The most cultivated pitaya species nowadays is Hylocereus undatus, red pitaya with white pulp. Colombia and Mexico are the major world producers and, due to its rusticity, pitaya is considered a potentially viable alternative to make good use of gravel, sandy and compact rocky soils. Although the great demand, there is not yet a variety released on the market that attends production climatic needs and brazilian consumer exigencies. The present work is a part of Embrapa Cerrados pitaya CPAC PY-01 selection and improvement program. We have had the objective to realize genetic variability study of 16 pitaya accesses maintained at Embrapa Cerrados germoplasm collection, showing different phenotypic characteristics with special relation to production, through molecular markers RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA). Each access genomic DNA was extracted and eleven decamer primers indicators were used to obtain molecular markers RAPD, that were converted in a binarium data matrix, from where it was estimated genetic distances between accesses and realized grouping analysis and graphic dispersion. One hundred and eleven RAPD markers were obtained, making a 10,1 markers medium per primer, in witch 45 (40,54%) were polymorphic. Genetic distances between 16 accesses varied within 0,006 and 0,148. The biggest genetic distances were obtained between accesses "52" and "61"; in 2007, the first one produced more than 25 fruits and the second one, none. The smallest genetic distances were verified between accesses "63" and "55" and between 19" and "59". Both groups showed close production values. RAPD molecular markers showed that, even inside the same species, there is genetic variability between plants with different productions, standing out molecular techniques importance as auxiliary instruments selection breeding programs.
molecular markers; agronomic characteristics; Hylocereus undatus; breeding program
