Genetic dissimilarity of ‘yellow’ and ‘sleep’ passion fruit accessions based on the fruits physical-chemical characteristics

Abstract

The intra- and inter-specific genetic dissimilarity between 14 ‘yellow’ passion fruit plants and eight ‘sleep’passion fruit plants were evaluated through nine physical-chemical descriptors, whose measured values were submitted todescriptive (average, standard deviation and variation coefficient) and inferential [univariated (ANOVA, averages andcorrelations tests) and multivariated (Mahalanobis distance, hierarchical clustering, Singh coefficient and Mantel test)]statistics. Intra- and, especially, inter-specific variability were found among the passion fruit plants (p < 0.001). The totalsoluble solid, equatorial diameter, total titratable acidity, and fruit weight descriptors presented the highest percentage ofrelative contribution, totaling 85.2% of the observed divergence. Preferential crossings among genotypes with physicalchemicalcharacteristics of desirable fruits and useful genetic dissimilarity in divergent and convergent crossings wereidentified.

Keywords

• Diversity
• multivariated analysis
• Passiflora edulis Sims
• Passiflora setacea DC
• variability.