Oil Content and Nervonic Acid Content of Acer truncatum Seeds from 14 Regions in China

Abstract Acer truncatum is considered a promising species as a raw material to produce nervonic acid (NA). The goal of this study was to explore the variation of oil content and nervonic acid content of 138 accessions native to 14 regions in China as well as provide guidance for establishing plantations and improving the production of nervonic acid. A large range of variation was found in oil content, nervonic acid per gram of oil, and nervonic acid per gram of seed (17.81%–36.56%, 3.90%–7.85%, and 0.84%–2.31%, respectively). Accessions YS-6, ABZ-6 and DQTL-8 were found as the most promising potential oil sources; PQ-2 was considered the optimal germplasm, and JY-6, NJ-8, LF-6, and CC-8 were found as promising potential sources for producing NA. A very significant difference ( P  A. truncatum in various regions can be utilized for establishing plantations of promising genotypes through clonal means.