Variabilidade de clones da mandioca em relacao a fertilidade e aspectos morfológicos

Abstract

A description of 18 indigenous and synthetic clones of (Manihot esculenta) cassava showed very little variability in relation to morphological characters, as well as the absence of some characters of economic value such as dwarfism, leaf immaturity, wrinkled stem and spherical root. Two distinct categories were observed in relation to flower number per plant during flowering season: 1) indigenous clones with low numbers of flowers, and 2) synthetic clones, produced through selection programs, with high numbers of flowers. Controlled inbreeding in the studied clones revealed the presence of genetic sterility in the indigenous clones, and a high fertility index in the synthetic clones.