Abstract: We aimed to reveal the geographic differentiation of the nutritional and flavor quality of Pleioblastus amarus shoots and clarify the main environmental drivers of bamboo shoot quality variation, and to provide a theoretical basis for the cultivation of high-quality bamboo shoots. Pearson correlation analysis, least significant difference analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the nutritional and flavor quality of bamboo shoots and their interrelationships with environmental factors in three different regions (Qianshan County, Anhui Province; Longyou County, Zhejiang Province; and Shaxian District, Fujian Province). The results showed that the nutritional quality indices of P. amarus shoots generally increased firstly and then decreased with increasing latitude. The contents of starch, protein, fat, cellulose, and lignin in P. amarus shoots were significantly higher from Longyou and Shaxian than that from Qianshan, while the content of vitamin C was significantly higher in P. amarus shoot form Longyou than that from Qianshan. The contents of tannin, oxalic acid, total acid and alkaloid in bamboo shoots increased gradually, while the content of soluble sugar and the sugar-acid ratio for bamboo shoots decreased with increasing latitude. Furthermore, the contents of tannin, oxalic acid, and total acid in bamboo shoots were significantly lower from Shaxian and Longyou than that from Qianshan, while the soluble sugar content and sugar-acid ratio of bamboo shoots displayed an opposite trend. The alkaloid content was significantly lower in bamboo shoots from Shaxian than that form Longyou and Qianshan. Total flavonoids, calcium, and magnesium contents in bamboo shoots did not differ significantly among the three regions. The fresh and sweet amino acid contents were significantly higher in bamboo shoots from Shaxian than that from Longyou and Qianshan. The bitter amino acid content was the highest in bamboo shoots from Longyou and the lowest in bamboo shoots from Qianshan. The differences were significant among the three regions. The essential and total amino acid contents in Shaxian and Longyou was significantly higher than that in Qianshan. Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling showed that soil factors were significantly positively correlated with the nutritional and flavor quality of bamboo shoots, while climatic factors were significantly negatively correlated with the flavor quality of bamboo shoots and had minor effects on the nutritional quality of bamboo shoots. Moreover, soil hydrolyzable nitrogen and total phosphorus contents were the main driving factors for the variation of nutritional quality. The average annual temperature, the maximum annual temperature, and the soil hydrolyzable nitrogen and total phosphorus contents were the main driving factors for the variation of flavor quality. Nutritional and flavor qualities of bamboo shoots of P. amarus varied significantly in different regions, and the variations in nutritional quality of bamboo shoots were mainly driven by soil factors, while the variation in flavor quality was driven by both soil and climate factors.

Key words: Pleioblastus amarus, bamboo shoot quality, soil factor, climatic factor, regional variation