Genetic Variability among Genotypes of Physic Nut Regarding Seed Biometry

Leonardo Fardim Christo, Tafarel Victor Colodetti, Wagner Nunes Rodrigues, Lima Deleon Martins, Sebastião Batista Brinate, José Francisco Teixeira do Amaral, Bruno Galvêas Laviola, Marcelo Antonio Tomaz

Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (CCA/UFES), Alegre, Brazil.
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Agroenergia, Brasília, Brazil.

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2014.510156                

Abstract

With probable center of origin in Brazil, the species Jatropha curcas L., known as physic nut, is a tropical oilseed with potential for cultivation aiming at the production of biodiesel. This study was conducted with the objective of investigating the genetic variability regarding the morphology of seeds of physic nut, using biometric analyses to identify variables that have potential for the study of the diversity of the species and the classification of genotypes. Seeds of 22 genotypes of physic nut, from the germplasm bank of Embrapa Agroenergia (Brazil) were evaluated regarding characteristics of size and mass. The genotypes of Jatropha curcas L. selected by the Brazilian breeding program presented high diversity for characteristics of the seeds, allowing the exploration of this genetic variability to classify genotypes in different groups. In addition, variables related to the biomass of the seeds present high relative contributions to the diversity observed in the genotypes.

Keywords

Jatropha curcas, Diversity, Size, Shape, Biomass

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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