Abstract:

6 introduced rare Camellia plants were observed and evaluated comprehensively for a period of 4 years, in order to provide a reference for the future conservation and introduction of rare Camellia plants, as well as the development, utilization and propagation of landscape appreciation, tea and food production. 6 introduced species of rare Camellia (C. cucphuongensis, C. flava, C. calcicola ‘Juanhong’, C. rubriflora, C. longissima, C. zhaiana) were used as test materials to observe the phenological phase, growth characteristic and ecological adaptability, as well as to carry out grafting propagation and cultivation tests. Based on the analytic hierarchy process, 6 species of Camellia plants introduced from Vietnam, Longzhou and Longan were comprehensively evaluated in terms of morphological characteristics, ecological habits and utilization value. C. calcicola ‘Juanhong’, C. rubriflora, C. cucphuongensis all showed better growth adaptability, when the minimum outdoor temperature was -2℃, the plants and leaves grew normally without freezing phenomenon. At the high temperature of 38℃ in summer, it showed more vitality and no burning phenomenon. However, under high temperature, the leaf edge of the young leaves of C. flava and C. longissima was easy to burn and became yellow and withered. C. calcicola ‘Juanhong’, C. rubriflora, C. cucphuongensis had strong reproductive ability. After 18 months of transplanting, the grafted seedlings showed good growth performance, the height, ground diameter, crown width and leaf number of C. calcicola ‘Juanhong’ were the largest, indicating that it had the best growth adaptability and was suitable for growth in Nanning. Based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a hierarchy analysis model was constructed for the 6 introduced rare Camellia species based on 13 indicators directly related to the introduction goals and adaptability evaluation, including morphological characteristics, ecological habits, and utilization value. A 5-point scoring system was established to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the adaptability of the 6 introduced Camellia species. The overall score in descending order was: C. calcicola ‘Juanhong’ (4.970 points)> C. rubriflora (4.589 points)> C. cucphuongensis (3.863 points)> C. zhaiana (3.561 points)> C. flava (3.028 points)> C. longissima (3.008). C. calcicola ‘Juanhong’, C. rubriflora and C. cucphuongensis were suitable for cultivation and application in Nanning, while C. zhaiana, C. flava and C. longissima need further introduction and domestication.

Key words: Camellia, phenology, propagation, analytic hierarchy process, adaptability, comprehensive evaluation, Nanning