ABSTRACT

The palm tree Euterpe edulis is a native species from Mata Atlântica and it is nowadays found in the list of species which are threatened by extinction. One option to withdraw it from this list would be the stimulation of the commercial planting aiming the management of fruits which receive the “super fruit” classification by their chemical and nutritional properties. However, one stage of extreme importance that precedes the superior genotypes selection is the study of associations among the variables, because it allows delineating alternate selection strategies to maximize the gains. The present study had as objective to estimate the genetic correlations by the REML/BLUP procedure and the direct and indirect effects upon fruit mass by path analysis for six fruit characters of 198 accessions of E. edulis. Fruits of 198 Juçara genotypes collected in 20 forestry fragments in the south and Caparaó region of the state of Espírito Santo were analyzed. From each genotype 25 fruits were evaluated for the characteristics: longitudinal and equatorial fruit and seed diameter; fruit and seed mass. The obtained data were used for genetic correlations estimative through the method of restricted maximum likelihood and better unbiased linear prediction (REM/BLUP). Subsequently, the genetic correlations among the fruit variables were submitted to path analysis. The six fruit characters studied show positive genetic association with magnitude higher than 0.71 by the REML/BLUP procedure. The longitudinal diameter of fruit and seed mass have greater direct effect on fruit weight, which makes them most indicated to increase the chances of success in the Juçara genotypes selection with larger fruit . The characteristics longitudinal diameter of fruit and the seed mass are the main determinants of changes in the mass of fruit.

Index terms
Euterpe edulis ; Pre-improvement; Characters Selection; Biometric Analysis