Climate affects Chinese prickly ash peel color directly through temperature and illumination and indirectly influences it through its effect on flavonoid compounds. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation strategy based on high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) technology and a structural equation model was applied to evaluate the effects of climate factors and flavonoids on Chinese prickly ash peel color. There were obvious geographical variations of peel color and flavonoid compounds with an obvious east–west distribution trend which were divided into high-altitude type and low-altitude type. Through path analysis, the wind speed, temperature and annual sunshine duration were found to be the key environmental factors affecting the flavonoids content and peel color, and their direct effects were higher than their indirect effect. Based on HPLC-MS technology and a structural equation model, correlation models of climatic factors and flavonoids with peel color were established, and the factors that had greater weight on pericarp color were obtained. Our results provide experimental evidence that climate factors affect the peel color by affecting flavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation, reveal the geographical variation of peel color and flavonoid component contents in Chinese prickly ash peel, establish a quantization color method for rapid evaluation of peel quality, expand on the influence of climatic factors on flavonoids content and peel coloration and promote agricultural practice in areas with similar climatic conditions.

从花椒人工引种栽培出发, 通过气相色谱法-质谱法联用法 (GC-MS) 分析了 6 个不同花椒栽培种的挥发油组分, 据此进行了聚类分析, 研究结果如下。 (1) 占挥发油99.07%~99.78%的 71 种化合物得以鉴定, 其中 29 种为 6 个栽培种共有。 (2) 聚类分析将6 个品种分为3 类: DahongpaoA~C(II~IV) 与Shizitou(VI) 聚为一类, 因为有6 个主