Genetic divergence of Heliconiaceae species in the Central West Brazil region

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe morphological traits and estimate genetic divergence and parameters between accessions of the genus Heliconia sp. from different municipalities in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. A set of 25 traits, 15 quantitative and 10 qualitative were evaluated. The genetic divergence was estimated based on Mahalanobis' distance, with the clustering methods known as Unweighted Pair Group Method using Arithmetic Averages (UPGMA). Genetic variability was observed for all assessed quantitative traits and the accessions were grouped in different classes. The traits with highest relative contribution to variability were longevity of flower stems and inflorescence length. The results indicated the existence of genetic variability among accessions of the Heliconiasp. germplasm bank, which can be used in breeding programs.

Morphological and molecular characterization of native Heliconia sp. accessions of the Amazon region

“…A micro-sprinkler system, with one microjet per pit, was used for crop irrigation, which was performed three times per week. Pruning, insecticide and fungicide applications, and other crop treatments were performed according to recommendations for the cultivation of tropical flowers (Silva et al, 2017).…”

“…Five flower stems per clump (plot) and eight clumps per accession were evaluated in March and April 2016. We followed the protocol of Silva et al (2017) for morphological characterization; flower stems that had two or three open bracts were harvested 20 cm from the soil surface, twice a week between 7:00 and 8:00 am, and stored in containers with water for transportation to the postharvest laboratory.…”

“…The number of inflorescence bracts (NIB) was recorded manually, counting each bract as corresponding to one unit. The postharvest durability of flower stems (PHD) was evaluated for 21 days as described by Silva et al (2017). According to these authors, a temperature of 19 °C and relative humidity of 80% in a cold room are the best conditions for storing H. densiflora and H. psittacorum flower stems.…”

“…According to these authors, a temperature of 19 °C and relative humidity of 80% in a cold room are the best conditions for storing H. densiflora and H. psittacorum flower stems. The criterion adopted for the evaluation of floral longevity followed the four-point scale proposed by Costa et al (2011) and adapted by Silva et al (2017).…”

“…and H. psittacorum L.f. are adapted to the edaphoclimatic conditions found in the mid-west of Brazil and are widely distributed throughout the national territory. The characteristics of these species are considered adequate to serve the ornamental flower market: high productivity, color variety, and light stems (Gomes et al, 2016;Silva et al, 2017). The ornamental importance of heliconias is mainly related to their exotic colors and shapes, postharvest stem durability, and resistance to transport.…”