Principal Component Analysis and Comprehensive Evaluation on Ornamental Value of Varieties of Camellia

  Objective  For introducing and breeding new varieties.

  Method  Ornamental value of 28 Camellia cultivars was evaluated, key appealing factors of Camellia were selected using the correlation and principal component analysis to construct a comprehensive evaluation model.

  Result  Significant correlations among the various traits were observed. For instance, the flower count and petal number correlated significantly with florescence, and flower color with new leaf color. Those 13 characteristic traits were grouped into 5 principal components:flower count, florescence, flower diameter, leaf color, and leaf shape with a total cumulative contribution of 85.48% for the differentiation. Flower count and florescence were critical with biological significance as well. Based on their ornamental values, the 28 varieties were classified into 3 grades. The 9 varieties judged to be excellent were Jinbihuihuang, Variegated Precious Pearl, Variegated Crane's Feather, Variegated Hibiscus, Kigirohi, Senritsu-Ko, Otome, Red Leaf Bella, and Masterpiece. The results were basically in agreement with field observation.

  Conclusion  The ornamental value of Camellia was governed by the flower count, florescence, flower diameter, leaf color and leaf shape with the flower count and florescence as the determinant factors. Thus, varieties with large and abundant flowers, long florescence period, and attractive leaves should be the choice for cultivation and breeding.