Origin, Evolution, Taxonomy and Germplasm

Abstract

AbstractPersimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) is an ancient fruit tree that originate in East Asia, especially in Southern China. Persimmon is grown in China, Japan and Korea for a long history. Persimmon can be utilized for various purposes with fruits, leaves and its derivates. The genus Diospyros with about 500 species accounts for the largest genus of Ebenaceae. There is a close relationship between D. kaki, D. lotus, D. glandulosa, D. oleifera and ‘Yemaoshi’ based on morphological and molecular evidence. The ancestor of persimmon is not clearly elucidated. Modern hexaploidy persimmon should be evolved from diploid through genome duplication, in which 2n gametes might play an important role. Persimmon cultivars can be horticulturally classified into four types including PCNA (pollination constant and non-astringent), PVNA (pollination variant and non-astringent), PVA (pollination variant and astringent) and PCA (pollination constant and astringent). PCNA is further classified into Chinese PCNA and Japanese PCNA based on their different genetic control of astringency loss traits. Persimmon genotypes with different geographic origins can be distinguished using various molecular markers, while four persimmon cultivar types could not be well-separated by molecular detection. PCNA cultivars from China and Japan exhibit a divergent origin, interestingly, both Chinese PCNA and Japanese PCNA originate in central mountain areas of the two countries, respectively. Most of the genetic resources of Ebenaceae were distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. More than 2000 accessions of persimmon were preserved in China, Japan, Korea, Italy, Spain, etc. Most of the persimmon production was derived from PCA cultivars in China, which is the largest persimmon producer globally. PCNA fruit is more attractive and new orchards prefer to plant PCNA types in Asia, Mediterranean area, Oceania and South America.