Abstract:

A total of 28 Camellia oleifera varieties from ‘Changlin’, ‘Xianglin’ and ‘Ganlin’ series were selected to analyze leaves phenotype and mineral elements content, and their effect in varieties discriminant analysis was discussed. The results showed that rich variations were found in leaves phenotype and mineral elements content. And the leaf area showed the highest C.V. which was 18.66%. The C.V. of leaf shape coefficient and shape factor were the lowest, and they were 1.68% and 3.64%, respectively. The nitrogen content in leaf was the highest, followed by calcium, potassium and aluminium. The content of magnesium, manganese, sulphur and phosphorus were relative low. The C.V. of manganese content was the highest which was 123.72%. The C.V. of phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium content were between 13.34% and 17.71%. And the nitrogen, sulphur and aluminium content showed the lowest C.V. which were between 6.77% and 9.20%. A significant difference was found among varieties in leaves phenotype and mineral elements content. And the discriminant analysis based on leaves phenotype and mineral elements content realized an accurate discrimination of 28 varieties. This research provides references for further varieties identification and analysis in Camellia oleifera in the future.

Key words: Camellia oleifera, leaves phenotype, mineral elements, coefficient of variation, discriminant analysis