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. 2018 May 14;13(5):e0196468.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196468. eCollection 2018.

Genetic variability in Brazilian Capsicum baccatum germplasm collection assessed by morphological fruit traits and AFLP markers

Rafaella Cardoso  1 , Claudete F Ruas  1 , Renata M Giacomin  1 , Paulo M Ruas  1 , Eduardo A Ruas  1 , Rosa L Barbieri  2 , Rosana Rodrigues  3 , Leandro S A Gonçalves  4
Affiliations

Genetic variability in Brazilian Capsicum baccatum germplasm collection assessed by morphological fruit traits and AFLP markers

Rafaella Cardoso et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Capsicum baccatum is one of the main pepper species grown and consumed in South America. In Brazil, it is commonly cultivated by family farmers, using mostly the genotypes bishop's hat genotypes (locally cambuci) and red chili pepper (dedo-de-moça). This study had the objective of characterizing 116 C. baccatum accessions from different regions of Brazil, based on morphological fruit descriptors and AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms) markers. Broad phenotypic variability among the C. baccatum accessions was detected when using morphological fruit descriptors. The Ward modified location model (Ward-MLM) discriminated five groups, based mainly on fruit shape. Six combinations of AFLP primers detected polymorphism in 97.93% of the 2466 identified bands, indicating the high genetic variability in the accessions. The UPGMA coincided with the Bayesian clustering analysis and three large groups were formed, separating the wild variety C. baccatum var. praetermissum from the other accessions. There was no relation between genetic distance and geographical origin of the accessions, probably due to the intense exchange of fruits and seeds between farmers. Morphological descriptors used together with AFLP markers proved efficient in detecting the levels of genetic variability among the accessions maintained in the germplasm collections. These results can be used as an additional source of helpful information to be exploited in C. baccatum breeding programs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Geographic distribution of 116 Capsicum baccatum accessions in Brazil of genebank of Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL).
Fig 2
Fig 2. Boxplot for four fruits agronomic traits of 116 Capsicum baccatum accessions, for the five groups (G1-G5) formed by Ward’s hierarchical clustering analysis.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Graph of the logarithmic function of probability function (log-likelihood) showing the optimum number of groups for 116 C. baccatum accessions, characterized using morphoagronomic descriptors.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Dispersion of the first two canonical variables (CAN) with formation of five groups (G1–G5) by the Ward-MLM strategy, considering 116 Capsicum baccatum accessions.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Frequency distribution of the dissimilarity based on AFLP markers among the 116 C. baccatum accessions.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Dendrogram demonstrating genetic relatedness of 116 Capsicum baccatum accessions.
Cluster analysis conducted using UPGMA with Jaccard—derived pairwise genetic distances.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Assignment (K = 4) of 116 Capsicum baccatum accessions by the structure bar plots based on six AFLP combinations of primer.
Four colors represent different clusters. The y-axis displays the estimated percentage membership of each accession in a determined cluster.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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