Abstract
ABSTRACT: Over several past centuries, specific plant populations have been carefully selected to filter strains with higher agronomic performance. Genetic variability is most essential for successful selection. The Passiflora genus offers great inter- and intra-specific variability. This study aimed to evaluate the physical characteristics of the genotypes of the elite passion fruit (Passiflora alata) for selection purpose. We considered the physical traits of fruit mass, longitudinal and equatorial diameters, peel thickness and color, and pulp mass and volume without and with seeds and pulp yield. The sources of variation for the analysis of variance included the fruits of 8 elite genotypes, with 3 replications, whose means were compared by Tukey’s test at 1% probability. We also performed multivariate analysis and correlation between these characteristics. Statistical differences were noted between elite genotypes for most of the tested traits. The elite 7 genotype presented with the highest seedless pulp yield in relation to the fruit and the largest fruit mass. Cluster analysis and graphic dispersion revealed a tendency for clustering of the elite genotypes based on their fruit shape. The tested population showed genetic variability, which allowed new selection cycles toward gaining pulp yield and fruit mass.
Highlights
Much work has been performed in the domestication and genetic improvement of several cultivated plant species with the main aim of selecting species that are more productive, more resistant to pests and diseases, better ability to adapt, and greater homogeneity (FERREIRA & RANGEL, 2005)
This study aimed to evaluate the variability of elite genotypes within the population of the last recurrent selection cycle that originated from the cultivar P. alata BRS Mel do Cerrado (BRS MC) based on the physical characteristics of fruits and considering the use of such elite genotypes as the breeding stock for future breeding programs
We analyzed 8 elite genotypes obtained from the recurrent selection population that originated from the sweet passion fruit cultivar BRS Mel do Cerrado
Summary
Much work has been performed in the domestication and genetic improvement of several cultivated plant species with the main aim of selecting species that are more productive, more resistant to pests and diseases, better ability to adapt, and greater homogeneity (FERREIRA & RANGEL, 2005). Passion fruit variability can be evidenced by morphological, agronomic, ecological, and molecular characteristics, and fruit characteristics are the variabilities that contributed the most to genetic variability (OLIVEIRA et al, 2017). Passiflora alata Curtis is a passion fruit species cultivated in Brazil for the main purpose of producing raw material (i.e., leaves), for the herbal and cosmetic industries (COSTA, 2017) as well as for the supply of fruits for fresh consumption (FALEIRO et al, 2016). The sweet passion fruit crop is the second-most cultivated fruit species in Brazil (JUNQUEIRA et al, 2005). In the state of Goiás, the value of the fruit reached an average of 4-times that paid for the commercial sour passion fruit in 2017 (Passiflora edulis Sims) (CEASA-GO, 2017)
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