Establishment and Application of Ornamental Evaluation System for Malus spp.Varieties Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process

Taking the imported 22 Malus spp.varieties as the test materials, an evaluation system of the imported Malus spp. varieties was constructed in five aspects, overall branch shape, leaf characteristics, flower characteristics, fruit characteristics, growth performance and adaptability by using the AHP.The comprehensive evaluation system for the ornamental properties of imported Malus spp. varieties were studied, in order to screen the Malus spp. varieties suitable for introduction and cultivation in Xining area and with high ornamental properties.The results showed that among the 20 evaluation indicators, the indicators affecting the comprehensive ornamental evaluation of Malus spp.,the weight values ranked the top five in terms of fruit density（0.174 2）,preservation rate（0.165 4）,flowering period（0.106 8）,flower diameter（0.083 2） and resistance to the coldness（0.082 7）,had a great influence on the comprehensive quality of Malus spp.varieties.According to the comprehensive index score, the 22 varieties were divided into 4 grades.There were 4 species with the evaluation, Grade I of plants had the highest ornamental application value and could be introduced and applied in Xining as a key tree species; There were 7 species with evaluation Grade Ⅱ,which had high ornamental value, and should be selected according to actual needs during introduction and application; there were 7 species with evaluation Grade Ⅲ,and their application value was medium.There were 4 species with the evaluation Grade Ⅳ,which were of low ornamental value and could be preserved as germplasm resources, but were not suitable for introduction and cultivation in Xining area.The analytic hierarchy process could effectively evaluate and grade Malus spp.varieties comprehensively, and the evaluation results were basically consistent with the actual cultivation and ornamental application performance.