Genetic diversity in Capsicum and Solanum genotypes based on morphoagronomic characters

Abstract

The genus Capsicum displays a wide genetic variability and studies focusing on diversity among genotypes are used in breeding programs. This study aimed to estimate the genetic variability based on morphoagronomic descriptors of pepper genotypes. The experiment was installed in a completely randomized design with 12 treatments and five replicates. The genotypes were evaluated for nine morphological and horticultural traits. The analysis of genetic divergence among the genotypes was determined by multivariate techniques, based on principal components and cluster analysis, via hierarchical grouping with average linkage (Unweighted Pair-Group Method using Arithmetic Mean - UPGMA). All quantitative descriptors were significant at 1 and 5% by the F-test. Principal component analysis showed that the first two major components accumulated 70% of the total variance. The UPGMA grouping method delineated five distinct groups, indicating the existence of genetic variability among the studied genotypes. The genotypes that gathered attributes of relevant ornamental value were ‘Pirâmide ornamental’, ‘Tabasco’ and ‘Malagueta’. The most promising genotypes for fresh consumption were ‘Dedo de moça’, ‘Rocoto vermelha’, ‘Rocoto amarela’ and ‘Jalapeño’. These genotypes present the potential to be used in breeding programs of pepper plants for ornamental purposes.