Genotype x Environment interaction in the yield and fruit quality of passion fruit germplasm grown in the Ecuadorian Littoral

Abstract

Ecuador is the main exporter of passion fruit concentrate. Passion fruit production is located in the subtropical areas of the Ecuadorian coast and, due to the geographical location of the country, it is possible to harvest fruit throughout the year. However, the production yield in Ecuador is low compared to other countries because there is little genetic improvement and there is little information about its behavior in sites at different altitudes. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the effect of the genotype x environment interaction on yield and fruit quality of seven passion fruit populations in different productive locations. The experiment was carried out in five production areas (Jama, Rocafuerte, San Isidro, Quevedo and Santo Domingo) with different environmental conditions. The highest yield (29167 kg ha−1) was obtained in the locality of Santo Domingo (479 m), while the smallest shell thickness (6.48 mm) was observed in San Isidro (243 m), and the highest solids content soluble (14.87 ° Brix) was shown in Quevedo (73 m). Based on the results, it was concluded that there was a highly significant genotype x environment effect; therefore, the variation observed in the behavior of the evaluated populations was due to the adaptation of the genotypes to the conditions of the different locations.