Parameters and genetic divergence to identify resistance to anthracnose and bacteriosis in cassava accessions

Abstract

The objective of this work was to estimate the genetic parameters of cassava (Manihot esculenta) genotypes cultivated in the field, as well as the genetic divergence between them, in order to identify which ones show a greater resistance to anthracnose and bacteriosis. Three independent experiments were carried out, evaluating 133 accessions and nine commercial cultivars of cassava distributed in five blocks, with five plants per plot in each experiment. In the first experiment, the plants were subjected to inoculation with Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. manihotis (bacteriosis). In the second, the plants were subjected to inoculation with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides f. sp. manihotis (anthracnose). In the third, carried out in an augmented block design and under naturally occurring diseases, visual evaluations of the plants were performed using a rating scale. Heritability was used as a genetic parameter, and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean was applied to determine genetic divergence and clustering. In the third experiment, genetic variability was detected among accessions, which were evaluated for the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) for anthracnose and bacteriosis. In the first and third experiments of bacteriosis, the chances of success in the selection of resistant accessions are higher due to the high heritability values obtained. The BGM-1170 and BGM-1134 accessions show the lowest mean for AUDPC and are considered resistant to anthracnose and bacteriosis.