Genetic parameters, selection gains and genotypic correlations in kale half-siblings progenies

The objective of this work is to estimate genetic parameters, direct and indirect selection gains and to study the genotypic correlations in kale half-siblings. A number of 33 half-siblings progenies of kale were evaluated in the years 2015/2016 in Diamantina, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The characteristics evaluated were number of shoots, number of leaves, fresh mass per leaf, leaf yield, plant height, stem diameter, leaf length, limb length, petiole length, diameter of petiole base, diameter of petiole medium and leaf width. The analyzes were performed using mixed models (REML / BLUP) estimating the genetic parameters and the direct and indirect predicted genetic selection gains. A genetic correlation matrix was obtained from the additive genetic values. Genetic variability was observed in the population. The highest predicted gains are obtained by direct selection in the number of leaves. The best indirect selection strategy was based on leaf productivity, as it avoided unfavorable indirect selection gains for the other characteristics, except for plant height. It was also found that the simultaneous selection, based on ranks average, can be efficient, with favorable gain estimates for all characteristics. The correlation study indicated that the associations of higher intensity were established between the number of leaves with the leaf yield and the diameter of the stem.