Abstract:

Forty-seven Chinese bayberry germplasm resources were used as experimental materials. Sixteen indicators including single fruit weight，edible rate，total soluble solids（TSS），total sugar，flavonoid content，vitamin C content and peel color were measured. Difference analysis and correlation analysis of fruit quality were carried out，and principal component analysis（PCA）was applied to comprehensively evaluate the fruit quality of each germplasm. The results showed that all fruit quality traits of Chinese bayberry germplasms varied to different degrees. Among them，amino acid content had the highest coefficient of variation（CV）of 60.29%. Single fruit weight，titratable acid，color parameter a^* and color parameter C also exhibited high CV of 41.29%，36.07%，37.82% and 37.01%，respectively. In contrast，fruit shape index，edible rate and fruit hardness showed relatively stable variation，with CV of only 2.51%，1.94% and 6.28%. Difference analysis revealed that most fruit quality traits differed significantly among bayberry germplasms，and correlations of varying degrees existed between quality traits. Principal component analysis extracted six principal components from the 16 fruit quality indicators，with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 78.61%. According to the loading values of each principal component，eight core indicators were screened out，namely color parameter a^*，single fruit weight，fruit hardness，TSS，amino acid content，flavonoid content，titratable acid and vitamin C content. On this basis，a comprehensive evaluation model for fruit quality of Chinese bayberry germplasm resources in southern Zhejiang was established. Based on the results of correlation analysis and PCA comprehensive evaluation，a set of superior Chinese bayberry germplasms characterized by large fruit size，high sugar content and rich flavor were screened，including‘Dongkui’‘Dadongkui’‘Xiangdongyan 1’‘Cangnan 1’‘Chashan 3’‘Dabiqi’‘Zaotan’‘Dingshuo’‘Gaolouzao’and‘Cangnan 2’. This study provides theoretical basis and germplasm support for the excavation of elite germplasms，germplasm innovation and new cultivar breeding of Chinese bayberry in southern Zhejiang.

Key words: Chinese bayberry, resource, fruit, quality, comprehensive evaluation