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Estimate of repeatability in morphological and heart of palm production characters in peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth)

Understanding the genetic parameters of the productive characters associated to the morphological is of utmost importance in selecting promising plants for peach palm breeding aiming at heart palm production. Since Bactris gasipaes is a perennial palm tree with a destructive production character, the repeatability coefficient is a desirable strategy to apply. Thus, the repeatability coefficient was estimated among eight morphological characters and eight heart of palm production characters, using peach palm from the Embrapa Eastern Amazon's germ plasm collection. Sixty-five plants were evaluated with different number of stems per plant. Repeatability coefficient, minimum number of stems, and determination coefficients were obtained by means of variance analysis against a variation factor with a variable number of observations. Four morphological characters presented repeatability coefficients ranging from 0.5317 to 0.6716, showing regularity in plant behavior from one measurement to the other. However, only leaf raquis length showed a number of measurements necessary to allow predictions with 95% confidence. All the productive characters showed low repeatability scope (0,1030 to 0,2202), indicating irregularities in plant superiority, and also showing high measurement numbers. Therefore, leaf raquis length may be used in the selection of peach palm for heart of palm production.

Perennial tree; genetic parameters; selection; genetic breeding


Sociedade de Investigações Florestais Universidade Federal de Viçosa, CEP: 36570-900 - Viçosa - Minas Gerais - Brazil, Tel: (55 31) 3612-3959 - Viçosa - MG - Brazil
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