Estimativas de parâmetros genéticos baseados em características reprodutivas e biométricas de frutos de populações de babaçu (Attalea speciosa Mart.) no estado do Maranhão, Brasil

This study utilized 303 pepper accessions from diverse Capsicum species to explore fruit traits, including length, width, wall thickness, and weight. Descriptive statistics revealed a mean fruit length of 66.19 mm, width of 23.48 mm, wall thickness of 1.89 mm, and weight of 15.29 g, with significant variability, particularly in fruit weight. Correlation analysis demonstrated strong positive relationships between fruit width, weight, and fruit wall thickness (r = 0.89 and r = 0.86, respectively), while fruit length showed weaker correlations with these traits. Analysis of fruit positions revealed that the majority of accessions had a pendent fruit position (156), followed by erect (85) and intermediate (8). In terms of fruit shape, triangular and narrow triangular shapes were the most common, observed in 102 and 98 accessions, respectively. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with fruit traits across four models (Blink, FarmCPU, MLM, MLMM). The number of significantly associated SNPs were as follows: fruit length (89), fruit width (55), fruit weight (63), fruit wall thickness (48), fruit shape (151), and fruit position (51). Several genes were also identified where the SNPs are located or adjacent to, providing candidate genes for further exploration of the genetic basis of fruit morphology. Notably, genes such as E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase RGLG1 (associated with fruit width), Homeobox-leucine zipper protein HDG11 (involved in fruit width), Auxin response factor 23 (linked to fruit shape), and ATP-dependent zinc metalloprotease FtsH (related to fruit weight) were identified. These findings enhance our understanding of the genetic basis of fruit morphology in Capsicum, offering valuable insights for breeding and agricultural practices.

Ten fruit and kernel traits were assessed in 24 fruits of each of 152Irvingia gabonensis trees in three distinct populations in west and central Africa [2 populations of non-planted trees in Cameroon: Nko'ovos II (21 trees) and Elig-Nkouma (31 trees) and 1 population of planted trees in Nigeria: Ugwuaji (100 trees)]. Strong relationships were found between fruit weight and other fruit traits (e.g. flesh weight[r2 = 0.99: P < 0.001],fruit length [r2 = 0.74–0.83:P < 0.001], fruit width[r2 = 0.77–0.88: P< 0.001]). In contrast, relationships between kernel weight and other kernel/nut traits (e.g. shell weight and nut weight) were found to be weak[r2 = 0.009–0.37, P =0.058–0.001], with the exception of nut weight at Nko'ovos II(r2 = 0.65, P < 0.001).Relations hips between fruit and kernel traits (fruit massv. kernel mass, fruit mass v. shell mass, flesh mass v. kernel mass, nut massv. fruit mass and flesh depth v.kernel mass) were found to be very weak. This indicates that domestication through the selection and vegetative propagation of multiple-trait superior phenotypes is unlikely to be able to combine good fruit characteristics and good kernel characteristics within cultivars. Consequently, domestication activities should independently focus on ideotypes representing: 'fresh fruit' traits, and 'kernel' traits, that combine high values of the different fruit and kernel characteristics respectively. Evidence from this study indicates that selection of the three trees closest to the fruit ideotype per village as the mother plants for vegetative propagation and cultivar development, should give village level gains of 1.3 – 2-fold in fruit mass, and up to 1.5-fold in taste. Similarly for the kernel ideotype, selection of the three trees with the best fit would give potential gains in kernel mass of 1.4 – 1.6-fold.

Aim: To study the multivariate analysis, genetic parameters and correlation for post harvest quality and yield traits in tomato.&#x0D; Study Design: The variability in the twenty genotypes of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was evaluated for 18 yield attributes and post harvest quality traits using randomized block design and analyzed with multivariate methods.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Twenty genotypes of tomato augmented from Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi were sown during rainy season at Horticulture Research Farm of Banaras Hindu University.&#x0D; Methodology: The unweighted pair group method of the average linkage (UPGMA) cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to analyze the data. Canonical discriminant analysis showed the contribution of each trait to the classification of the tomato accessions into different cluster groups.&#x0D; Results: The first seven principal components (PC) explained 87.83% of total variation and has eigen values &gt;1. The traits that mainly contributed for this variation in PC1 and PC2 are fruit yield, plant height, number of flower clusters per plant, number of fruits per plant, days to first fruit set, number of fruits per cluster. High (&gt;20%) genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was observed for number of fruits/cluster, fruit shape index, number of fruits/plant, fruit yield and shelf life. The correlation coefficients of number of primary branches/plant, days to first fruit set, number of flower clusters/plant, number of fruits/cluster, fruit width (cm), number of fruits/plant, fruit weight (g) and lycopene (mg/100 g) were positively and significantly correlated to fruit yield/plant.&#x0D; Conclusion: Number of flower clusters/plant, fruit weight and number of fruits per plant had contributed for maximum variation. These traits also had high heritability, high genetic gain and significant correlation with fruit yield.

This study was aimed at determining type of organic material suitable for the growth and yield of two varieties of tomatoes and the interaction between the two factors. This experiment was conducted at the experimental field of the Agriculture Faculty, Syiah Kuala University, Darussalam, Banda Aceh. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design, 4 x 2 with three replications. There were two factors investigated: organic material consisting 4 levels (control, manure, compost peat, and compost), varieties consisting two levels (Permata and Lentana F1). Variables observed were height and stem diameter, fruit weight per plant, number of fruits per plant, number of bunches per plant, number of fruits per bunch, average weight per fruit and yield potential. The results showed that the type of organic material highly significantly affected plant height and stem diameter at the ages of 30 and 45 days after planting, fruit weight per plant, number of fruits per plant, and significantly affected plant height at the age of 15 HST but did not significantly affect the number of bunches per plant, number of fruits per bunch, average weight per fruit and yield potential. Growth and yield were better at manure compared to compost, peat compost, and control. Varieties significantly affected stem diameter at the age of 15, 30 and 45 days after planting, fruit weight per plant, number of fruits per plant, number of bunches per plant, number of fruits per bunch, average weight per fruit and potential results. Growth and yield were better found in varieties Permata. There were significant interactions between types of organic materials and varieties in all observed variables on growth and yield of tomato.

Morphological diversity of Bobgunnia madagascariensis (Desv.) J. H. Kirkbr. & Wiersema, across the Sudanian and Sudano-Guinean zones of Benin Republic

An investigation was undertaken to study the Genotype × Environment interaction of elite mulberry genotypes across different seasons at Department of Sericulture, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru during 2023-24. Analysis of variance revealed that significant differences among mulberry genotypes for traits such as number of leaves per plant at 30 DAP, leaf yield per plant, complete flowering duration, inflorescence length, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit width and fruit yield per plant across three seasons. Similarly, environmental variance was significant for all characteristics except for the number of days required for fruit formation. Significant G × E interaction variance was observed for most of the traits across the three seasons, with the exception of internodal distance at 60 DAP, number of branches per plant at 30 and 60 DAP, single leaf area (cm²) at 30 DAP, total shoot length at 60 DAP, number of days to first flower initiation, inflorescence breadth, fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight. Therefore, both genotype and environment significantly influence most mulberry traits, with notable G × E interactions indicating that trait expression varies across environments.

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) is effective in identifying favorable alleles for traits of interest with high mapping resolution in crop species. In this study, we conducted GWAS to explore quantitative trait loci (QTL) for eight fruit traits using 162 tomato accessions with diverse genetic backgrounds. The eight traits included fruit weight, fruit width, fruit height, fruit shape index, pericarp thickness, locule number, fruit firmness, and brix. Phenotypic variations of these traits in the tomato collection were evaluated with three replicates in field trials over three years. We filtered 34,550 confident SNPs from the 51 K Axiom® tomato array based on < 10% of missing data and > 5% of minor allele frequency for association analysis. The 162 tomato accessions were divided into seven clusters and their membership coefficients were used to account for population structure along with a kinship matrix. To identify marker-trait associations (MTAs), four phenotypic data sets representing each of three years and combined were independently analyzed in the multilocus mixed model (MLMM). A total of 30 significant MTAs was detected over data sets for eight fruit traits at P < 0.0005. The number of MTA per trait ranged from one (brix) to seven (fruit weight and fruit width). Two SNP markers on chromosomes 1 and 2 were significantly associated with multiple traits, suggesting pleiotropic effects of QTL. Furthermore, 16 of 30 MTAs suggest potential novel QTL for eight fruit traits. These results facilitate genetic dissection of tomato fruit traits and provide a useful resource to develop molecular tools for improving fruit traits via marker-assisted selection and genomic selection in tomato breeding programs.

Arabica coffee is the predominant commodity in contributing for foreign exchange in Ethiopia and improvement for yield and other desirable traits is highly momentous. Estimating genetic diversity is a prerequisite activity in plant breeding program for crop improvement. This study was designed to determine the extent of genetic variability among Wollega coffee landrace and importance of gene revealed in traits. The 26 genotypes were tested during the 2016/2017 cropping season at Mugi and Haru sub- enters using RCBD. The combined analysis manifested significant difference among genotypes only in node number per primary branch (NNPB), fruit traits and Coffee leaf rust (CLR) although significant difference recorded for 18 and 22 of the 23 traits at Haru and at Mugi, respectively. The difference between environments was significant for all traits, except for CLR, yield (YLD), leaf, some fruit and bean traits. Performance at Haru was less than at Mugi for all traits showed significant difference. Genotype x environment (GEI) was significant for all traits excluding NNPB, leaf length (LL), fruit width and CLR indicating inconsistency performance of Coffee genotypes. At Haru, high phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV>20%) recorded for YLD (25.5%), CLR (110.0%) and number of secondary branch (NSB) (22.0%), but High genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV>20%) recorded only for CLR (99.6%). At Mugi, High PCV and GCV (>20%) recorded for YLD (38.6%) and CLR (98.4%). Heritability ranged from 10.0% (YLD) to 88.0% (BW) while genetic advance (GAM) ranged from 1.5% (LL) to 32.4% (NSB) at Haru. At Mugi, Heritability ranged between 31% (CLR) and 84.0% (bean thickness) and between 3.3% (LL) and 44.0% (YLD) for GAM. The present results elucidate the existence of moderate genetic diversity among genotypes for some traits at individual location indicating the possibility of improvement for desired traits via selection. For further diversity analysis, molecular characterization methods need to be carried out.

The objective of this study was to estimate simple and partial coefficients of correlation, as well as to divide their effects into direct and indirect using path analysis for custard apple tree traits. Twenty half-sibling progenies were evaluated in a randomized block design with five replicates, and plots consisting of four plants. Six traits were evaluated in the first cropping season (mean number of seeds per fruit and mean weight of the pericarp, pulp, pedicel, seeds per fruit, and the whole fruit), while five traits were evaluated in the first three cropping seasons (mean fruit length and width, total number of fruits ha-1, mean fruit weight (in both types of analyses), and fruit yield in kg ha-1). The results of this work led to the conclusion that doing selection based on simple correlation estimates may not be convenient, since not always a cause and effect relationship can be verified between two traits. Positive correlations were obtained between number of seeds and seed weight, and between number of fruits and yield. The greatest direct effects were those obtained for pulp weight on fruit weight and for mean number and weight of fruits on fruit yield. The most important indirect effects were obtained for number of seeds and pericarp weight, obtained via pulp weight, on fruit weight, and for fruit length and width, obtained via mean fruit weight, on fruit yield.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to identify the linear relationship between cherry tomato yield components. Two uniformity trials, without treatments, were conducted on Lilli cherry tomato plants in a plastic greenhouse during the 2014 spring/summer season, with the plants in two stems. Variables observed for each plant were mean fruit length, mean fruit width, mean fruit weight, number of bunches, number of fruits per bunch, total number of fruits, and total fruit weight; a Pearson's correlation matrix was used to estimate the relationship between the variables. Path analysis was then performed considering total fruit weight as the main variable and the remaining variables as explanatory. Due to the severe multicollinearity, the variable 'number of fruits per bunch' was eliminated. Pearson's correlation coefficients were significant between explanatory and main variables. Mean fruit weight has a low cause-and-effect relationship with the total weight of fruits produced. A low cause-and-effect relationship was also observed between number of fruits and number of bunches. Cherry tomato productivity is directly related to the number of fruits per plant.

Ten quantitative morphological characters were studied in 56 Morus alba L. trees representing three natural populations from the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. The altitude of collection sites ranged from 2815 to 3177 m above the sea level (asl). Coefficient of variation (CV) showed high phenotypic variation in M. alba. Linear regression analysis revealed that leaf and fruit size decreases with an increase in altitude. High CV was observed for leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, leaf area, inter-nodal distance, number of nodes, bud length, fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight. Similarly, a high phenotypic plasticity index was observed for bud length, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length, leaf area, inter-nodal distance, number of nodes, fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight. For every 100 m increase in altitude, leaf length, leaf width and leaf area decreased by 1 cm, 0.8 cm and 16.6 cm2, respectively. Analysis of covariance showed a predominant altitudinal effect on the morphological characters in comparison to the population effect. A small change in the altitude caused significant change in the plant morphological characteristics. The present investigation represents to our knowledge the first study addressing phenotypic variation in mulberry along an altitudinal gradient.

Few Calabrian pepper cultivars (C. annuum and C. baccatum) are available in the Brazilian market, and among these, only BRS Mari (C. baccatum) was developed in Brazil, by Embrapa. This work aimed to report on the introduction of germplasm in a sui generis way and the initial results of Calabrian pepper breeding at Embrapa Vegetables. Original population was obtained through separation of seeds found in dehydrated Calabrian pepper flakes imported from India. The breeding method was individual selection of plants with progeny test and three generations of selection and self-pollination were advanced. Ten plants were obtained from the original seeds, which were self-pollinated and originated 87 S1 plants. Out of these, seeds of 73 S1 plants were obtained and gave rise to 73 S2 lines. Based on the characteristics of plant and fruit (number of side shoots, weight and total number of fruits, length and width of fruits, wall thickness, color of the ripe fruit, total soluble solids and capsaicin content), three S2 lines were selected and, then, 14 plants within these lines (4 plants of line CNPH 50.112, 5 plants of CNPH 50.116 and 5 plants of CNPH 50.185). Significant differences (Tukey, p&lt;0.05) were noticed among the 14 S3 lines, for precocity, length and width of the fruit, weight of the fruit, weight and number of fruits per plant. Five S3 lines were selected based on the following criteria: average fruit weight above 12 g, early flowering (less than 80 days after sowing), fruit length above 13 cm and fruit width around 1.5 cm, dark green color of leaf and sparse or medium pilosity. In the following S4 generation, the selected lines will be evaluated in order to determine yield, disease resistance as well as capsaicinoid concentration in fruits. New genotypes selected may be released as cultivars that meet the growing demand for dehydrated Calabrian pepper flakes.

This study systematically analyzed the fruit traits of four sources and 117 families of Juglans mandshurica Maxim. in Jilin Province. By measuring key traits such as fruit phenotype and nut phenotype, the relationship between fruit characteristics and environmental adaptability was explored, leading to the selection of superior materials with high oil content potential. The study used fruit from J. mandshurica of 117 families (random sampling) across four provenances as experimental materials and measured 13 fruit phenotypic traits, including fruit length and fruit width. Finally, principal component analysis and genetic variation parameters were conducted. The results of the variance analysis (ANOVA) indicated that except for the nut roundness index, all other traits exhibited highly significant differences among provenances and families (p &lt; 0.01). The range of genetic and phenotypic variation coefficients for the various traits was 7.47–23.23% and 8.76–29.59%. The family heritability ranged from 0.968 to 0.988. Correlation analysis among fruit traits revealed a non-significant correlation between fruit width and seed yield, fruit type index and nut weight, kernel weight and kernel yield, as well as nut longitudinal diameter and kernel yield. However, significant correlations were observed among all other traits. The Pearson correlation analysis between fruit traits and environmental factors revealed a significant negative correlation between longitude and seed yield. Cluster analysis results, based on the Euclidean distance method, showed that materials from four provenances were categorized into three groups at a genetic distance of 5. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that the cumulative contribution rate of four principal components reached 87.00%. PCI demonstrated the highest contribution rate and included traits such as fruit length, nut longitudinal diameter, nut transverse diameter, nut side diameter, three-diameter mean, and nut weight. One elite provenance and five elite families were preliminarily selected. The realized gain for the selected provenance fruit traits was higher for fruit weight and kernel weight, with values of 2.41% and 3.67%, respectively. For the selected families, the genetic gain was highest for kernel yield and kernel weight, with values of 16.51% and 26.66%, respectively. The findings will provide insights into breeding strategies to enhance walnut oil yield. The identified traits may be used to guide breeding programs for developing high-oil-content varieties; However, further validation studies are required to confirm these traits and their applicability in large-scale breeding efforts.

Pepper (Capsicum spp.) fruit-related traits are critical determinants of quality. These traits are controlled by quantitatively inherited genes for which marker-assisted selection (MAS) has proven insufficiently effective. Here, we evaluated the potential of genomic selection, in which genotype and phenotype data for a training population are used to predict phenotypes of a test population with only genotype data, for predicting fruit-related traits in pepper. We measured five fruit traits (fruit length, fruit shape, fruit width, fruit weight, and pericarp thickness) in 351 accessions from the pepper core collection, including 229 Capsicum annuum, 48 Capsicum baccatum, 48 Capsicum chinense, 25 Capsicum frutescens, and 1 Capsicum chacoense in 4 years at two different locations and genotyped these accessions using genotyping-by-sequencing. Among the whole core collection, considering its genetic distance and sexual incompatibility, we only included 302 C. annum complex (229 C. annuum, 48 C. chinense, and 25 C. frutescens) into further analysis. We used phenotypic and genotypic data to investigate genomic prediction models, marker density, and effects of population structure. Among 10 genomic prediction methods tested, Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) produced the highest prediction accuracies (measured as correlation between predicted values and observed values) across the traits, with accuracies of 0.75, 0.73, 0.84, 0.83, and 0.82 for fruit length, fruit shape, fruit width, fruit weight, and pericarp thickness, respectively. Overall, prediction accuracies were positively correlated with the number of markers for fruit traits. We tested our genomic selection models in a separate population of recombinant inbred lines derived from two parental lines from the core collection. Despite the large difference in genetic diversity between the training population and the test population, we obtained moderate prediction accuracies of 0.32, 0.34, 0.50, and 0.48 for fruit length, fruit shape, fruit width, and fruit weight, respectively. This use of genomic selection for fruit-related traits demonstrates the potential use of core collections and genomic selection as tools for crop improvement.

The present investigation was carried out in forty genotypes of ber at the Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur (UP) from 2021–22 to 2022–23. Phenotypic correlations were worked out among eighteen characters of Ber to know the nature of the association existing among the characters. The correlation among the quantitative characters was worked out. The length of the fruit was found to be significantly and positively correlated with fruit weight (0.617**), and the width of the fruit exhibited a significant positive correlation with fruit weight (0.853**). Leaf length showed significant positive correlations with length of fruit (0.443*) and a non-significant but positive correlation with weight of fruit and width of fruit. Leaf width showed significant positive correlations with fruit weight (0.794**), length of fruit (0.563**), and leaf length (0.487*). Stone weight has shown significant positive correlations with fruit weight (0.626**) and width of fruit (0.874**), and stone length has shown significant positive correlations with fruit weight (0.440*), leaf width (0.409*), and stone weight (0.584**). Stone width has shown significant positive correlations with leaf length (0.417*), leaf width (0.701**), and stone weight (0.487*). The height of the tree has shown significant positive correlations with length of fruit (0.576**), width of fruit (0.977**), stone length (0.803**), and stone width (0.628**). The stem girth also exhibited a significant positive correlation with fruit weight (0.966**), width of fruit (0.496*), leaf length (0.650**), stone weight (0.397*), and height of the tree (0.406*). Specific gravity has shown significant positive correlations with fruit weight (0.817**). leaf length (0.641**) leaf width (0.424*), stone weight (0.455*), stone length (0.417*), and stone width (0.734**).&#x0D; TSS content was also found to be significantly and positively correlated with fruit weight (0.774**), leaf length (0.645**), leaf width (0.970**), stone weight (0.539**), stone length (0.425*), stone width (0.765**), stem girth (0.855**), and specific gravity (0.547**). Total acidity content in fruit was found to be significantly and positively correlated with fruit weight (0.725**), length of fruit (0.882**), width of fruit (0.948**), leaf length (0.809**), leaf width (0.989**), stone weight (0.772**), stone length (0.605**), stone width (0.892**), height of the tree (0.792**), and specific gravity (0.702**). TSS: acid ratio has shown significant positive correlations with fruit weight (0.981**), length of fruit (0.455*), width of fruit (0.963**), leaf length (0.929**), leaf width (0.854**), stone length (0.813**), stone width (0.727**), height of the tree (0.832**), stem girth (0.453*), and specific gravity (0.728** ).Reducing sugar has shown significant positive correlations with fruit weight (0.680**), leaf width (0.821**), stone length (0.835**), stone width (0.503*), height of tree (0.747**), stem girth (0.812**), and TSS acidity ratio (0.410*). Non-reducing sugar has shown significant positive correlations with fruit weight (0.782**), length of fruit (0.999**), width of fruit (0.499*), leaf width (0.482*), stone weight (0.662**), stone length (0.399*), stone width (0.453*), specific gravity (0.488*), and TSS (0.787**). Total sugars have shown significant positive correlations with fruit weight (0.960**). length of fruit (0.412*) leaf length (0.539**), leaf width (0.710**), stone length (0.745**), stone width (0.897**), height of the tree (0.658**), stem girth (0.841**), and acidity (0.584**). Ascorbic acid has shown significant positive correlations between length of fruit (0.938**), leaf width (0.642**), stone length (0.664**), stone width (0.685**), height of tree (0.400**), and specific gravity (0.942**).