Globe artichoke plants selection for in natura consumption and correlations between quantitative traits

REOLON-COSTA, A.; GRANDO, M.F.; CRAVERO, V.P.

La Plata

Simposio; IX International Symposium on Artichoke, Cardoon and their wild relatives; 2015

ISHS

This work aimed to evaluate and select globe artichoke plants for in natura consumption and establish correlations between main quantitative traits of selective interest. Thirty nine preselected plants, from the globe artichoke germplasm collection of University of Passo Fundo, were evaluated considering desired traits for in natura consumption as: violet color, circular shape and absence of thorns on the bracts. These plants were cloned by offshoots (or sprouts), which were established in the field in April, 2010 in completely randomized design, with 4 to 6 replicates (sprouts) per mother plant and evaluated for 17 quantitative and three qualitative traits. Quantitative data were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and mean values were compared by Tukey's test (5% error probability). Pearson? correlation coefficients between traits were also calculated. Qualitative traits were visually analyzed in order to characterize the plants. There were significant differences between clones for nine of the 17 quantitative traits evaluated. Ten of the 39 evaluated plants were selected by presenting highest values for bract base length and thickness; harvest period; secondary head number, high, diameter and fresh mass; heads per plant and yield. Positive correlations were found between the following traits: bottom fresh mass with diameter and bottom thickness; primary head fresh mass with bottom fresh mass, secondary head height and harvest period; yield with secondary heads number and heads per plant. Yield showed negative correlation with secondary head fresh mass, therefore yield is more influenced by the head number than head fresh mass. Qualitative traits also showed variations among clones. It was possible to select nine plants with desirable qualitative traits for in natura consumption, presenting circular shape, violet color and no thorns on the bracts. Based on these results, there is variability among the 39 plants, for quantitative and qualitative traits evaluated; being possible to select plants with superior properties for in natura market. On the other hand, the Pearson correlation coefficients founded can be used as tools for indirect selection in artichoke breeding.