Abstract:
Objective This study aimed to evaluate the external, internal, and nutritional quality of wild Actinidia chinensis fruits in Fujian Province and to establish a comprehensive evaluation system for fruit quality, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of wild A. chinensis resources.
Method Seventeen fruit quality indicators, including fruit shape, single fruit weight, fruit shape index, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, vitamin C content, and total phenolic content, were measured in 20 germplasm accessions of wild A. chinensis fruits from Fujian. A comprehensive evaluation was then conducted using correlation analysis and principal component analysis.
Result The diversity indices for external appearance, internal quality, and nutritional quality among the 20 germplasm accessions ranged from 0.69 to 1.64, 1.50 to 1.67, and 1.09 to 1.62, respectively, with internal quality exhibiting the highest diversity. The predominant fruit shapes were short-round and cylindrical, the predominant shoulder shape was square, and the predominant beak shape was slightly pointed and convex. Among external traits, single fruit weight showed the largest coefficient of variation (31.65%), while fruit transverse diameter showed the smallest (12.79%). For internal quality, the sugar-to-acid ratio had the largest coefficient of variation (30.27%), whereas soluble solids content had the smallest (13.05%). Regarding nutritional quality, vitamin C content exhibited the largest coefficient of variation (50.41%), while protein content had the smallest (25.64%). Based on correlation and principal component analyses, three principal components with eigenvalues greater than 1 were extracted, accounting for a cumulative variance of 76.616%. A comprehensive fruit quality scoring formula was subsequently established: Y = 0.555Y1+ 0.280Y2+0.165Y3.
Conclusion Through comprehensive evaluation, five accessions—FZ15, FZ20, FZ19, FZ3, and FZ34—were identified as the top-performing A. chinensis germplasms, exhibiting outstanding fruit appearance, internal quality, or nutritional quality.