Research On The Cultivar Classification Of Ornamental Crabapples In Henan

Crabapple(Malus spp.) had already been cultivated more than 2000 years in our country, and had formed a great deal of cultivars. The cultivars of ornamental crabapple in Henan were classified systematically aiming at establishing a rational cultivar classification system. The main results were summarized as follows:Based on the study of crabapple appearance, the common orderliness of mophological evolvement has been discussed. A criteria and terminology for describing cultivars are revised based on a morphologic analysis of the variation and evolutionary trend. Adopted the system of originated species, Groups and cultivars, the flowering cultivar classification systems of M. hupehensis and M. micromalus have been built up. Based on originated species the cultivar classification systems of ornamental fruiting crabapple have been built up for the first time.In this paper, 137 cultivars were recognized, including 66 cultivars of ornamental flowering crabapple, 52 cultivars of ornamental fruiting crabapple and 19 cultivars which were introduced from other country; Keys for distinguishing cultivars were compiled; 82 cultivars were recorded and described as new, including 40 flowering crabapple cultivars and 42 fruiting crabapple cultivars; 16 cultivar names were dealt with and mergered.The genetic relationship of 137 crabapple cultivars was studied by means of numerical taxonomic method. The clustering results can be in accordance with the classified ways applying on the appearance. But the ascription of'Dahua Danban'was oppugned.For the first time, a new molecular marker technique ( SRAP) was applied to the research on the cultivar classification of ornamental crabapple. The results showed that the relationship is close among cultivars which are originated in China, but the relationship is far away between cultivars which are originated in China and in other county. The relationship is near comparely between cultivars which have upright branch and inclined branch, but it is far from the weeping cultivars. The relationship is quite near among cultivars which are belonged to M. halliana, but it is far from the cultivars which are belonged to other species. Simultaneity, the cultivars of every species are not divided into each Group as the above classification system, but they are polymerized across each other. So the relationship among cultivars is complicated relatively.