Morphological characteristics are traditionally used to characterize cultivars, contributing to the development of strategies for genetic improvement. In this study we evaluated the genetic diversity using morphological characteristics of 11 strawberry cultivars (Aromas, Camarosa, Camino Real, Campinas, Diamante, Dover, Oso Grande, Sweet Charlie, Toyonoka, Tudla and Ventana) in the south-central region of Paraná. A total of 29 strawberry morphological characteristics related to plant, leaf, flower, fruit and achenes were analyzed. Genetic similarities were calculated by multivariate analysis and cultivar grouping was based on a genetic similarity matrix using UPGMA. Among the 29 morphological characters evaluated, eight showed non-significant differences (p <0.05). The average similarity was 38%, ranging from 19% (Aromas and Camino Real) to 62% (Camino Real and Camarosa, Aromas and Sweet Charlie). The dendrogram separated the cultivars into four groups, however, this grouping was not consistent with the origin and genealogy of the cultivars. The cultivar Tudla has a high potential "per se" for use in breeding programs. The most promising crossing, on the basis of morphological characteristics, is between cultivars Camarosa and Campinas.
Fragaria x ananassa Duch.; multivariate analysis; plant breeding; similarity
