Knowledge on the genetic diversity in genebanks is important for germplasm conservation and use in breeding programs, where it can reduce time and costs of breeding of new genotypes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the genetic divergence among 137 genotypes of Capsicum chinense Jacq. by morphological descriptors and multivariate techniques, with a view to the identification of groups for promising crosses for breeding programs. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications, where each plot consisted of a pot with one plant. The 20 descriptors recommended by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute - IPGRI were considered for the morphological characterization. By analysis of variance, significant differences between genotypes were detected for the studied descriptors. Clustering by the Tocher optimization method formed five groups, and by the hierarchical clustering method UPGMA, 11 groups. Based on larger distances intergroup, crosses are recommended among genotypes of the groups II x V, II x IV, and I x V for the Tocher method, and by UPGMA among genotypes of the groups VI x XI, II x XI, IV x XI,. The cophenetic correlation coefficient for the hierarchical clustering method UPGMA was 0.797 (p <0.01). The traits that contributed most to the total genetic diversity were number of days to flowering and plant height.
Capsicum chinense Jacq.; morphological evaluation; multivariate techniques; plant breeding
