Parâmetros genéticos e seleção de populações F2 provenientes de cruzamentos simples e duplos de alfaces biofortificadas e tropicalizadas

Abstract

Lettuce is one of the most widely consumed leafy vegetables worldwide, with continuous cultivation throughout the year. In Brazil, its performance is limited by tropical conditions, especially high temperatures that induce early bolting, compromising commercial and nutritional quality. At the same time, the demand for functional foods is increasing, driving research focused on the biofortification of lettuce with bioactive compounds through genetic improvement. This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters in F2 populations derived from single and double hybrids of biofortified and tropicalized lettuces, with the goal of selecting outstanding populations. Fifteen F2 populations and three commercial cultivars were evaluated for agronomic traits and bioactive compound content. The hybrid populations showed superior performance compared to the controls, particularly in number of leaves, delayed bolting, and higher levels of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanins, with bioactive compounds exhibiting medium to high heritability. Genetic analysis revealed CVG/CVA values close to 1 for Chlorophyll a (0.93), Carotenoids (0.74), and Anthocyanins (0.70), indicating the feasibility of genetic selection. The results confirmed that bioactive compound content in lettuce is determined by genetic factors, enabling the identification and selection of populations for biofortification and tropicalization, contributing to the development of cultivars adapted to Brazilian edaphoclimatic conditions.