Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

Aims: This experiment was to obtain the genetic parameters and to define the best selection strategy in F1 progenies of sour passion fruit from the crossing between inbred lineages and heterozygous genotypes.

Study Design: Experimental design was completely randomized blocks with nine progenies and five replicates with four plants per plot.

Place and Duration of Study: Experimental Farm of Araponga operated by the Universidade Federal de Viçosa in Araponga county, Minas Gerais, Brazil from August 2015 to February 2017. 

Methodology: Fruit characteristics of the progenies were evaluated in the first year of production. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, and the genetic parameters were estimated. The selection strategies were indices of Mulamba and Mock and Smith and Hazel, Selection Among and Within Families, and Combined.

Results: Estimates of genetic parameters for fruit mass, pulp mass, bark mass, and bark thickness showed high genetic variability. The heritability coefficients for these characteristics were 0.95; 0.34; 1.00 and 1.00, respectively. Total soluble solids, titratable total acidity, pulp yield, and total soluble solids/total titratable acidity ratio values showed heritability coefficients equal to zero. Combined selection had the highest gains, followed by selection among and within families.

Conclusion: Estimates of genetic parameters for the passion fruit population indicated high genetic variability. All the selection strategies indicated gains with selection, with emphasis for combined selectionin genetic improvement of sour passion fruit.