Estimation of genetic parameters for flower anomalies in papaya

Abstract Floral abnormalities in papaya cause fruit deformation and yield reduction in some periods of the year. This study aimed to evaluate 23 inbreed lines and 22 hybrids in crosses between the lines Solo and Formosa in relation to floral abnormalities, and to develop a methodology to estimate summer sterility by counting of nodes without fruits. The traits evaluated were: number of carpelloid and pentandric fruits (in March and July 2007); number of nodes without fruit and neck length (in December 2006 and April 2007); and sum of abnormalities. Hybrids presented means higher than those of the lines for all abnormalities. The capelloidy was seasonal only for lines, and the pentandry showed the lowest coefficients of determination for lines and hybrids. The number of nodes without fruit was adequate to infersummer sterility. This anomaly was the most important in the lines and hybrids.