It was studied genetic divergence of 21 half-sib progenies, being 19 of the Congolês group and two of the Guineano group, introductions of germoplasma robust (Coffea canephora), based in 14 morpho-agronomic traits and multivariate procedures. It's aims to select the lineages most divergent for definition of population-base for posterior reciprocal recurrent selection and production of hybrids. The importance of the traits for divergence was, also, evaluated by the sequential discards the variables, according its relative contributions. The trial was carry out in an experimental field located in the Pólo Regional do Nordeste Paulista, Mococa-SP, using randomized blocks with 21 treatments and 24 replicates. The datas were analyzed by Tocher and UPGMA methods. The matrix of genetic divergence was gotten on the generalized Mahalanobis distance that it served of base for the formation of the groups. The employed methods had been efficient in detecting ample genetic variability between the evaluated progenies. Some groups of similarity had been identified. The IAC 2262, IAC 2290, IAC 2286, IAC 2292 and IAC 2291 progenies are indicated to compose programs of intercrosses, being considered the most promising in the attainment of segregantes populations or hybrid heterotics. The characteristics that had less contributed for the genetic divergence had been: canopy diameter before pruning, plant height before pruning and leaf area.
Genetic dissimilarity; Coffea canephora; multivariate techniques; coffee
