Abstract:

Aims Our objective was to determine 1) the phenotypic variation of cone and seed in natural populations and 2) the relationship between phenotypic variation of natural population and different distribution areas in Picea crassifolia.
Methods Field investigation and analysis of the natural distribution of P. crassifolia in Qilian Mountain led to our selection of four cone characters and four seed traits in 10 trees from each of 10 populations. We examined morphological diversity among/within populations based on analysis of eight phenotypic traits. Variance analysis, multi-comparison, correlation analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to analyze experimental results.
Important finding Analysis of variance for all traits showed significant differences among/within populations except for cone dry weight and cone length/cone width. The mean phenotypic differentiation coefficient (V_st) among populations was 27.18%, compared to 72.82% within populations. In different individuals within populations, the CV of cone length, cone width, cone dry weight, cone length/cone width, seed length, seed width, seed length/seed width, 1 000 seeds weight was 10.08%, 5.80%, 19.29%, 9.66%, 8.38%, 15.34%, 6.52% and 13.94%, respectively . Most of the cone and seed traits were positively correlated. The cone dry weight, seed length, 1 000 seeds weight, cone length, cone width were thought to be the most important cone and seed traits that were easy to measured in P. crassifolia. The spatial variation of traits of natural populations was related most strongly to longitude. According to UPGMA cluster analysis, the 10 populations of P. crassifolia could be divided into four groups. This study indicates that there is rich phenotypic variation of cone and seed in natural populations of P. crassifolia in Qilian Mountain and thereby provides theoretical references and basic data for genetic resources conservation, utilization and improvement in P. crassifolia.

Key words: Picea crassifolia, natural population, cone and seed traits, phenotypic diversity