Variation in Fruit Morphology and Seed Oil Fatty Acid Composition of <i>Camellia oleifera</i> Collected from Diverse Regions in Southern China
Shuang Gao,
Bifang Wang,
Fandeng Liu,
Junru Zhao,
Jun Yuan,
Shixin Xiao,
Joseph Masabni,
Feng Zou,
Deyi Yuan
Affiliations
Shuang Gao
Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Bifang Wang
Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Fandeng Liu
Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Junru Zhao
Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Jun Yuan
Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Shixin Xiao
Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Joseph Masabni
Texas A & M Agri Life Research and Extension Center, 17360 Coit Rd, Dallas, TX 75252, USA
Feng Zou
Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Deyi Yuan
Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
Camellia oleifera is an important woody edible oil crop in China with high ecological and economical values. It is a traditional oilseed crop with high levels of desirable fatty acids. The fruits of C. oleifera were harvested from 18 geographic provenances in southern China. In this paper, we analyzed the key environmental factors of diverse geographic provenances that caused the variation in the fruit morphology and fatty acid composition (FAC). Our study indicated an average coefficient of variation of fruit width (FW) of 18.63%, and 15.81% for fruit length (FL). The most abundant fatty acids (FA) were oleic acid (C18:1; 70.21–85.23%), followed by palmitic acid (C16:0; 6.93–13.89%) and linoleic acid (C18:2; 5.02–14.26%). In addition, the fruit width had a negative correlation with the equivalent latitude (ELAT) and a positive correlation with the annual mean air temperature (MAT). The fruit length-to-width ratio and oleic acid level had a positive correlation with ELAT but a negative correlation with MAT, annual precipitation (AP), and precipitation of wettest quarter (PWQ). A positive correlation was observed between MAT, AP, and PWQ with palmitic acid. Meanwhile, a negative correlation was found between longitude (LON), maximum temperature of warmest month (MTW), and ELAT and palmitic acid. The cluster analysis indicated six groups for the selected 18 populations. Our results showed the most influential environmental factors for variation in fruit morphology and FAC are ELAT and MAT.
