DESCRITORES QUALITATIVOS E MULTICATEGÓRICOS NA ESTIMATIVA DA VARIABILIDADE FENOTÍPICA ENTRE ACESSOS DE PIMENTAS

The use of germplasm in breeding programs is related to the availability of information on the accessions of a collection or germplasm bank. The characterization and the quantification of genetic and phenotypic divergence among accessions were already studied, including many vegetables species. Aiming to quantify the phenotypic divergence among 29 Capsicum spp. accessions, based on morphological and agronomic traits, 37 descriptors were analyzed using principal components, cluster analysis and multicategorical variables. The experiment was carried out in field conditions, at Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, from March to December, 2004. The data were analyzed using GENES software. The clusters formed using Tocher and nearest neighbor clustering methods showed partial agreement. The use of multicategorical analysis was efficient to quantify the phenotypic divergence.