GENETIC DIVERSITY IN MORPHOMETRIC TRAITS OF MACAÚBA INFLORESCENCES (Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lood. ex Mart)

Macaúba, chosen to lead the energy transition in Brazil, has potential as an alternative source of renewable fuels and co-products. The characterization of morphometric descriptors associated with productivity can contribute to the domestication of the species. The present study aimed to identify divergences and correlations in these attributes by evaluating variations between and within families. Progenies of half-siblings (27) from five mesoregions of Minas Gerais were studied by means of diversity analysis of five morphometric variables of their inflorescences, namely: rachis length (CRA), number of rachyls per inflorescence (NRQI), number of floral scars per inflorescence (NCFI), number of floral scars per rachis (NCFRQ), number of rachyls per centimeter of rachis (NRQCRA). The genetic divergence was calculated by the Mahalanobis Distance and the genotype grouping by the Tocher method. The applied methods   were able to detect the genetic dissimilarity between the genotypes, except for NRQCRA (p-value > 0.05). Regarding the correlation between the variables, NRQCRA and NCIFI (79.26%), NCIFRQ and NRQI (57.50%), NRQCRA and NRQI (49.80%) were directly correlated. On the other hand, NCIRQ and CRA (55.64%) showed an inverse correlation. The Tocher method was efficient in grouping the individuals, allowing the formation of 5 groups, the first of which allocated 81.48% of the genotypes. The genotypes BGP 56-2 and BGP 65-8 (groups 5 and 4, respectively) obtained the maximum observed distance, which was 61.64