-The genetic diversity of 38 accessions of the genus Capsicum from the upper Rio Negro in the Amazon region was characterized by 51 morphologic descriptors. The similarity of the accessions was calculated based on 17 essential descriptors and on the general similarity coefficient of Gower. Grouping analyses and a dispersion diagram of the accessions were established based on the similarity coefficients using, respectively, the UPGMA method and the principal coordinate analysis (PCO) as criterion of grouping and dispersion. A great variation of classes were identified in the fruit traits: nine colors, four shapes and a great range of variation in

Visando quantificar os efeitos diretos e indiretos de componentes de produção sobre as variáveis tonelada de cana por hectare (TCH) e massa média de colmos (MMC) foram realizadas análises de trilha fenotípicas e genotípicas. Dezessete famílias híbridas foram avaliadas no delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições, no Centro de Pesquisa e Melhoramento da Cana-de-Açúcar (CECA), da Universidade Federal de Viçosa, com o plantio realizado em janeiro de 2000. Foram definidas como componentes de produção as variáveis: altura de colmos (AC), diâmetro de colmos (DC) e número de colmos (NC). As variáveis MMC e NC podem ser utilizadas na seleção indireta de famílias mais produtivas, uma vez que tiveram efeitos diretos positivos e elevados sobre TCH. Apesar de AC e DC estarem altamente correlacionadas com MMC, apenas DC mostrou elevado efeito genético direto sobre MMC, sendo uma variável importante a ser considerada na seleção indireta de famílias com maior massa média de colmos.

-This study aimed to characterize the genetic diversity of buriti populations by AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length

-This study evaluated the compatibility of crosses between C. chinense and C. annuum and the seed vigor and germination of interspecific hybrids. Twenty-one accessions of C. chinense, used as male parents, were crossed with the cultivar Cascadura Ikeda (C. annuum) as female parent in a completely randomized design (CRD), with three replications. Fruit setting was evaluated in 30 flowers per plot. Seed germination and hybrid vigor were analyzed using CRD with four replications and plots of 16 seeds. All interspecific crosses produced fruit, at fruit set rates between 8.9% and 40.0%. In a first count, germination ranged from 0.0% to 45.3% and in the second from 0.0% to 87.5%. The conclusion was drawn that it is possible to obtain fruit and viable seeds in interspecific crosses of C. chinense with C. annuum.

Knowledge on multi-scale and localized control of saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) at the watershed scale is lacking. The objective of this study was to evaluate the multi-scale spatial relationships among Ksat and environmental factors (i.e., soil and topographic attributes and land-use systems) using wavelet coherency and multiple wavelet coherence methods. In the Fragata River Watershed (FRW) in southern Brazil, one hundred points were distributed at equal distances along a 15-km transect. In the 0-20 cm layer, clay and sand fractions, organic carbon content, bulk density, macroporosity, Ksat, and soil water retention curve were determined from soil sampled at each point. The digital elevation model was used for obtaining topographic attributes. A land-use map was developed by use of satellite images. All data sets were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the relationship among Ksat and the other variables was evaluated through the Spearman correlation coefficient. Wavelet coherency and multiple wavelet coherence were used to examine the correlation among Ksat and each of the explanatory variables and to investigate the scale-specific and localized multivariate relationships among Ksat and predictor variables, respectively. According to the bivariate wavelet coherency and multiple wavelet coherence analyses, macroporosity showed the greatest mean wavelet coherence and percent area of significance coherence with Ksat. The variations of soil macroporosity itself were enough to explain the variations in Ksat in a multiple-scale andlocation domain. Soil macroporosity could be used as a proxy for assessing runoff potential at different land-use systems with different scales in the FRW in southern Brazil.

The REML/BLUP statistics are analyses that can be used as selective criteria in the routine of maize breeding programs. The present study aims to determine the genetic potential in crosses of landrace populations applying the REML/BLUP methodology, and to identify populations for the synthesis of new populations and intrapopulation selection for family farming systems, as well as genetic constitutions for use in maize breeding programs. Nine top cross hybrids obtained in the 2012/2013 harvest were evaluated along with their testator, the landraces used as parents, and four commercial hybrids, in a randomized block design, with information taken from the average of each plot. The evaluated traits were: leaf angle, number of ramifications of the tassel, spike insertion height, plant height, spike diameter, number of grains per spike, mass of grains per spike, spike mass, spike length, prolificity, mass of one hundred grains, and grain yield per plot. The data were analyzed using the Selegen-REML/BLUP software. The top cross hybrids Cateto Branco x Planalto, Amarelão x Planalto and the population Cateto Branco are ranked among the ten best crosses, simultaneously, for the traits: leaf angle, number of ramifications of the tassel, spike insertion height, and plant height (Cateto Branco x Planalto), and leaf angle, spike insertion height, and plant height (Amarelão x Planalto and Cateto Branco). The top cross hybrids Criolão x Planalto, Branco 8 Carreiras x Planalto, Caiano Rajado x Planalto, Amarelão x Planalto, Branco Roxo Índio x Planalto stand out for their high genotypic value of the individual BLUP mean components among the ten best genotypes for grain yield, and by combining three or more traits of interest together, being, for effects of selection, the most indicated.

ABSTRACT. Pepper species of the genus Capsicum have been cultivated over centuries, producing both pungent and sweet fruit; the pungency is caused by alkaloids called capsaicinoids. Among the five cultivated species, Capsicum chinense is one of the most popular, being native to the Amazon basin. This species is characterized by a wide variety of fruit sizes, shapes and colors, with different capsaicinoid content. In addition, fruits are rich in vitamins A and C. Despite the importance of this plant as a spice and its medicinal uses, research on its genetic variability and potential for breeding programs is still incipient. We investigated the genetic control of some traits through diallel analysis with the objective of introgressing these traits into cultivated varieties. For the diallel analysis, the progeny of crosses between peppers with pungent and sweet fruits, together with the parents, were grown in pots under greenhouse conditions. The fruits were harvested and analyzed for the traits total fresh fruit mass, total dry fruit mass, percentage dry matter, total soluble solids, vitamin C content, fruit pungency, and number of seeds per fruit. Genetic variability was detected for all traits. In the diallel analysis, the additive-dominant model was considered to be adequate for total fresh fruit mass, percentage dry matter, total soluble solids, and vitamin C content. Additive genetic effects and dominance were found for all traits; consequently, breeding for improvement of these fruit traits would be viable.

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