Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate ten RB (Republic of Brazil) families of full-sib sugarcane with production poten- tial and early maturity to select individuals for use in breeding programs and for commercialization. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with four replicates. The experiment was carried out in Igarassu, Pernambuco, Brazil, during the 2009/2010 crop season. Morphological and technological traits were evaluated ten months after planting. Multivariate analy - sis was used to quantify genetic divergence and Mahalanobis distance was used as the dissimilarity measure. The hierarchi- cal mean connection method and Tocher's optimization method were applied and phenotypic path analysis was performed. Considering the agro-industrial traits, the families FA-2, FA-3, FA-5, FA-8 and FA-9 can be selected for sugar production. The results regarding the apparent percentage of soluble solids indicate that the families FA-4, FA-5, FA-6 and FA-10 have a ten- dency towards early maturation. The mean number of culms can be used for indirect selection of more productive families, as this variable has a substantial direct positive effect on tons of sugarcane per hectare.
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