Phenotypic evaluation to determine genetic merit in feijoa fruits

Abstract

The objective of this work was to determine the viability of visual phenotypic evaluation to rank feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana) genotypes. A group of 59 feijoa genotypes was evaluated for length, diameter, and ellipsoid volume, as well as through a visual scale proposed by the authors. The best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) was also used to estimate genetic parameters and rank the genotypes. The obtained results were compared to those of the phenotypic evaluation. All morphometric traits presented genetic variability, with moderate estimates of heritability. However, the fruit length trait showed the highest ratio between the genetic and experimental coefficients of variation, making it the most promising for selection based on fruit size. A common selection of 42 genotypes was possible using both BLUP and the visual scale, resulting in a coincidence of 89.3% between both methods. Therefore, phenotypic evaluation to determine genetic merit can be implemented in the early stages of feijoa breeding programs.