Potential adaptation of Ginkgo biloba- comparative analysis of plants from China and Ukraine
Authors: Kovalenko I.M. , Klymenko G.O. , Melnychuk S.D. 
Published: May 2021

Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest relict plants in the existing seed plants. It is a historical heritage and living fossil. It is a world natural heritage unimaginable by human beings and a milestone in revealing nature's mysteries. The primary study areas with G. biloba plants are located in North-East Ukraine (Sumy region). A comparative analysis of the condition of seedlings in 2018 and 2019 was conducted. The plants were examined for the following morphological parameters: plant height, annual growth size, shoot diameter at the base, and the number of leaves. In two variants, about 100 plants were examined. The vitality analysis of seedlings with the establishment of their quality index is carried out. Studies of G. biloba leaves' morphological parameters from artificial plantations in Ukraine (Sumy) and natural plantations of China from the province were also carried out. Zhejiang province covers an area of 105,500 square kilometers and is located on the southeast coast of China. 118°01'-123°10'E bounds Zhejiang Province, 27°02'-31°11' N, east of the East China Sea, north of Shanghai, which is China's largest city, and Qiantang River is the largest river in Zhejiang. Its climate is Subtropical monsoon. The average annual rainfall is 980-2 000 mm, the average annual sunshine is 1710-2100 hours, and the average annual temperature is 15-18 °C. We selected three G. biloba groups for investigation and data collection. These three places are located west of Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, about 5 kilometers apart. The G. biloba tree group in Guanshan, Lingshanwu, and Wuxie Village Zhejiang Province, China, were measured in 2019. The age of the trees ranges from 20 years to 500 years. The height is generally more than 15 meters, and the breast diameter is more than 20 cm. In order to ensure the randomness of the data, we choose a tree every 50 meters. Studies have shown a statistically significant difference between leaves from China and Ukraine. Simultaneously, the leaf blade's size was more extensive in the leaves of G. biloba from artificial plantations in Ukraine. Morphometric analysis of G. biloba plantations (Ukraine) showed statistically significant differences between plant morphological parameters in 2018 compared to 2019, which indicates the intensity of growth and the positive trends in plants' vegetative growth mass. Plant height increased from 26.68 ± 1.01 cm in 2018 to 40.07 ± 1.72 cm in 2019, the annual increase, respectively, from 10.34 ± 0.89 to 13.90 ± 0.92. Such an indicator as the shoot diameter at the base has tripled (from 0.42 ± 0.02 cm in 2018 to 1.41 ± 0.02 cm in 2019). Differences between all morphological parameters have high statistical reliability (from 0.01 to 0.001). The differences were confirmed by the results of vitality analysis, which showed an increase in plant quality and their transition from equilibrium in 2018 (Q = 0.300) to prosperous in 2019 (Q = 0.465), which indicates optimal growth conditions and confirms the possibility of growing G. biloba plantation method for obtaining medicinal raw materials in North-East Ukraine.