Grading Criteria of Anthurium DUS Quantitative Characteristics by Multiple Comparison

Abstract

The determination of the grades and interval of quantitative characteristics is an important job while we draft new distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) test guidelines. Grading criteria should be adjusted because of the effect of year and site; it is also a key task to establish applicable criteria in the DUS test. Excellent criteria will improve the accuracy of the DUS evaluation. In this study, we analyzed the variability and distribution patterns of nine quantitative characteristics of 251 anthurium varieties. Three methods were used to establish the grade criteria: the two standard deviation methods, the two LSD0.05 methods and the multiple comparison method. The results showed that the coefficient of variation within varieties varied from 6.96% to 10.11%. The quantitative characteristics observed in this study did not follow a normal distribution, except spadix thickness at the middle and spathe size. In most characteristics, the standard deviations and LSD0.05 were similar, except for spathe size. The state interval set by multiple comparison methods for every characteristic was variable, and its mean was about 1.25 times that of the other two methods. The process of establishing grading criteria using the multiple comparison method was simpler, and the criteria were more accurate, with a lower error rate.

Comparative Analysis of Main Agronomic Traits of Different Pleurotus giganteus Germplasm Resources

“…One special point in the DUS test for edible mushrooms is that they are indeed more susceptible to environmental factors as compared to field crops. In DUS testing practice, it is recommended to minimize the cofounding impact on distinguishing varieties to require all test and reference varieties to be cultivated in the same condition to ensure environmental consistency, and to ensure enough cultivation scale and sufficient sample size to reduce individual differences, as well as to conduct centralized testing at designated premises to ensure experimental parallelism and data accuracy [13]. For edible mushrooms, it is not expected that all strains would exhibit differences in all test traits in one environment.…”

“…In addition, it should be noted that there is regional divergence in climate and environment. Although in DUS testing practice for edible fungi, environmental consistency and centralized testing at designated sites are required to minimize the impact of confounding factors on the test results and ensure experimental validity [13]. For producers and farmers, adjustment can be made in the used variety and cultivation facility management according to their own production mode and marketing demands, such as selecting a cultivar with temperature adaptability to local weather, and balancing budget, equipment, and substrate availability to choose an optimal cultivation method [20].…”

“…However, due to the late start of research on P. giganteus and a lack of research capacities, increasing challenges have emerged such as unclear germplasm resources and a lack of DUS (distinctness, uniformity, and stability) test guidelines for variety evaluation [12]. In order to motivate continuous variety improvement, conducting trait investigations on existing germplasm resources, exploring useful strains, and establishing evaluation systems are crucial tasks [13,14].…”