Open Access

ARTICLE

Evaluation of Floral Phenotypic Diversity of Kiwifruit Male Germplasm Resources

Yuqing Wan¹, Lihua Wang², Qian Zhang², Qian Gao¹, Xin Liu², Gaomin Fan², Yan Wan¹, Xiaoqin Zheng^1,*

1 Key Laboratory of Coarse Cereal Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Sichuan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Coarse Cereal Industrialization, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China
2 Sichuan Provincial Academy of Natural Resource Sciences, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Kiwifruit Breeding and Utilization, China-New Zealand Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Kiwifruit, Chengdu, 610015, China

* Corresponding Author: Xiaoqin Zheng. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(9), 2781-2796. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.071151

Received 01 August 2025; Accepted 28 August 2025; Issue published 30 September 2025

Abstract

Exploring the phenotypic trait variation and diversity of kiwifruit male plant resources can support selection, breeding, and genetic improvement, ultimately enhancing agricultural production. In this study, 50 kiwifruit male plants were collected from the resource nursery of Sichuan Provincial Natural Resources Bureau. The phenotypic variation of the germplasm was analyzed using 16 quantitative traits. The analysis involved coefficient of variation (CV), Shannon-Wiener index (H), principal component analysis, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and comprehensive evaluation. The results showed that the variation range of 16 phenotypic traits in kiwifruit male germplasm resources was 1.55% to 83.71%, with an average coefficient of variation of 28.62%, and an H index of 1.265 to 2.941. The average CVs of diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid were 22.62%, 18.99% and 18.18%, respectively, and the average CV of diploid was the largest. Indicated that the male germplasm resources of kiwifruit showed significant phenotypic diversity, and the diploid showed higher diversity characteristics. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the cumulative variance contribution rate of the first seven principal components was 76.66%, which effectively captured the information from 21 traits. Cluster analysis divided the 50 kiwifruit male germplasm resources into 4 clusters; each cluster exhibited distinct phenotypic characteristics. The analysis also determined the trait characteristics and breeding value of each cluster. The results of this study provide valuable information for genetic improvement, protection, and evaluation of kiwifruit male germplasm resources.

---

Keywords

---