ROOTSTOCK AND CULTURAL CONDITIONS AFFECT SWEET CHERRY FRUITS COMPOSITION

Adrian ASANICA, Liliana BADULESCU, Valerica TUDOR and Georgeta TEMOCICO University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest, Romania

59 Marasti Blvd, District 1, 011464, Bucharest, Romania, asanicaa@yahoo.com

Keywords: Prunus avium L., cultivar, biochemical composition, fruit quality

INTRODUCTION The demand for sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) fresh fruits consumption in Romania has been increasing gradually over the last few years, suggesting that production should be more expanded. More and more private investors established their modern cherry orchards to meet market demands. In order to find the most suitable combination between cultivar, rootstock and agroecological conditions which respond with high productivity and better fruits quality, a study has been started in different areas and take into consideration a large number of varieties and rootstocks combinations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS The trial was carried out as follows: in North part of the Bucharest in the experimental field of UASVMB, at the Istrita Fruit Nursery Station, Buzau and in the Moara Domneasca Didactic Farm, Ilfov. The studied sweet cherry varieties were Kordia, Ferrovia, Firm Red, Giant Red, Early Red, Van, Stella and Skeena. The rootstocks used for these cultivars were PHLC, CAB6P, CAB11E, Colt and P. mahaleb. Biochemical analyses have been done in the UASVMB laboratory. For the scion–rootstock combination, soluble solids content concentration was determinate using a digital refractometer, titratable acidity by tritimetry with KOH 0,1N, ascorbic acid by extraction in oxalic acid 1% and HPLC dosage and anthocyanins content by spectrophotometric determination after an HCL 1% methanol extraction.

CONCLUSIONS The biggest fruits were collected from GiantRed/CAB6P trees (9 g/fruit at Istrita Station) which also registered a higher value of soluble solids content (16% in Bucharest). The acidity was much lower at Kordia/PHLC (0,44% malic acid) at Istrita and higher at Van/mahaleb (0,87%) which also recorded the highest value of anthocyans (7,81 mg/100g) in the second half of June at Moara Domneasca. GiantRed/CAB6P had only 1,52 mg/100g anthocyans in fruits but proves to be a very tasty and attractive sweet cherry variety for fresh consumption with a higher content of ascorbic acid. Because the performance of all these tested combinations has not been described yet in these growing conditions of the experimental plots, the data presented need to be confirmed by further researches on several years.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was supported by CNCSIS-UEFISCSU, project PN II-RU code-85/2010

REFERENCES Gratacós, E., Cortés, A. and Kulczewski, M. 2008. Flowering, Production And Fruit Quality Of Eleven Sweet Cherry Cultivars In Central Chile.

Acta Hort. (ISHS) 795:331-338 Polat, A.A., Durgaç, C. and Kamiloğlu, O. 2008. Determination Of Fruit Quality Parameters Of Sweet Cherries Grown In High Elevation

Regions In Hatay, Turkey. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 795:873-876 Radičevid, S., Cerovid, R., Mitrovid, O. and Glišid, I. 2008. Pomological Characteristics And Biochemical Fruit Composition Of Some Canadian

Sweet Cherry Cultivars. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 795:283-286 Valentina Usenik, Nikita Fajt, Maja Mikulic-Petkovsek, Ana Slatnar, Franci Stampar and Robert Veberic. 2010. Sweet Cherry Pomological

and Biochemical Characteristics Influenced by Rootstock. J. Agric. Food Chem., 58 (8), pp 4928–4933

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Determinations made on ascorbic acid content of sweet cherry fruit analyzed, highlight the variety GiantRed/CAB6P (fig. 1, fig. 2) which recorded the highest ascorbic acid content (18.71 mg/100g ascorbic acid; 23.73 mg/100g ascorbic acid) in both moments determination (6 and 17 June 2011). The lowest content was observed in Van/PHLC in Istrita (20.91 mg/100g ascorbic acid) on 17 June 2011.

Regarding the content of anthocyans (fig. 3) it was remarked a very low content with no significant differences between varieties on 6 June 2011. This are going to change later when the content grew considerably (fig. 4). On June 17, 2011, the highest content of anthocyans was obtained by Van/P. mahaleb in Moara Domneasca (7.81 mg/100g). It is revealed a difference between cultural areas of sweet cherry in terms of the anthocyan’s accumulation, regardless of variety or rootstock, values being much lower at Istrita compared to Moara Domneasca. In Istrita, on June 17, 2011, the lowest content was recorded by the combination GiantRed/CAB6P (1.52 mg/100g) and the highest by Skeena/PHLC (2.78 mg/100g).

Cultivars acidity was a low one, which varied depending on the combination variety/rootstock between 0.44 and 0.62% malic acid for Istrita area and 6 June 2011. At Moara Domneasca, on June 17, 2011, varieties grafted on P. mahaleb L. had somewhat higher values, the variant Van/P. mahaleb L. recording the highest titratable acidity (0.87% malic acid).

The cultivar with the largest fruit was GiantRed/CAB6P (9 g/fruit) in Istrita, followed by Van (8.5 g/fruit) and FirmRed/CAB11E respectively EarlyRed/CAB11E with 8 g/fruit also in Istrita. Regardless of growing area or rootstocks Ferrovia and Kordia produced fruits with small size that have not passed 6 g/fruit. There was a slightly positive influence on fruit size of the Istrita area of culture, excepting FirmRed/CAB6P combination that has fruit with 10% higher in UASVM Bucharest.

Soluble solids content varied in tight limits. The highest content was recorded by GiantRed/CAB6P (16%) under the UASVM Bucharest conditions. Istrita came very close to Bucharest with Kordia/PHLC (15.6%) and EarlyRed/CAB11E (15.2%). In Moara Domneasca, Van/P. mahaleb L. obtained a 15% SSC, with 2% more than Stella on the same rootstock.

16.56 18.1

14.31 16.17

18.71

14.09

0

5

10

15

20

25

Kord

ia/P

HLC

Firm

Red

/CA

B6P

Firm

Red

/CA

B11

E

Earl

yRed

/CA

B11

E

Gia

ntR

ed/C

AB

6P

Ferr

ovi

a/P

HLC

Istrita - June 6, 2011

Ascorbic acid (mg/100 g)

21.64 21.42 21.08 23.73

20.91 21.05

0

5

10

15

20

25

Stel

la/m

ahal

eb

Van

/mah

aleb

Firm

Red

/CA

B11

E

Gia

ntR

ed/C

AB

6P

Van

/PH

LC

Sch

een

a/P

HLC

Moara Domneasca - June 17, 2011

Istrita - June 17, 2011

Ascorbic acid (mg/100 g)

1.08 0.64

1.09 0.97 0.98 1.01

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Kord

ia/P

HLC

Firm

Red

/CA

B6P

Firm

Red

/CA

B11

E

Earl

yRed

/CA

B11

E

Gia

ntR

ed/C

AB

6P

Ferr

ovi

a/P

HLC

Istrita - June 6, 2011

Anthocyans (mg/100 g)

3.31

7.81

2.08 1.52 1.81

2.78

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Stel

la/m

ahal

eb

Van

/mah

aleb

Firm

Red

/CA

B6P

Gia

ntR

ed/C

AB

6P

Van

/PH

LC

Sch

een

a/P

HLC

Moara Domneasca - June 17, 2011

Istrita - June 17, 2011

Anthocyans (mg/100 g)

0.44 0.47 0.57

0.62 0.56 0.57

0.64

0.87

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9

1

Ko

rdia

/PH

LC

Firm

Red

/CA

B6P

Firm

Red

/CA

B11

E

Earl

yRed

/CA

B11

E

Gia

ntR

ed/C

AB

6P

Ferr

ovi

a/P

HLC

Stel

la/m

ahal

eb

Van

/mah

aleb

Istrita - June 6, 2011 Moara Domneasca - June 17, 2011

Titratable acidity (% malic acid)

5.3 5.6

7

8

9

8 8.5

4.7

5.8

4.8 5 4.9

7.7

0

7.2

6.6

5.5

7.4

5.6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Istrita UASVM Bucharest Moara Domneasca Fruit weight (g)

15.6

13.6 13.5 12.9

15 15.2

14

12

13 13 13

14

13

16

13

14

13

15

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Istrita UASVM Bucharest Moara Domneasca Soluble solid content (%)

Fig. 1. The ascorbic acid content of the sweet cherry cultivars on different rootstocks in Istrita zone (June 6, 2011)

Fig. 2. The ascorbic acid content of the sweet cherry cultivars on different rootstocks in Moara Domneasca and Istrita zone (June 17, 2011)

Fig. 4. The anthocyans content of the sweet cherry cultivars on different rootstocks in Moara Domneasca and Istrita zone (June 17, 2011)

Fig. 3. The anthocyans content of the sweet cherry cultivars on different rootstocks in Istrita zone (June 6, 2011)

Fig. 5. The variation of titratable acidity of sweet cherry cultivars on different rootstocks in Moara Domneasca and Istrita zone

Fig. 6. The weight of the sweet cherry cultivars depending on the combination cultivar/rootstock and the growing area

Fig. 7. The soluble solid content (SSC) of the sweet cherry cultivars depending on the combination cultivar/rootstock and the growing area

Istrita experimental field, orchard in the third year after planting

Fruits of six combinations cultivar/rootstock from Istrita orchard