Agronomic performance and genetic divergence of coriander genotypes

Five genotypes of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) from different regions of Ceara-Brazil and two cultivars were assessed with the objective to identify genotypes with agronomic potential for use in breeding program using performance analysis and genetic divergence. The study was conducted during the period of September to December, 2007 in Fortaleza - Ceara. It was used a randomized blocks design with three replicates where the genotypes and cultivars were considered treatments. In the performance analysis, difference was observed among the averages of genotypes evaluated for the following characteristics: height of the plant, diameter, emergence of the first inflorescence, anthesis, mean umbellate/umbel, beginning and end of the ripening fruit. The treatments from Caucaia and Juazeiro were the most regular regarding precocity. However, considering agronomic characteristics, number of usable leaves and weight of a hundred fruit, there was no difference between the averages of the evaluated genotypes in relation to commercial cultivars. With the divergence analysis, the genotype 1, from the coastal region of Caucaia was the most divergent and can be used at crossings with other genotypes for obtaining segregating populations. The genotypes that had lower genetic distance were Verdao SF177 and genotype from Juazeiro (semi-arid zone). The results of the group showed no relationship to the different geographical locations of genotypes evaluated.