Genetics and expected selection gain for growth traits in Eugenia dysenterica dc. populations

Abstract

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters of quantitative traits in a living germplasm collection of Eugenia dysenterica. The genetic material consisted of 110 progenies derived from 10 natural Eugenia dysenterica subpopulations sampled in the southeastern region of the state of Goiás. The experiment was established in a complete randomized block design, with 110 treatments, four replications and one tree per plot. The study variables were total height, stem diameter and respective growth rates. After the analysis of variance some genetic parameters were estimated. The levels of genetic variation in the collection were high and the highest proportion was found within subpopulations. Highest coefficients of heritability and genetic variation were observed in subpopulations from the counties Catalão, Três Ranchos, Cristalina and Senador Canedo. Considering the promising expected progress for growth traits, this collection can be converted into an unrogued seedling seed orchard, aiming the production of improved seed.