Multi-criteria decision analysis applied to Brazilian grapevine genotype selection

Abstract

Developing new table grape cultivars that exhibit high yield and superior fruit quality is imperative to meet the escalating demands of the consumer market in the Lower-Middle São Francisco River Valley. The primary objective of Embrapa Semiárido's Active Germplasm Banks (AGB) for grapes is the conservation of Vitis sp. germplasm under semi-arid climatic conditions to make it available for research, particularly for the breeding and development of novel grape cultivars. This study aims to use Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), specifically the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (Promethee) II, to rank the grape genotypes of the Embrapa Semiárido's AGB, considering multiple criteria to define the primary grape varieties for the breeding program. The decision maker (DM) participated in all process stages, from validating qualitative and quantitative criteria to evaluating the criteria weights, and the decision matrix had 106 seeded and 50 seedless grape genotypes with 14 criteria. For visual analysis, we generated the GAIA Plane using the Visual Promethee Software. In the group of seeded grape cultivars, the three top-ranked genotypes were 'Italia Clone I′, 'Dona Maria', and 'Italia Muscat', while in the seedless group, the best-rated were 'BRS Ísis', 'BRS Linda', and 'BRS Morena'. Our research demonstrated, for the first time, the evaluation of grape genotypes using MCDA method with qualitative and quantitative criteria.