SELECTION OF MACAÚBA INDIVIDUALS IN MASS SELECTION AS A STRATEGY FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SPECIES

The neotropical palm macauba has gained prominence as an alternative for biofuel production due to the richness of its fruit composition and its production yield. Currently, the seeds used to establish macauba plantations are sourced from native palms, necessitating improvements in genetic quality. Considerable genetic gains can be achieved through mass selection applied to populations in their initial stage of improvement. Macaúba palms were evaluated for fruit production traits to select superior genotypes that will form an improved seed orchard. The experiments were conducted at the Federal University of Viçosa over five years (2020 to 2024), yielding fruit production data from 1,576 palms. The planting comprised two spatial arrangements: single rows (715 plants) with a spacing of 7x3.5 meters, and double rows (861 plants) with a spacing of 4x4x8 meters. Statistical analyses were performed using a mixed linear model in the Asrelm/R package, with two models: i) for each row type, and ii) joint analysis considering both row types. Genetic parameters were calculated, and palms with production equal to or greater than 22 kg were selected to estimate genetic gain. The statistical analyses showed significance in the models used, with the type of row influencing fruit production. The results indicated variability in the population, with an average production of 10.73 kg. The genetic variance of the palms in single rows was about three times greater than in double rows. The average narrow-sense heritability was 0.91, and the estimated gain from selecting superior individuals was 12.28%. This study indicates that using mass selection in this population is promising for selecting superior genotypes for the improvement of macaúba and the development of a commercial value chain.