Analysis of genetic divergence in Psidium cattleyanum Sabine accessions based on morphological fruit descriptors

Brazil boasts one of the world’s richest biodiversities, including untapped sources of native species. Psidium cattleyanum Sabine is one of many underutilized species with potential for commercial exploitation, offering economic and health benefits. Considering this potential and the limited information on the species’ genetic structures, this study aims to evaluate genetic divergence using physicochemical and morphometric characters of 16 accessions of this species. For this purpose, a germplasm collection containing P. cattleyanum from the Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco (IPA) in Brazil was evaluated. The fruits were collected and sent to the Forest Seed Analysis Laboratory (LASF) at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE) for characterization. Germplasm characterization included an analysis of physicochemical and morphometric fruit characteristics. Subsequent analyses included genetic correlation between traits, genetic parameters, principal component analysis, and the Mulamba and Mock selection index for the accessions. The analysis of genetic divergence enabled identifying valuable P. cattleyanum accessions for future breeding programs, considering genetic variability based on morphological fruit characteristics. Furthermore, selection based on the Mulamba and Mock index highlighted high-performing individuals (A1.30, A1.40, A1.48, A1.44 and A1.21), enabling choices based on various characteristics for potential genotypic gains. This demonstrates the importance of a comprehensive approach in selecting accessions for species improvement.