| Resumo: |
Belonging to the genus Cucurbita, pumpkins have multiple culinary uses, serving as important sources of nutrients and vitamins. They also play significant roles as medicinal and ornamental plants, with Cucurbita moschata Duch. being one of the most commercially cultivated species worldwide. The pumpkin culture encompasses a wide genetic diversity among its species, being cultivated both by small-scale farmers and on a commercial scale. Thus, evaluating the genetic divergence among different pumpkin genotypes grown in different environments. Two field experiments were conducted in open field conditions at the Experimental Field of Pacajus, belonging to Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical, in Pacajus, CE, Brazil. The first trial was conducted from November 2018 to March 2019 (rainy season), and the second trial was carried out from July to November 2019 (dry season). The respective fruit harvests took place between March 26th and 28th (Trial I) and November 20th and 21st (Trial II), 2019. Thirty-two descriptors were used for the characterization and evaluation of the genotypes, comprising 14 qualitative and 18 quantitative traits. The joint analysis revealed the influence of the growing period (environment) on fruit characteristics, particularly on fruit traits such as shape, size, weight, and quality-related pulp traits. There was a significant genotype by environment interaction for several descriptors. Multivariate analyses associated with agronomic evaluation allowed for the formation of distinct groups of genotypes, corroborating the existence of genetic variability. Regarding the relative contribution of quantitative variables to genetic divergence, there was considerable uniformity. The EMBRAPA 2013 and EMBRAPA 2014 progenies, the Maranhão cultivar, and the VL Maranhão variety were the most promising genotypes |
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