Aiming to estimate and to interpret the role of genetic variability occuring in sexually propagated young populations of acerola, originated from selected populations, an experiment was set up with three different populations. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Station of the Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, in Pacajus county, state of Ceará (Brazil). The experimental design was a randomized blocks, with 45 progenies, 3 replicates and 4 to 6 plants per plot. Results revealed that the evaluation of genetic variability in young acerola populations is not an adequate tool for the improvement of this species. Besides, it was not possible to interpret the genetic variability occurring in these populations due to the absence of a clear pattern capable of establish correlation between the populations studied. Additional test are recommended with bigger samples of progenies per population and higher number of plants per progeny in order to confirm these results.
Malpighia emarginata; genetic variability; segregated population