A new early-ripening Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra) variety Yongzao No. 2

Abstract: Yongzao No. 2 is a new early-maturing Chinese bayberry variety selected from a single variant found in the growing orchard of Chinese bayberry Biqizhong. When fully mature, the flesh column was round and blunt, the average fruit weight was 12.76 g, the fruit hardness was 3.8N, the fruit was freestone and the edible rate was 92.83%. The soluble solid content was 12.20%, the titrable acid content was 1.09%, the fruit tasted sweet and sour. The tree growing potential was medium, the branch density was sparse, and the crown had good wind and light transmittance. The fruits were mainly set on medium and short branches, and the fruit setting rate was 15%-20%. The fruit ripening stage was consistent, the fruit distribution was uniform, and the biennale bearing phenomenon was not obvious. The fruit ripened on June 6 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, 5-7 days earlier than that of Biqizhong cultivar. The variety had no strict soil requirements and would be suitable for planting in mountainous and hilly areas, and more resistant to anthrax and brown spot. Generally, after 7 to 9 years for top grafting, the trees would enter stable production period, and the output was relatively stable, and the average yield was 500 kg per 666.7 m² . The genetic diversity of 17 variety samples were evaluated using 12 pairs of genomic SSR markers developed earlier, the clustering results showed that all the samples were divided into two groups. The Yongzao No. 2 was located in Group Ⅰ, the same group with Biqizhong, one of the four best varieties of Chinese bayberry in China, and the genetic distance with Biqizhong was 0.22.