SELECTION OF SOYBEAN GENOTYPES TOLERANT TO HIGH TEMPERATURES AND LOW LATITUDE

The edaphic and climatic conditions of the tropical regions of the world constitute a limiting factor for soybean growing, especially through aspects related to the specific photoperiod of the plants. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate the genetic diversity among 16 Brazilian soybean cultivars [Glycine max (L.) Merrill and 76 plant introductions-PIs based on variables related to production and yield components. The multivariate analyses of Mean Euclidean Distance, Principal Component Analysis, and the UPGMA method summarized the traits evaluated in a dataset with smaller dimensions to facilitate identification of superior genotypes. The 16 Brazilian cultivars and 76 PIs were structured in six diversity panels that were consistent and without duplicates. The Brazilian soybean cultivars Sambaíba and 203404 and the PIs 165524, 407744, 205912, 381660, 203400, and 281911 show potential for providing genes related to tolerance to stress from temperatures greater than 30ºC and latitudes below 10ºS.