Testing and Early Selection of Qinan Agarwood (Aquilaria sinensis)

In order to select superior clones of Qinan agarwood suitable for the development of the mountainous areas in southern Fujian,a random block testing with 25 clones introduced from Guangdong in Pinghe Tianma State-owned Forest Farm of Fujian Province were measured from 2021 to 2023. The study analyzed the growth indicators of Qinan agarwood clones,including survival rate,ground diameter,tree height,and crown width. The superior clones were selected through comprehensive evaluation using the membership function method. The results showed that the differences in survival rate,ground diameter,tree height,and crown width among the 3-year-old Qinan agarwood clones reached an extremely significant level,with average values of 73.12% for survival rate,4.25 cm for ground diameter,2.07 m for tree height and 1.27 m for crown width. Six clones with superior growth traits were selected,with average survival rate,ground diameter,tree height and crown width of 84.17%,4.87 cm,2.32 m and 1.42 m,respectively. The average genetic gains were 11.25% for survival rate,11.43% for ground diameter,8.72% for tree height and 8.02% for crown width. These clones demonstrated strong adaptability to the environment in this experimental area and grew rapidly,making them suitable for priority development on a moderate scale in this area.