VARIABILITY ANALYSIS OF WILD GUATEMALAN AVOCADO GERMPLASM BASED ON AGRO-MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS

<p><strong>Background. </strong>For the Guatemalan culture, avocado (<em>Persea americana</em> Mill) represents more than a crop, since it has religious, mythical, economical, and medicinal significance typical of center domestication species. Although there is speculation about wide variability wild germplasm, are no studies describing populations. <strong>Objective.</strong> To explore germplasm based on agro-morphological characteristics using standardized descriptors for (<em>Persea</em> spp.). <strong>Methodology. </strong>The distribution 189 trees across eight populations was evaluated cross-tabulation Chi-square testing. In order to properly handle qualitative quantitative data, employed factor analysis mixed data (FAMD) hierarchical clustering principal components (HCPC) analyze relationship variation features within between <strong>Results.</strong> The samples showed various morphological that indicate presence Mexican, Guatemalan, West Indian races in Guatemala. FAMD revealed fruit shape, skin color flesh texture, anise odor leaves ideal traits distinguishing individual trees. At population level, HCPC considerable variance amongst studied but distinct geographic groups samples. <strong>Implications.</strong> not all avocados grown Guatemala highest quality, several extraordinary excellence strewn over republic's highlands. Thus, due danger posed by introduction commercial varieties, advisable preserving germplasm. <strong>Conclusion. methods could be regrouped into three main clusters. proved useful grouping according known can therefore used characterization cultivars whose ancestry unknown.</p>