Abstract: Objective Camellia oleifera is a self-incompatible tree species. In this study, the optimal pollination configuration combinations of five early- to mid-maturing C. oleifera varieties recommended in Hunan Province were systematically investigated, in order to provide practical reference and data support for the variety configuration and standard cultivation of high quality and high yield of C. oleifera in Hunan Province.Method Five C. oleifera varieties, including ‘Dezi 1’, ‘Huajin’, ‘Huaxin’, ‘Xianglin 210’, and ‘Xianglin 97’, were used as experimental materials. Artificial pollination experiments were conducted based on observations during the flowering period. Various indicators such as the fruit setting rate, fruit development, economic traits, kernel oil content, and fatty acid content were determined. Principal component analysis was employed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of various pollination combinations of C. oleifera varieties. Result 1) The initial flowering period of ‘Dezi 1’ was on October 14th, which was 3, 9, 12, and 25 days earlier than ‘Huajin’, ‘Huaxin’, ‘Xianglin 210’, and ‘Xianglin 97’, respectively. The peak flowering period for all five varieties was mainly concentrated in November. ‘Huajin’ had the longest peak flowering period, lasting from October 30th to November 26th. However, the initial flowering period and peak flowering period of ‘Xianglin 97’ overlapped with ‘Dezi 1' and ‘Huajin’ for only 9 and 12 days, respectively. 2) The combinations (♀×♂) for the five C. oleifera varieties with highest fruit-setting rate were ‘Dezi 1’בHuajin’, ‘Huajin’בDezi 1’, ‘Huaxin’בHuajin’, ‘Xianglin 210’בDezi 1’, and ‘Xianglin 97’בHuaxin’, and the fruit-setting rate was 44.66%, 43.94%, 31.08%, 16.38%, and 10.05% higher than that of their natural pollination, respectively. Notably, the single fruit weight resulting from 'Huaxin' pollinating 'Xianglin 97' was higher than that of other paternal pollination effects. 3) When ‘Huaxin’ was used to pollinate ‘Huajin’, the oil content of dry kernels and dry seeds of ‘Huajin’ were the highest, significantly higher by 23.57% and 36.89%, respectively, compared to the combination of ‘Huajin’בXianglin 97’ (P<0.05). When ‘Xianglin 210’ and ‘Huajin’ were mutually pollinated, the fruit oil content was highest, both reaching 7.60%. The fruit oil content of ‘Xianglin 97’בHuaxin’ was 15.65% and 14.67% higher (P<0.05) than that of the combinations with ‘Xianglin 97’בDezi 1’ and ‘Xianglin 97’בHuajin’, respectively. 4) (♀×♂) ‘Dezi 1’בHuajin’, ‘Huajin’בHuaxin’, ‘Huaxin’בXianglin 97’, and ‘Xianglin 210’בHuaxin’ were the combinations that produced significantly higher fruit unsaturated fatty acid content than did the other pollination combinations of varieties (P<0.05). Conclusion Through comprehensive comparison of flowering periods, fruit-setting rates, fruit yield, and quality indicators, the optimal pollination variety for ‘Dezi 1’ is ‘Huajin’, followed by ‘Xianglin 210’. The best pollination variety for ‘Huajin’ is ‘Huaxin’, followed by ‘Dezi 1’ and ‘Xianglin 210’. The best pollination variety for ‘Huaxin’ is ‘Huajin’, followed by ‘Xianglin 97’, ‘Xianglin 210’ and ‘Dezi 1’. The best pollination variety for ‘Xianglin 210’ is ‘Xianglin 97’, followed by ‘Huajin’ and ‘Huaxin’. The optimal pollination variety for ‘Xianglin 97’ is ‘Huaxin’, followed by ‘Xianglin 210’. Among them, ‘Huajin’ with ‘Huaxin’, ‘Huaxin’ with ‘Xianglin 97’, ‘Xianglin 210’ with ‘Xianglin 97’, and ‘Dezi 1’ with ‘Xianglin 210’ are suitable for equal proportion configurations.

Key words: Camellia oleifera, variety configuration, pollination, fruit setting rate, fruit quality