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Acta Horticulturae Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (8): 2275-2288.doi: 10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2025-0283

• Genetic & Breeding · Germplasm Resources · Molecular Biology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of Genetic Diversity in Leaf Phenotypic Traits of Hybrid Progenies Between Longan and Litchi

LIU Liqin1, HU Xiaowen1, LI Tianzi1, LI Xiang1, WANG Jiahui2, XUE Zhong1, ZHU Lifei1, WANG Yi1, ZHOU Jiannan1, SHI Shengyou1,3,*()   

  1. 1 South Subtropical Crop Research Institution,CATAS;Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Biology,Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,Key Laboratory of Hainan Province for Postharvest Physiology and Technology of Tropical Horticultural ProductsNational Tropical Fruit Tree Germplasm Resource Nursery, Zhanjiang,Guangdong 524091
    2 Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang,Guangdong 524088, China
    3 Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, CATAS,Haikou 571101, China
  • Received:2026-03-14 Revised:2026-05-21 Online:2026-08-25 Published:2026-08-25
  • Contact: SHI Shengyou

Abstract:

The genetic diversity of 20 phenotypic traits(10 qualitative traits and 10 quantitative traits)in leaves of 143 intergeneric hybrids between longan and litchi(including the parents)was analyzed. The results showed that hybrids exhibited rich genetic diversity in leaf traits. The 10 quantitative traits exhibited marked directional differentiation of heterosis,the number of leaflet pairs,leaflet thickness,petiole length,leaf length,and rachis length exhibited positive heterosis,whereas leaflet length,leaflet width,leaflet weight,leaflet perimeter,and leaflet area exhibited negative heterosis,showing significant differences in coefficients of variation(CV)and distinct gradient in genetic diversity. The diversity indices of the 10 qualitative traits ranged from 0.040 to 1.339. A total of 29 phenotypic variants were detected,among which leaf surface morphology,leaf tip shape,and leaf arrangement showed higher diversity. Correlation analysis identified 39 pairs of highly significant(P < 0.01)and 14 pairs of significant(P < 0.05)correlations between 20 phenotypic traits,revealing that the presence of complex genetic regulatory networks and ecological adaptation mechanisms among traits. Principal component analysis(PCA)revealed that the first seven principal components cumulatively accounted for a mere 69.70% of the total variance. Among them,quantitative traits associated with biomass accumulation(e.g.,leaf size and weight)exhibited dominant loadings,while qualitative traits(e.g.,shape and color)provided a basis for line classification,and other micromorphological characteristics served as supplementary references for identification. Cluster analysis divided 143 hybrids into 7 clusters at a Euclidean distance of 1.1,including:thin and few leaflets type,notched multi-leaflet type,broad-short leaf type,light-thin-small leaflet types,gigantifoliate type,large leaf type and normal leaf type(including lanceolate-thin-weakly undulate leaflet,elliptical thick leaflet,regular large-leaf,and small-thick leaflet),revealing hierarchical classification patterns of leaf morphology. These results provided a theoretical basis for the phenotypic evaluation and the breeding of new longan-litchi intergeneric hybrid cultivars.

Key words: longan, litchi, intergeneric hybridization, leaf, phenotypic trait, genetic diversity