Canonical correlations and genetic divergence in special types of rice based on quantitative and multicategorical traits.
genetic distance, production, Oryza sativa L.
The consumption of special types of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the Brazilian market has been fostered due to the growing interest in differentiated products that serve diverse audiences. Grains with special patterns such as red rice, peccary, arboreal, japonica, aromatic types and black rice gradually gain space among producers and consumers who still prioritize the white and polished type. The estimation of genetic divergence is essential for studies involving hybridizations, as it allows the selection of parents that, when crossed, will provide a greater heterotic effect in their hybrids. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate agronomic traits to determine the magnitude of association and interdependence between two groups of traits and to estimate the genetic divergence between genotypes of special types of rice. The experiment was carried out at the Department of Plant Science, Institute of Agronomy at UFRRJ, Seropédica-RJ. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with four replications. Seventeen genotypes were evaluated, of which five were white rice and twelve were special types. The morphoagronomic characteristics evaluated were in a total of twentyfive variables between morphological descriptors and production components, nineteen being considered quantitative and six qualitative. Means were compared using the Skott-Knott test (P<0.05). To determine the canonical correlations, two groups of variables were used, with group I composed of four morphological characteristics and group II composed of four production components. Statistical analyzes were performed using the computer programs Genes. There were significant differences (P<0.01) between the genotypes for the eight traits evaluated. The first, second and third pairs showed significant canonical correlations at 5% probability, demonstrating that these groups are not independent. The selection of superior genotypes for production can be based on choosing plants with greater flag leaf thickness, greater height and lower flag leaf angle. The dissimilarity matrix was obtained using the Gower distance. The genotypes were grouped using the Tocher Optimization method and the hierarchical method UPGMA (Unweighted Pair-Group Method using Arithmetic Avarages). The generated dendrogram established nine groups, and two large groups together concentrated about 47% of the genotypes. The Tocher clustering method divided the genotypes into eight heterotic groups, with the largest cluster consisting of seven genotypes. The divergence observed between the rice genotypes, through the multivariate analysis, demonstrates that in the present study there was genetic variability.