Phenotypic diversity of four isozymes systems and twelve morphological traits of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) were quantified using the Shannon-Weaver diversity index for four cassava gardens of two traditional farmers of Ubatuba,SP, Brazil. The total diversity was partitioned within and among gardens, showing that most of the diversity is concentrated within gardens. Interviews were carried out in order to verify if farmers recognize the existance of cassava plants originated from seeds and seed banks with the surveyed farmers in order to identify, in the present case, mechanisms of genetic diversity amplification.
Manihot esculenta; Shannon-Weaver; evolutionary dynamics; conservation; genetic resource