The present work aimed to characterize and evaluate Capsicum peppers in the South of the State of Espírito Santo, in order to estimate the variability among the accessions for the Germplasm Bank implementation. For this, 33 genotypes were collected through donations in four municipalities in the region. The genotypes were characterized based on nine quantitative descriptors: number of seeds per fruit (NS), number of fruit locules (NL), number of fruits per plant (NFR), plant height (PH), leaf width (LW), leaf length (LL), fruit length (FRL) and fruit diameter (FRD). Analysis of variance and means grouping by the Scott-Knott test was performed (P=.01). To estimate the diversity, the Tocher method was realized. The GT Biplot analysis was performed with using RStudio program to estimate discrimination, representativeness and correlation of characteristics. It was found a great diversity among the studied genotypes, being able to emphasize the accession Ifes 01 and Ifes 03 as the most divergent ones. The Tocher grouping allowed the formation of seven groups. The biplot analysis presented the formation of three groups of characteristics. The access Ifes 01 stood out for the group of characteristics FRL, NS and FRD. The Ifes 32 accession was highlighted for the PH and DC characteristics group, and the Ifes 20 accession was highlighted for the group formed by the NFR characteristic. It was observed that the characteristics that contributed the most to the divergence of accessions were PH and DC, and the most representative characteristic was DC. So, it’s concluded that there is great variability among the genotypes collected, presenting great phenotypic variation for the nine characters studied. In addition, some accesses were promising for plant breeding programs, pointing to gains in the various segments of the peppers market, which shows the importance of the collections of the producers in the South of Espírito Santo.

There are many commercial substrates available in the market of vegetables nowadays. However, a growing pressure turned for sustainability in farming, promotes a line of utilization of waste with agricultural potential, such as the use of urban waste compost and tannery sludge, which, when available, can be used as sources of compost and alternative organic matter. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of tannery sludge associated with the urban waste compost in the substrate composition of sweet pepper seedlings, especially regarding emergence, development, and quality of seedlings. The experimental design was a randomized block design with six replications and eight treatments. The treatments consisted of mixtures of the residue of dehydrated tannery sludge and urban waste compost, varying in the proportions of 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90% and 100% of each, as well as the use of a commercial substrate as a conventional treatment for the comparisons. Graphs were performed through linear regression analysis for the treatment of statistical data. The percentage of emergence, development, and quality of seedlings were evaluated 54 days after planting. The alternative substrates showed high potential in the production of seedlings, in which all the combinations used in the study were superior to the conventional treatment, except the germination, which did not present difference. The range for the use of tannery sludge in the preparation of substrates for sweet pepper seedlings is between 32.7 and 48.2% in a mixture with urban waste compost. The plants presented better quality with the use of 46.0% of tannery sludge and 54.0% of urban compost in the preparation of the substrate.

Population growth and the high demand for food production has caused environmental degradation losses in biodiversity. The conservation of genetic resources is the most appropriate strategy for maintaining the variability of species of great importance, such as Capsicum. In this study, we describe the characterization of 69 pepper accessions of four Capsicum species from different regions of Brazil on the basis of qualitative and quantitative descriptors and ISSR markers. The 11 quantitative descriptors grouped the 69 populations into five clades. The fruit traits had the greater discrimination power. A strong correlation was detected between some pairs of quantitative descriptors: petiole and fruit length, fruit diameter and fresh fruit mass, leaf length and leaf width, canopy and plant height, stem diameter and plant height, stem diameter and canopy diameter. A negative correlation was also observed between plant height and pericarp thickness. Moreover, the molecular analysis grouped accessions into five clades. The morpho-agronomic and molecular characterization were efficient to estimate the genetic diversity between accessions, being important tools for the knowledge and use of accessions. This study is of great importance to preserve pepper germplasm and to provide data to facilitate the process of the selection in breeding programs.

RESUMOO gênero Citrus é bastante diversificado, e possui grande importância nutricional e econômica. É a partir da avaliação da diversidade de acessos de citros que se obtém o potencial de uso das variedades para programas de melhoramento e posterior recomendação aos produtores rurais. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar e estimar a diversidade das variedades de citros coletadas no Setor de Culturas Permanentes do Ifes Campus de Alegre com base em descritores morfoagronômicos e em descritores físico-químicos. Foram utilizados 24 descritores morfoagronômicos, sendo quinze qualitativos multicategóricos, ou seja, avaliados em classes disponíveis em descritores para Citrus, e nove quantitativos. Para a avaliação das características físico-químicas foram realizadas as seguintes determinações: pH, acidez total titulável, sólidos solúveis totais, umidade e teor de cinzas. Foi observada alta variabilidade fenotípica entre as variedades coletadas, com diferentes formatos, tamanhos e cores de frutos. A caracterização morfoagronômica e físico-química foram eficientes para evidenciar divergência entre os genótipos, sendo importante ferramenta para o conhecimento e uso das variedades de citros. As características quantitativas mensuradas possibilitaram um melhor agrupamento das variedades de citros do Ifes Campus de Alegre, havendo separação satisfatória das laranjas, limões e tangerina. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: análise bromatológica; diversidade fenotípica; recursos genéticos. CHARACTERIZATION MORPHOAGRONOMIC AND PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF CITRUS GERMPLASMABSTRACT The genus Citrus is very diverse, and its nutritional and economic properties are very important. Based on the evaluation of the genetic diversity of Citrus accessions is possible to obtain the potential use of varieties for improvement programs and subsequent recommendation to farmers. In this context, the aim of this study is to characterize and estimate the genetic diversity of Citrus varieties collected in the Permanent Culture Sector at IFES Campus Alegre, based on morphological

The study sought to evaluate maize germplasm accessions from the Ifes Germplasm Bank (Ifes BAG) to identify promising lines for breeding programs to increase yield under water-restricted conditions. A competition trial was carried in two contrasting environments in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil: municipality of Alegre and municipality of Colatina. Twenty-one maize accessions were collected and evaluated for agronomic performance in two locations (The municipalities of Almeida et al.; JEAI, 39(4): 1-13, 2019; Article no.JEAI.49978 2 Alegre and Colatina) in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Trials were conducted under water-restricted conditions from vegetative to reproductive stage in a randomized block design with five replicates. Data were subjected to analysis of variance by the F Test and to multivariate clustering analysis according to the estimate of genetic distance proposed by Mahalanobis. Genotype by environment interaction identified promising genotypes for each specific environment. Maize germplasm accessions from the Ifes BAG showed genetic variability. Among the germplasm accessions from the Ifes BAG, the populations Padrinho, Piranão 14, Aliança and Palha Roxa are promising for breeding programs with the goal of increasing grain yield under water-restricted conditions in tropical climate regions. Original Research Article