The macauba has been identified as the most promising native species for the production of vegetable oil and biomass. Several studies confirm its potential for numerous purposes (liquid and solid biofuels, food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals), but this Brazilian biodiversity resource has been little explored, and work aimed at their domestication and genetic improvement are relatively recent. This study consisted of a multivariate approach to levels of trans fatty acids, oil yield and physical characteristics found in fruits of macauba of natural populations. The objective was to quantify the genetic variability among 35 genotypes of natural populations of macauba from 16 locations in different regions of Brazil. Euclidean Distance measurements were estimated and the cluster analysis obtained by the UPGMA method considering separately the fatty acid profile, and traits related to physical part and the fruits oil content. It was observed the formation of seven groups for the profile of fatty acids and five groups for physical characteristics and oil yield. Large variations were observed for different types of mesocarp (pulp) fatty acids and kernel. Oleic acid (18: 1) in mesocarp was the largest contribution to the total divergence. The results indicate variations to the physical characteristics and oil yield, especially the oil percentage in mesocarp and weight of the whole fruit which contributed 64.58 % of the divergence between genotypes. The study identified genotypes potential to generate variability and obtaining selection gains, directing plant breeding programs according with demands of oils market.

The interspecific introgression of resistance genes to diseases in commercial varieties through interspecific crosses has been adopted as a strategy in breeding programs of sour passion fruit. This work aimed to evaluate 11 progenies of multispecific hybrids obtained from crosses involving seven Passiflora species, in addition to four commercial cultivars, using the REML/BLUP method. The experiment was carried out as a randomized block design with six repetitions and three plants per plot. Ten fruit traits were evaluated. The additive, multiplicative, and sum of ranks indexes were applied to determine the most appropriate selective strategy in the simultaneous increase of fruit weight, number of fruits, and yield. Plants from the 325 x VAO progeny showed a lower bacterial defoliation index and better means predicted for the traits number of fruits and productivity. The progenies 325 x LD4, PL3 x LD4, and the controls CSB-Marília and BRS-Gigante Amarelo showed plants with better-predicted means for traits related to fruit quality. The genetic gains demonstrated good prospects for the use of wild species in sour passion fruit genetic breeding.

Macauba has been shown to be the most promising native species for oil and biomass production. The first com­mercial crops have arisen mainly in Minas Gerais State, and estimates indicate a vegetable oil yield potential above 8 t ha-1. In this context, research has acted strongly on technological advance for improvements in the pro­duction system and selection of superior genotypes, which requires the use of precise and less expensive meth­odologies. Thus, we built prediction models to estimate the weight of macauba bunches using easy-to-measure physical variables. Bunches of plants from five regions of Brazil were evaluated. The bunches were weighed, and length and diameter were measured along with four other variables. Based on the set of variables obtained, step­wise multiple regression analysis was used to build regression models for each region. The correlation between observed versus estimated data reached determination coefficients (R2) above 0.90 in three of the models built. The main variables selected by the best models were bunch volume, bunch length/diameter ratio, and bunch square diameter.

This study aimed to evaluate clones of ‘Riesling Itálico’, ‘Chardonnay’, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Cabernet Franc’ grapevines that best adapt to the edaphoclimatic conditions in Veranópolis, RS. The experiment was carried out at the State Center for Diagnosis and Research in Fruticulture - DDPA/SEAPDR. Three 'Riesling Itálico' clones (ISV-1, RI12V23, VCR-365), four 'Chardonnay' clones (INRA-95, INRA-132, INRA-548, VCR-6), four 'Merlot' clones (INRA-181, INRA-347, VCR-13, VCR-494) and seven 'Cabernet Franc' clones (INRA-212, INRA-214, ISV-8, ISV-101, VCR-2, VCR- 4, VCR-10) were evaluated. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with 4 replications and 10 plants per plot. The clones were evaluated in the 2020/2021 cycle for phenology (budburst and maturation dates), production (kg/plant, ton/ha weight/bunch) and fruit quality (soluble solids-SS, titratable acidity-AT, pH). The results showed the potentiality of the clone RI12V23 for 'Riesling Itálico', INRA-132 for 'Chardonnay', VCR-13 for 'Merlot' and VCR-10 for 'Cabernet Franc'. The 'Riesling Itálico' and 'Chardonnay' clones showed greater production precocity than the 'Merlot' and 'Cabernet Franc' clones.