Abstract
Few cultivars of papaya from the Formosa group are available to producers, and the development of new genotypes is indispensable. Thus, the use of effective selection strategies to obtain more productive cultivars and better quality fruits is also necessary. The aim of this study was to select of half-sib families (HSF) of papaya using the methodology of mixed models. Nineteen HSFs from the Incaper’s papaya breeding program were evaluated in a randomized block design with five replicates and nine plants per plot. The selection was made based on fruit mass (FM), pulp thickness (PT), soluble solids content in pulp (SS) and number of fruits (NF). The genetic parameters and genotypic values were estimated by the REML/BLUP procedure. The selected HSFs increased FM by 26.1%; the PT in 10.5%; the SS in 7.5% and; the NF in 13.0%. The additive heritability within the progenies and the individual variation coefficient obtained indicate that the selection between and within the HSFs can provide greater genetic gains. The selection based on the REML/BLUP methodology was efficient to obtain simultaneous genetic gains for all variables under study despite the negative correlation between them.
Index terms
Carica papaya L.; REML/BLUP; genetic gain; genotypic values