TITLE:
Genetic Variability among Genotypes of Physic Nut Regarding Seed Biometry
AUTHORS:
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
KEYWORDS:
Jatropha curcas, Diversity, Size, Shape, Biomass
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.10,
May
6,
2014
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.