Contribuição de caracteres agronômicos para a produtividade de grãos em pinhão-manso

Abstract

The knowledge of the association between traits of production is important for selecting superior plants and mainly to ensure that the genetic gain occurs for many favorable traits. In physic nut, grain yield is the main goal of the breeding program, but there are other important traits that have an impact on production. On such background, the aim of this study was to estimate, using path analysis, direct and indirect effects of vegetative traits on the grain yield of physic nut. At 18 months after planting, the traits plant height, stem diameter, number of branches per plant, plant canopy projection on the line, plant canopy projection between rows and grain yield were measured. Phenotypic correlations among traits were estimated and unfolded in direct and indirect effects through path analysis, considering the grain yield as the main dependent variable. It was observed that 76% of the variation in yield was explained by the explanatory variables; this value is higher than those observed in other studies and appropriate to explore the gains from direct and indirect selection on physic nut. Stem diameter, weight of 100 seeds and canopy projection between rows directly influence the grain yield, being suitable for direct as well as indirect selection of physic nut superior progenies for grain yield.