statistics, inference