Banana (Musa spp.) productivity is limited by sodic soils, which impairs root growth and nutrient uptake. Analyzing root traits under stress conditions can aid in identifying tolerant genotypes. This study investigates the root morphological traits of banana cultivars under sodic soil stress conditions using Rhizovision software. The pot culture experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) under open field conditions, with treatments comprising the following varieties: Poovan (AAB), Udhayam (ABB), Karpooravalli (ABB), CO 3 (ABB), Kaveri Saba (ABB), Kaveri Kalki (ABB), Kaveri Haritha (ABB), Monthan (ABB), Nendran (AAB), and Rasthali (AAB), each replicated thrice. Parameters such as the number of roots, root tips, diameter, surface area, perimeter, and volume were assessed to evaluate the performance of different cultivars. The findings reveal that Karpooravali and Udhayam cultivars exhibited superior performance in terms of root morphology compared to other cultivars under sodic soil stress. These cultivars displayed increased root proliferation, elongation, and surface area, indicating their resilience to sodic soil stress. The utilization of Rhizovision software facilitated precise measurement and analysis of root traits, providing valuable insights into the adaptation mechanisms of banana cultivars to adverse soil conditions.

The characteristics of agricultural products are influenced by the ecosystem, from the perspective of biotic and abiotic factors, which produce in the plant physiological responses and in turn in the fruit unique physicochemical properties, which are the basis for designations of origin and strategies to add value to the product in the current market. In the present work, ten cocoa materials (Theobroma cacao L.) were selected for their outstanding productivity (FSV41, FLE3, FEAR5, FSA12, FEC2, SCC23, SCC80, SCC55, ICS95 and CCN51), which were established in the departments of Santander (931 m a.s.l.), Huila (931 m a.s.l.), Huila (931 m a.s.l.), Huila (931 m a.s.l.), Huila (931 m a.s.l.), Huila (931 m a.s.l.) and Huila (931 m a.s.l.). These were established in the departments of Santander (931 m a.s.l.), Huila (885 m a.s.l.) and Arauca (204 m a.s.l.), the main cocoa-producing areas in Colombia. For the evaluation of the physical characteristics of the collected materials, 21 quantitative descriptors were used to determine the physical variability of the fruit according to clone and place of collection. The data collected were analyzed by means of Pearson’s correlation matrix and principal component analysis, it was possible to identify those descriptors that contribute most to the variability among materials (ear index, diameter length ratio, seed weight and diameter, and fruit weight and length). In addition, it was possible to verify the effect of the place of harvest on the physical characteristics of the materials, high-lighting the importance of the adaptation study prior to the planting of the cocoa material, with the objective of guaranteeing a premium, productive and quality cocoa crop for the industry, which is competitive in the market.

Considering the need to adopt more sustainable agricultural systems, it is important that sweet potato breeding programs seek to increase not only root productivity, but also the productivity and quality of branches for silage production. The objective was to evaluate the genetic divergence and the importance of traits associated with the production and quality of branch silage in sweet potato genotypes. The experiment was conducted on the JK Campus of the Federal University of Vales do Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys in a randomized block design with 12 treatments and four repetitions. Twelve characteristics of branches and silage were evaluated. There was genetic variability between the genotypes, making it possible to select parents divergent for future breeding programs for silage production. The genotypes BD-54 and BD-31TO were the most divergent in relation to the others, being indicated its use in crossbreeding aiming the improvement of the culture for silage, once the high performance per se of all genotypes evaluated has already been verified in previous works. The characteristics Na, TDN and NDF were those that most contributed to the divergence.