GENETIC VARIABILITY AMONG SOYBEAN LINEAGES BASED ON SEED MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS

Understanding genetic variability in soybean lineages allows breeding programs to be guided by the precise identification of desirable characteristics and the selection of superior genotypes adapted to Brazilian conditions. This work aimed to identify the genetic dissimilarity of soybean lineages based on morphological and biochemical markers of the seed. The study was conducted at the UNIJUÍ Farm School using 145 F7 generation lineages and 86 F10 generation lineages. Qualitative traits related to the seed were measured. Wide genetic variability was evaluated for color of halo and hilum color. The dataset was submitted to multivariate statistical analysis to verify the associations between the variables and the genetic dissimilarity of the evaluated lineages. Forming four large groups of genotypes was possible based on the genetic dissimilarity dendrogram obtained with the UPGMA method. Centroids 11, 16, and 17 differed from all the others, with 16 being the most distant. Genetic variability exists in F7 and F10 lineages for seed morphological and biochemical markers. Lineages 135F7IRC33, 62F10IRC41, and 25F10IRC35 showed the greatest dissimilarity related to the other lineages.