Characterization of sweet cassava accessions based on molecular, quantitative and qualitative data
Eduardo Alano Vieira, Josefino de Freitas Fialho, Fábio Gelape Faleiro, Graciele Bellon, Kenia Graciele da Fonseca, Luiz Joaquim Castelo Branco Carvalho, Marilia Santos Silva, Silvana Vieira de Paula-Moraes, Charles Martins de Oliveira and Marcelo Luiz Denke
ABSTRACT – The purpose of this study was to estimate the genetic divergence in sweet cassava accessions by molecular markers and quantitative and qualitative characters, as well as determine the correlation between these estimates. Sixteen sweet cassava accessions of the Regional Cassava Germplasm Bank of the Cerrado were evaluated under field conditions, for 13 quantitative and 33 qualitative characters. In the laboratory, the accessions were evaluated with RAPD markers. Subsequently, matrixes of genetic dissimilarity/distance among the accessions were estimated based on molecular markers and quantitative and qualitative characters. Besides, the significance of the correlation between the matrixes was estimated. The RAPD, qualitative and quantitative data indicated the existence of high divergence among the accessions. The divergences estimated by molecular markers and by quantitative traits were weakly associated with each other and moderately with the divergence estimated by qualitative characters.