DIVERSITY ANALYSIS OF Cunninghamia lanceolata CLONES PHENOTYPIC TRAITS

In this study, the coefficient of variation and correlation analysis of each character of 33 Chinese fir clones were carried out to obtain the accurate correlation between various characters. To explore the genetic diversity of clonal traits of Cunninghamia lanceolate, cluster analysis and principal component analysis were also carried out to group the characters with similar attributes into the same category, and the main factors affecting the evaluation were found out. Results of calculated values of the main indices of each trait of 33 33 explored that 11 samples had an accumulation of more than 0.5m(3)/plant, while 11 had an accumulation of 0.35 similar to 0.5m(3)/plant, and similarly, 11 also have an accumulation below 0.35m(3)/ plant, which were rated as excellent, medium and poor respectively. The variation coefficients of Chinese fir clones results represented that largest coefficient variation was for accumulation among the growth traits, while among the leaf traits, the smallest variation coefficient was for leaf length. Correlation results explored that growth traits (tree height, central diameter and volume) were correlated with each other. Principal component analysis simplified 13 traits into three principal components, and the cumulative variance contribution rate reached 76.20%. The results of correlation analysis and R-type clustering analysis showed that the selection of each character was reasonable. Q-shaped cluster analysis showed that 33 clones were divided into 3 groups when Euclidean value was 8.5, and each group showed significant differences in tree height, central diameter, volume, crown diameter ratio, diameter to height ratio, leaf length, leaf width, number of leaves, total leaf area and characters. The results showed that the 33 Chinese fir clones had rich variation and high genetic diversity, among which tree height, central diameter, volume, crown diameter ratio, number of leaves, total leaf area and total leaf volume could be used as important evaluation indexes for breeding and genetic improvement of Chinese fir clones. This study will provide the basis for the selection of new Cunninghamia lanceolate varieties with potential to increase yield.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the coefficient of variation and correlation of 33 Chinese fir clones to explore the genetic diversity and main factors affecting the evaluation of clonal traits. Results showed rich variation in tree height, central diameter, volume, and other growth traits among the clones. The study also identified important evaluation indexes for breeding and genetic improvement, with potential for selecting new Cunninghamia lanceolate varieties with increased yield.