Abstract
The legume Stylosanthes capitata is native to poor acid soils of tropical savannas in eastern Brazil and Venezuela. Among accessions evaluated, CIAT 1019 and CIAT 1097 were predominantly autogamous with long-term persistence and stability. These were crossed and their progeny studied intensively in large populations using pedigree selection, initially at the Carimagua Research Station of CIAT in Colombia, and finally at CPAC in Brazil. This resulted in the selection of transgressive segregates with higher dry matter (DM) and seed yield than the parents, while maintaining anthracnose and stem-borer resistance. The final F7 lines were selected in the CPAC Oxisol which contains high and low percentage saturations of Al and Ca, respectively. The two best segregates had 44% and 31% greater DM yields than 1019, the higher-yielding parent. All S. capitata lines maintained high leaf mineral levels, especially Ca, in the poor Oxisol.
