Quantitative descriptors that contribute to variability in the F3 population of ornamental pepper

The diversity of peppers from the Capsicum genus has always enriched global cuisine and is currently driving the growth of the ornamental plants market. In this sense, breeding programs with ornamental peppers play a crucial role in the evolution of the ornamental market. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate genetic variability in an F3 population of ornamental pepper through principal component analysis (PCA) based on quantitative descriptors of ornamental interest and identify correlations between them through Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis. In the F3 generation of a genetic improvement program with ornamental pepper plants at the State University of Montes Claros, 200 genotypes were conducted. In these, four quantitative descriptors were evaluated: plant height (PH), fruiting stages (FS), production (PD) and average fruit mass (AFM). The data were subjected to normality and homogeneity of variance tests (p<0.05) and, subsequently, to principal component analysis (PCA) to evaluate genetic diversity between genotypes. Analyzes were performed using PAST software. The PCA results demonstrated that the variables PD and PH were the ones that contributed most to PCA I, while for PCA II it was FS. In the Pearson correlation coefficient, it was observed that the most significant correlation occurred between the PH and PD variables. AFM and PD were negatively correlated, indicating that the greater the average fruit mass, the lower the number of fruits produced. The results of this study will open up opportunities for the development of new cultivars of ornamental peppers, which are cultivated mainly by small producers or family farmers.