ABSTRACT The tall coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) has great socioeconomic importance in Brazil and was first introduced on the coast of the north-eastern region, where it has been exploited in a semi-extractivist manner. The goal of this study was to quantify the genetic divergence between accessions introduced and preserved at the International Coconut Genebank for Latin America and the Caribbean, estimate the efficiency of descriptors used in the discrimination of the accessions, and indicate the essential descriptors for the activities of characterisation and evaluation. The accessions used were: Polynesia Tall; Tonga Tall; West African Tall; Rennel Tall; Rotuma Tall; Vanuatu Tall; Malayan Tall and Brazilian Tall Praia-do-Forte. Thirty-five quantitative descriptors recommended for the species were used. Genetic divergence was estimated by the Mahalanobis’s generalised distance and the cluster analysis was performed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA). The relative importance of the descriptors was measured according to Singh and Jolliffe’s methods, and the variables were selected taking into consideration the matching information in the two methods, eliminating those that were discarded in the two procedures. The agronomic characteristics indicated that the first canonical variable explained 90.25% of total variance. The most efficient descriptors for detecting the genetic divergence were: fruit equatorial circumference; nut polar and equatorial circumference; quantity of liquid endosperm; total fruit weight; nut weight; stem height; girth of stem at 1,5m height; number of leaflets; and number of bunches. The most dissimilar accessions according to the agronomic characteristics were Rotuma Tall and West African Tall, which can be primarily indicated as genitors for the formation of segregating populations in breeding programmes. | RESUMO O coqueiro-gigante (Cocos nucifera L.) tem grande importância socioeconômica no Brasil e foi primeiramente introduzido no litoral da região Nordeste, onde é explorado de forma semi-extrativista. O objetivo desse trabalho foi quantificar a divergência genética entre os acessos introduzidos e conservados no Banco Internacional de Germoplasma de Coco para América Latina e Caribe, verificar a eficiência dos descritores utilizados na discriminação dos acessos e indicar os essenciais para etapas de caracterização e avaliação. Foram avaliados os acessos: Gigante-da-Polinésia; Gigante-de-Tonga; Gigante-do-Oeste-Africano; Gigante-de-Rennel; Gigante-de-Rotuma; Gigante-de-Vanuatu; Gigante-da-Malásia e Gigante-da-Praia-do-Forte. Utilizou-se 35 descritores quantitativos recomendados para a espécie. A divergência genética foi estimada pela distância generalizada de Mahalanobis e o agrupamento foi realizado pelo método UPGMA. A importância relativa dos descritores foi mensurada de acordo com os métodos de Singh e Jolliffe e as variáveis foram selecionadas levando-se em consideração as informações coincidentes nos dois métodos, eliminando-se aqueles que foram descartados em ambos os procedimentos. Utilizando as características agronômicas detectou-se que a primeira variável canônica explicou 90,25% da variância total. Os descritores mais eficientes para detecção da divergência genética foram: circunferência equatorial do fruto, circunferência polar e equatorial da noz, volume do endosperma, peso total do fruto e noz, altura de estipe, circunferência do estipe a 150 cm do solo, número de folíolos e número de cachos por planta. Os acessos mais dissimilares pelas características agronômicas foram o Gigante-de-Rotuma e Gigante-do-Oeste-Africano, os quais podem ser prioritariamente indicados como genitores para a formação de populações segregantes em programas de melhoramento.

ABSTRACT Meloidogyne enterolobii associated with Fusarium solani causes the guava decay, which is the main factor of yield loss in guava crops and limits guava production in Brazil. Therefore, searching for guava genotypes (Psidium spp.) with resistance to M. enterolobii is important to control this root-knot nematode. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the reaction of Psidium spp. accessions from the Germplasm Bank of the Bahia State University (UNEB) to different levels of inoculation with M. enterolobii. Guava seedlings were inoculated with 600, 1,600, and 2,000 eggs + J2 second stage juveniles of M. enterolobii and the root fresh weight, total number of eggs (TNE), and reproduction factor (RF) were evaluated. The results were subjected to ANOVA and means were clustered using the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. The diversity of accessions was estimated using the Tocher's clustering and UPGMA methods. The nematode RF reduced in some accessions with increasing inoculation levels of the nematode. However, the RF increased in some accessions with high levels of inoculation. Plants of the Y50 accession were immune or resistant to M. enterolobii, indicating variability of reaction of plants to the nematode within the Psidium genus. The resistance of Psidium accessions to M. enterolobii needs to be measured with different inoculation levels to verify the existence of false-positive results, since the evaluated accessions, including the Paluma cultivar, presented distinct reactions regarding RF in the three levels of inoculation used. | RESUMO Meloidogyne enterolobii, juntamente com Fusarium solani, causam o declínio da goiabeira que é a principal causa de perdas na produção de goiaba, limitando o cultivo em todo o Brasil. Portanto, a busca por genótipos dentro do gênero Psidium com resistência a M. enterolobii é muito importante para o controle deste nematoide. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a reação de acessos de Psidium spp., pertencentes ao Banco de Germoplasma da Universidade do Estado da Bahia (UNEB), a diferentes níveis de inóculo de M. enterolobii. Mudas de goiabeira foram inoculadas com 600, 1.600 e 2.000 ovos + J2 (juvenis de segundo estádio) de M. enterolobii/planta e avaliados a massa fresca de raízes, o número total de ovos (NTO) e o fator de reprodução (FR). A análise de variância foi feita e o agrupamento de médias foi realizado pelo teste Scott-Knott a 5% de probabilidade. A diversidade dos acessos foi estimada pelo agrupamento de Tocher e UPGMA. O FR do nematoide apresentou redução em alguns acessos à medida que os níveis de inóculo aumentaram, contudo, em alguns acessos, nos maiores níveis, o FR aumentou. O acesso Y50 teve plantas imunes e resistentes a M. enterolobii, demostrando que ocorre variabilidade na reação ao nematoide dentro do gênero Psidium. A resistência de acessos de Psidium a M. enterolobii deve ser mensurada em diferentes níveis de inóculo de modo a permitir avaliar a existência de falsos-positivos nesses acessos uma vez que há reação distinta dos acessos avaliados quanto à reprodução do nematoide nos três níveis de inóculo usados, inclusive na cv. Paluma.

ABSTRACT Fava bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) has great potential for the supply of vegetable protein, but its cultivation is still of little relevance when compared to common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), being, in most cases, intercropped with other crops. The preservation of its genetic variability in germplasm banks, as well as the study of its genetic dissimilarity, has been helping in strategic design for improvement of the crop. The objective of this work was to characterize the genetic variability of morphoagronomic characters and to quantify the genetic dissimilarity among Fava bean accessions by multivariate analysis. Eight accessions from the Active Fava Bean Germplasm Bank of the Federal University of Piauí were evaluated through a randomized complete block design, with four replications, based on the number of days to maturation (NDM), mean pod length (CV), mean pod width (LV), mean pod thickness (EV), number of seeds per pod (NSV), weight of one hundred seeds (P100S) and productivity (PROD). Among the traits evaluated, only CV showed no genetic variability among the accessions. The analysis of divergence showed accessions UFPI 799 and UFPI 817 as the most divergent in relation to the others. The grouping method of Tocher and UPGMA allowed the formation of three groups. Singh's method indicated that LV, PROD and P100S contributed the most to the genetic divergence between the evaluated accessions. The accessions UFPI 817 and UFPI 797 can be used in crossings, as they are genetically distant and complementary in their characteristics. | RESUMO O feijão fava (Phaseolus lunatus L.) apresenta um grande potencial para o fornecimento de proteína vegetal, mas, o seu cultivo ainda tem pouca relevância se comparado ao do feijão comum (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), sendo, na maioria das vezes, consorciada com outras culturas. A preservação da sua variabilidade genética em bancos de germoplasma assim como o estudo da sua dissimilaridade genética, vem auxiliando no delineamento estratégico para o melhoramento da cultura. O objetivo desse trabalho foi caracterizar a variabilidade genética de caracteres morfoagronômicos e quantificar a dissimilaridade genética entre acessos de feijão-fava por meio de análise multivariada. Foram avaliados oito acessos do Banco Ativo de Germoplasma de Feijão-Fava da Universidade Federal do Piauí, em delineamento de blocos completos ao acaso, com quatro repetições, com base no número de dias para maturação (NDM), comprimento médio da vagem (CV), largura média da vagem (LV), espessura média da vagem (EV), número de sementes por vagem (NSV), peso de cem sementes (P100S) e produtividade (PROD). Dentre os caracteres avaliados, apenas CV, não apresentou variabilidade genética entre os acessos. A análise de divergência mostrou os acessos UFPI 799 e UFPI 817 como os mais divergentes em relação aos demais. O método de agrupamento de Tocher e UPGMA possibilitou a formação de três grupos. O método de Singh indicou que LV, PROD e P100S foram os que mais contribuíram para a divergência genética entre os acessos. Os acessos UFPI 817 e UFPI 797 podem ser utilizados em cruzamentos, pois são distantes geneticamente e complementares em suas características.

ABSTRACT Macrophomina pseudophaseolina has recently been reported in association with weeds in melon producing areas in Northeastern Brazil. Species from this genus are the causal agents of root rot and vine decline (RRVD) in melon, reducing its productivity. It is needed to know the genetic variability of the pathogen to develop effective control methods. Thus, this work aimed to assess the genetic diversity among M. pseudophaseolina isolates collected from the weeds Trianthema portulacastrum L. and Boerhavia diffusa L. using ISSR and RAPD markers. For this, 41 M. pseudophaseolina isolates were submitted to amplification with five ISSR and ten RAPD primers. Genetic similarity was analyzed using the Jaccard’s coefficient and cluster analysis was performed by the UPGMA method. Combining data from both markers, the 41 isolates were separated into eight groups. Most groups were not arranged according to geographical origin and host of the pathogen. The genetic similarity among isolates ranged from 0.15 to 0.87. On the other hand, the highest genetic dissimilarity (85%) was observed between the isolate MpBr11, collected from T. portulacastrum in Icapuí (CE), and MpBr65, collected from B. diffusa in Assú (RN). Results obtained herein can assist breeding programs for the selection of resistance sources and the development of effective control methods against RRVD in melon. | RESUMO Macrophomina pseudophaseolina foi recentemente relatada em áreas produtoras de melão em associação com plantas daninhas na região Nordeste. Espécies do gênero são agentes da podridão radicular e declínio das ramas (PRDR) do meloeiro, doença que reduz sua produtividade. O conhecimento da diversidade genética do patógeno é importante no desenvolvimento de métodos de controle eficientes. Nesse contexto, o objetivo desse trabalho foi analisar a variabilidade genética de isolados de M. pseudophaseolina coletados das plantas daninhas Trianthema portulacastrum L. e Boerhavia diffusa L. por meio dos marcadores moleculares ISSR e RAPD. Para isto, 41 isolados de M. pseudophaseolina foram submetidos à amplificação com cinco iniciadores ISSR e dez RAPD. A similaridade genética foi analisada através do coeficiente de Jaccard e o agrupamento obtido com o método UPGMA. Com a combinação dos dados dos marcadores os 41 isolados foram agrupados em 8 grupos principais. Não foi observado, para grande maioria dos grupos gerados, a relação do agrupamento de acordo com hospedeiro ou local de coleta. A similaridade genética entre os isolados variou de 0,15 a 0,87. A maior dissimilaridade genética (85%) foi observada entre o isolado MpBr11, coletado de T. portulacastrum no município de Icapuí/CE, do isolado MpBr65, coletado de B. diffusa em Assú/RN. Estas informações podem ser úteis para auxiliar programas de melhoramento genético na seleção de fontes de resistência e/ou em testes de métodos de controle contra PRDR do melão.

ABSTRACT The genetic variability within the crop species Ipomoea batatas is broad, hence, in order to support future breeding programs it is of the utmost importance that germplasm banks be created, conserved, and characterized. Therefore, the objective of this work was to rescue and evaluate the genetic divergence in sweet potato accessions collected in traditional communities of Vale do Ribeira Paulista. Sweet potato samples were collected from quilombos, indigenous villages, caiçaras communities, and small farms. The study was conducted between February 2013 and August 2014 in a randomized block design with three replications. Genetic material included 95 collected accessions and two commercial cultivars. Morphological characteristics of the accessions were evaluated and distances in the genetic distance matrix were estimated by means of multi-category variables, the data being subsequently clustered by the Tocher method. Analysis of the relative contribution of each characteristic and phenotypic correlation of descriptors was also performed. Results evidenced wide genetic diversity among the sweet potato accessions collected in Vale do Ribeira, which were not grouped according to the collection point. The descriptors that contributed more than 60% of genetic diversity included: leaf size, general leaf profile, immature leaf color, petiole pigmentation, predominant branch color, branch secondary color, stem length, cortical thickness, predominant periderm color, and periderm color intensity. Correlations between morphological descriptors was observed in 22.26% of the paired traits. | RESUMO A variabilidade genética existente dentro da espécie Ipomoea batatas é amplo, assim, visando dar suporte a futuros programa de melhoramento genético da espécies é de suma importância que bancos de germoplasma sejam formados, conservados e caracterizados. Desta forma, objetivou com este trabalho resgatar e avaliar a divergência genética em acessos coletados em comunidades tradicionais do Vale do Ribeira Paulista. A condução do estudo foi realizada em campo da Fazenda da UNESP-Registro entre fevereiro/2013 a agosto/2014. O experimento foi conduzido em blocos casualizados, com 95 acessos coletados e duas cultivares comerciais, com três repetições. Foram avaliadas características morfológicas da parte aérea e da raiz dos acessos segundo a metodologia de Huamán. A estimativa da matriz da distância genética foi realizada por meio das variáveis multicategoricas, sendo posteriormente os dados agrupados pelo método de Tocher. Também realizou-se análise da contribuição relativa de cada característica e correlação fenotípica dos descritores. De acordo com os resultados, pode-se concluir que há ampla diversidade genética entre os acessos de batata-doce coletados no Vale do Ribeira; os acessos não agruparam em função do ponto de coleta; os descritores que contribuíram com mais de 60% da divergência genética foram o tamanho da folha, perfil geral da folha, cor da folha imatura, pigmentação do pecíolo, coloração predominante das ramas, cor secundária das ramas, comprimento da haste, espessura do córtex, cor predominante da periderme e intensidade da cor da periderme; A correlação entre os descritores morfológicos foi verificada em 22,26% dos pares.

RESUMO A caracterização da diversidade genética, com base na avaliação da germinação e do vigor de sementes, é uma etapa fundamental para dar inicio ao desenvolvimento do sistema de cultivo de C. procera. Dessa maneira, objetivou-se estimar a divergência genética em genótipos de C. procera baseada na germinação e no vigor de sementes armazenadas por doze meses. Foram utilizados 35 genótipos, oriundos de áreas de ocorrência natural na Paraíba, coletados e armazenados em março de 2014. Para a avaliação do potencial fisiológico das sementes, foram realizados dois experimentos entre março e abril de 2015. O primeiro constou de um ensaio de germinação conduzido em câmara de germinação, enquanto o segundo, de um ensaio de emergência em areia lavada, realizado em bandejas de polietileno no interior de ambiente de telado em condições não controladas. Em ambos os experimentos foi utilizado o delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro repetições de 25 sementes por genótipo. As características avaliadas foram germinação, a germinação média diária, a velocidade diária de germinação, o índice de velocidade de germinação, o tempo médio de germinação, o índice de vigor de plântulas, a emergência, o índice de velocidade de emergência, o comprimento total e a fitomassa seca total. Entre os genótipos de C. procera existe variabilidade genética para variáveis de germinação e vigor de sementes armazenadas por um ano. As características de emergência, fitomassa seca total de plântula e germinação são as que mais contribuem para a divergência genética em genótipos de C. procera. | ABSTRACT Characterizing genetic diversity based on evaluations involving germination and seed vigor, is a fundamental stage in starting the development of a cultivation system for Calotropis procera. Thus, this study aimed to estimate genetic diversity among 35 C. procera genotypes based on germination and vigor of seeds stored for 1 year. The genotypes, which originated from areas in Paraíba (Brazil), where they occur naturally, were collected and stored in March 2014. In order to evaluate the physiological potential of the seeds, two experiments were conducted between March and April 2015. The first involved a propagation test conducted in a germination chamber, while the second involved an emergence test in washed sand, performed in polyethylene trays in a screened environment under uncontrolled conditions. In both experiments, an entirely randomized design was used, with four repetitions of 25 seeds per genotype. The characteristics evaluated were germination, average daily germination, daily germination speed, the speed of germination index, the plantlet vigor index, emergence, the speed of emergence index, total length, and total dry mass. The results showed that genetic variability exists among the C. procera genotypes for variables involving germination and vigor of seeds stored for 1 year. Also, emergence, total dry plantlet mass, and germination characteristics contribute most to the genetic divergence among C. procera genotypes.

ABSTRACT The characterization of genetic divergence in common bean cultivars for various traits related to plant architecture and grain yield is unprecedented. This study proposes to determine whether common bean cultivars of different grain types differ for 12 traits of plant architecture and grain yield; examine the correlations between these traits; analyze the genetic divergence of these cultivars; and select superior cultivars for these traits. A total of 22 common bean cultivars with the grains types most produced in Brazil were evaluated in two growing seasons. Plant architecture was analyzed based on 12 traits, and grain yield was determined at maturity. Significant genotype and genotype × environment interaction effects were obtained, indicating the existence of genetic variability for all evaluated traits. Several plant architecture traits were correlated, but none was highly correlated with grain yield. Firstand second-internode lengths are more important in differentiating common bean cultivars. Principal component and Tocher’s analyses resulted in the formation of four and seven groups of cultivars, respectively. Both methods are efficient in analyzing genetic divergence; however, Tocher's method is more informative. Cultivars BRS Campeiro, SCS 205 - Riqueza, BRS Esteio, IAC Imperador and Guapo Brilhante have a high grain yield potential, but only BRS Campeiro, BRS Esteio and Guapo Brilhante have upright plant architecture.

ABSTRACT Developing fast-cooking, mineral-biofortified common bean lines represents an important innovation for breeding programs. Thus, this study was conducted to determine whether elite Mesoamerican common bean lines differ for cooking time and mineral concentration and to select fast-cooking, mineral- biofortified lines. The experiments were carried out in two growing seasons, in which 16 common bean genotypes were evaluated. Cooking time was determined using a Mattson cooker, and the minerals were analyzed by acid digestion. The resulting data were subjected to individual analysis of variance, combined analysis of variance, clustering by the Scott-Knott test, and selection index (multiplicative). There was a significant genotype × environment interaction effect for cooking time and the concentrations of potassium, iron, zinc and copper. Only the phosphorus concentration showed no genetic variability between the common bean lines. The ranking of the best common bean lines differed for all traits examined in the different environments, according to the Scott-Knott test. The use of the multiplicative selection index allows selecting superior common bean lines for all traits, namely, DF 07-11, DF 08-21, DF 08-20 and DF 08-28. These lines exhibit a very short cooking time (up to 15 min), high potassium concentration (> 12.00 g kg-1 of dry matter) and the highest mean values of micromineral concentration, and will thus be selected by the breeding program.

ABSTRACT Information of the variation for important morphological and physiological traits of okra is still limited. Molecular analysis is an important additional tool in germplasm characterization studies. The study aimed to evaluate the performance of the growth and yield of 20 pre-commercial okra accessions to identify molecular markers’ association with morphological traits. Nineteen morphological traits were measured with five qualitative and 14 quantitative descriptors. For analysis of genetic patterns Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used with nine primers and 24 usable bands. The genetic dissimilarity was evaluated based in morphological and genetic matrices. Also, graphical representation of genetic distances was obtained by UPGMA and Tocher’s optimization method. The morphological characterization of the accessions detected polymorphism for all evaluated traits. RAPD markers were efficient in detecting genetic variability among okra accessions. For the primers used in the experiment, only OPE10 did not amplify the DNA strand. The other eight primers produced a total of 35 bands, in which 25 were polymorphic and ten were monomorphic. The morphological traits and molecular markers identified wide genetic variability among the 20 okra accessions, indicating successful crosses in breeding programs and isolating some interesting materials. Morphological and molecular cluster analyses were complementary and helped in the genotype selection. Molecular analysis indicated some divergent accessions that were not found in morphological analysis, which could highlight some materials that have a desirable trait, that is difficult and highly costly to access in field experiments.

ABSTRACT Plant breeding programs have been investing in the development of high commercial standard onions; thus, they depend on the genetic resources available for obtaining commercial hybrids. The objective of this study was to evaluate genetic parameters and diversity, and phenotypic and genotypic correlations of characters related to onion production. The experiment was conducted in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Fifty-three onion strains were evaluated, and a randomized block design was used. The number of plant and bulb characteristics evaluated was 13. The statistical analyses were performed using Genes and R software. A genetic variability among the genotypes was found for most of the characters at 1% level of significance in the F test. The heritability of most characters presented moderate to high values (≥ 70%) and high CVg/CVe ratio (≥ 1). The UPGMA method separated the genotypes into 20 groups, while the Tocher method separated them into 19 groups. The groups that stood out were V, XIV, XV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, and XX. The results of t-test showed six significant phenotypic correlations with low to moderate degree of association, and the genotypic correlations, in most cases, were higher than the phenotypic ones and showed the same sign. From the genetic parameters studied, the possibility of gains in the selection is high. The separation of groups of divergent genitors was possible due to the wide genetic variability for the studied characters. Moreover, the phenotypic and genotypic correlations showed that indirect selection is not feasible.