Germplasm Identification and Comprehensive Evaluation of Fresh-Eating and Processing Type Coconut
To screen coconut germplasm for freshness eating and processing,provide a reference for identifying coconut germplasm resources,and breed new varieties for dual-purpose types,33 traits of 44 coconut germplasms were analyzed and analyzed via cluster analysis.Correlation analysis was performed for 18 traits,principal component analysis was carried out for nine main characters,and comprehensive evaluation was conducted for the germplasms.The results of the variation analy-sis showed that the coefficient of variation ranged from 9.97%to 37.16%for the 8-month-old fruit traits and from 8.90%to 41.28%for the 12-month-old fruit traits.According to the 8-month-old fruit traits,the cluster analysis showed that 44 germ-plasms were divided into three groups:high,medium,and low degrees of coconut water.According to the 12-month-old fruit traits,44 germplasms were split into three groups:high,medium,and low proportions of coconut meat.Correlation analysis showed that there were different degrees of correlation among the 18 traits,among which the proportion of coconut meat from 12-month-old fruits was negatively correlated with fruit weight,fruit length,and fruit width;however,there was no significant correlation between the Brix degree of coconut water and other traits of 8-month-old and 12-month-old fruits.Principal com-ponent analysis showed that the nine traits could be reduced to three principal components,and the cumulative contribution rate reached 83.896%.Through comprehensive evaluation,ten coconut germplasms with good comprehensive traits of fresh eating and processing were selected.In conclusion,the 44 coconut germplasms exhibited rich diversity in fruit traits.Cluster analysis provided a selection range for selecting germplasms with different characteristics and many significant correlations among fruit traits.Ten germplasms with good comprehensive performance,V405,Y224,and Y261,were screened,which will provide basic materials for dual-purpose germplasm creation and new variety breeding.