Acrocomia brief

Acrocomia spp., is an endemic genus of palm in Latin America, from northern areas of Mexico to the north of Argentina, including some areas of Central America and the Caribbean. It grows wildly in forests and savannahs. Acrocomia fruits, leaves as well as other components have manifold traditional and industrial uses as source of food, feed, fibers, cosmetic and pharmaceutic extracts and bioenergy. Most widely spread species in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, is Acrocomia aculeata, known as Macaúba or Macaw Palm. Acrocomia totai, known as Mbokajá or coco Paraguayo, is a species with high economic importance that has been industrialized in Paraguay since 1950s.

• Acrocomia grows in both, tropics and subtropics including transition areas to the warm temperate latitudes(30° north and south of the equator)

• Semiarid, subhumid und humid climates

• Annual rainfall: (700) – 1000 to 2000 – (2500) mm, copes with dry periods of up to 6 months

• Temperature: 20–28°C

• Frost tolerant for short time (up to -5°C) with minor yield impact as well as high temperatures and intensive solar radiation

• Sandy to clayey soils, low demanding in terms of nutrients

Given the high genetic diversity within the genus Acrocomia spp., yields vary largely. A single wild palm tree produces between 40 and 45 kg of fresh fruits annually, with maximal values found of 100 kg per palm. Considering a plant density of 500 palm trees per hectare (Acrocomia totai), an average of 20 tons of fruits could be achieved. Consequently, oil yields reach above 3 tons per hectare, giving an interesting advantage in comparison to other oil crops.

• Compared to the African oil palm, Acrocomia grows well in a much wider geographic distribution range (30°north and south of the equator vs. 10°north and south of the equator, respectively).

• Due to Acrocomia’s adaptation to cooler and warmer climate zones, its oil quality and fatty acid composition shows huge variability across location. In general, the amount of essential fatty acids increases with cooler temperatures. This usually happens when moving from the equator to the higher latitudes.

• Acrocomia is rather drought tolerant, because of its deep rooting systems. It occurs in semiarid regions of Brazil (Cerrados) and Paraguay (Chaco), characterized by prolonged dry seasons of six months and frequent dry spells of up to 4 weeks within the rainy season.

• Depending on its later use, fruit storage is possible for a longer period.

• Decentralized oil production is possible; oil extraction is economic with 5.000 tons of fruits per year (= 250 ha).

• Sustainable cropping through integration in natural ecosystems, mixed cropping with annual and perennial crops as well as agrosilvopastoral systems and carbon sequestration (long-term effect as Acrocomia can be cropped for 70 years and more).

• Socio-economically viable through involvement of peasant farmers in agroforestry systems.

• Acrocomia oil can be used for food applications and is an excellent oil source for the cosmetic and chemical industry; residues from the oil extraction are valuable sources for other technical applications. Acrocomia cropping, hence, fosters diversification of agricultural production, allows farmers access to various markets and enhances their integration into bioeconomy.