Selection of clones and parents in full-sibling families of Jatropha curcas

Abstract The objective of this work was to estimate some genetic parameters of Jatropha curcas, in order to predict which productive characteristics could show the greatest genetic gain to identify which family would contribute the most to the selection of clones and parents, and to identify the best genotype for selection. Six full-sibling families with 18 individuals each were evaluated. Five production traits were evaluated in the third year after planting. Data obtained were analyzed through mixed models. The restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and the best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) procedures were used to estimate the genetic parameters and to predict the selection gains, respectively. Environmental effects predominated over genetic effects for most evaluated traits. A hundred-seed press cake weight showed high additive heritability estimates. The BLUP analysis individual components, in the selection of the best progenies for use as potentials parents, showed significantly similar values to those of the selection of the best progenies for use as clones. The family F is the most relevant in the selection of potential parents and clones by the evaluated characters. The F9 progeny is the best individual for use as a parent and for vegetative propagation (clone).