Abstract

Gerbera is one of the most important ornamental flowers marketed worldwide. Information on the genetic variability of this species represents an important resource for improvement programs that rely on the selection of promising genotypes. The aim of the present study was to assess and characterize the genetic divergence among 32 gerbera accessions based on morphological traits by means of multivariate analysis. A total of 21 traits, nine quantitative and 12 qualitative, were analyzed using clustering analysis and the principal component method. Although the quantitative and qualitative traits were analyzed separately, joint analysis allowed for a more reliable interpretation of the genetic variability and also permitted the identification of wide dissimilarity among the investigated accessions. With regard to the quantitative traits, four main groups were observed, which was in partial agreement with the result of the analysis of canonical variables. The qualitative trait analysis, on the other hand, resulted in the formation of five groups. The traits that contributed most significantly to variability in gerbera were total width of the trans florets set and number of flowers. The data obtained in the present study may be applied directly to improve the design of controlled crosses between gerbera accessions and to better explore the hybrid effect in the process of genetic improvement in this species.

 

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