The objective of the present study was to estimate the genetic diversity among 75 F1 clones, 19 landraces and six commercial cultivars and to suggest on the basis of dissimilarity and the agronomic performance the accessions potential by use full as cultivars or for breeding programs. In addition this study aimed at to estimate the relative contribution of phenotypic traits for the diversity. The accessions were evaluated using seven quantitative traits related to shoot and roots production in experimental trial conducted in Lavras, Minas Gerais State. The design was a simple lattice 10x10, in which plots of 2.4 m², and four useful plants. The genetic diversity was expressed by the generalized Mahalanobis distance, with subsequent grouping of the accessions by Tocher's optimization procedure. The relative contribution of traits to the diversity based method of Singh (1981). There are genetic differences between the accessions studied. The accessions 60, 61, 66 and 67 are potentially useful to participate in phases in a breeding program. The yield of shoots biomass and roots number per plant were more important for accession discrimination.
Manihot esculenta; pre breeding; biometrics analyses
