Genetic divergence in Brachiaria species
Giselle Mariano Lessa de Assis; Ricardo Frederico Euclydes; Cosme Damião Cruz and Cacilda Borges do Valle
Three hundred and one accessions of six different Brachiaria species were analyzed, in which twentyfour morphologic characteristics were evaluated. Discriminant analysis based on principal components and Anderson’s discriminant analysis were conducted for the six species. The graphic dispersion provided a clear view of the genetic divergence among the accessions and among the species. Three different groups were identified. Discrimination functions were established, allowing the classification of unknown individuals in one of the six studied species. The functions were consistent and resulted in the following rates of correct classification: B. brizantha (86.67%), B. decumbens (93.48%), B. humidicola (72.22%), B. jubata (96.77%), B. ruziziensis (92.86%) and B. dictyoneura (90.00%), thus contributing as an auxiliary approach in the identification of unknown individuals.