The objective of this work was to classify and select sweet potato clones, using the REML/BLUP methodology. The study was carried out in Rio Largo, Alagoas State, located 127 m above sea level, 9º27'S and 35º27'W. Five clones were evaluated (CL-2, CL-3, CL-4, CL-6 and CL-8) in a randomized complete blocks design with eight replications. The analyzed variables were number of commercial roots (NCR), number of non-commercial roots (NNCR), total number of roots (TNR), aerial part weight (APW), average weight of non-commercial roots (AWNCR), commercial root length (CRL), average weight of commercial roots (AWCR), and diameter of commercial roots (DCR). The analysis of deviance showed that the clones differ statistically for NNCR, TNR, AWNCR, AWCR, CRL and DCR. CL-06 had the best NCRN, NNCR, TNR, AWNCR, AWCR, DCR; CL-03 for APW and CRL, and CL-02 for NCR. By the classification of genotypic averages, the best clone was CL-06.
Ipomoea batatas; mixed model; analysis of deviance; genotypic classification
