The oil content and the percentage of the main fatty acids were determined in a set of 73 almond (Prunus amygdalus Batsch) cultivars from 10 different countries present at the almond germplasm collection of the Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón, Spain (CITA). Wide variability was observed for oil content, ranging from 51.5% to 66.8% on a dry weight (DW) basis. For the main fatty acids in the lipid fraction, the variability ranged from 62.9% to 77.3% for oleic acid, from 14.0% to 26.8% for linoleic acid, from 4.9% to 7.0% for palmitic acid, from 1.5% to 3.4% for stearic acid, and from 0.3% to 0.6% for palmitoleic acid. No correlations were found between the oil content and the percentages of the different fatty acids, but a significant negative correlation was found between the percentages of oleic and linoleic acids. Principal component (PC) analysis showed that palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids and the oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio were primarily responsible for the separation on principal component 1. The content of each component was not related to the country of origin of the different cultivars, indicating that almond fatty acid composition is genotype-dependent. Cultivars with high and stable oil content and low linoleic acid should be selected as parents in a breeding program to increase kernel oil stability and nutritional value.

BackgroundRootstocks play an essential role to determining orchard performance of fruit trees. Pyrus communis and Cydonia oblonga are widely used rootstocks for European pear cultivars. The lack of rootstocks adapted to different soil conditions and different grafted cultivars is widely acknowledged in pear culture. Cydonia rootstocks (clonal) and Pyrus rootstocks (seedling or clonal) have their advantages and disadvantages. In each case, site-specific environmental characteristics, specific cultivar response and production objectives must be considered before choosing the best rootstock. In this study, the influence of three Quince (BA 29, Quince A = MA, Quince C = MC) and a local European pear seedling rootstocks on the scion yield, some fruit quality characteristics and leaf macro (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) and micro element (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn and B) content of ‘Santa Maria’ pear (Pyrus communis L.) were investigated.ResultsTrees on seedling rootstock had the highest annual yield, highest cumulative yield (kg tree−1), largest trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), lowest yield efficiency and lowest cumulative yield (ton ha−1) in the 10th year after planting. The rootstocks had no significant effect on average fruit weight and fruit volume. Significantly higher fruit firmness was obtained on BA 29 and Quince A. The effect of rootstocks on the mineral element accumulation (N, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn and B) was significant. Leaf analysis showed that rootstocks used had different mineral uptake efficiencies throughout the early season.ConclusionThe results showed that the rootstocks strongly affected fruit yield, fruit quality and leaf mineral element uptake of ‘Santa Maria’ pear cultivar. Pear seedling and BA 29 rootstock found to be more prominent in terms of several characteristics for ‘Santa Maria’ pear cultivar that is grown in highly calcareous soil in semi-arid climate conditions. We determined the highest N, P (although insignificant), K, Ca, Mg, Fe and Cu mineral element concentrations on the pear seedling and BA 29 rootstocks. According to the results, we recommend the seedling rootstock for normal density plantings (400 trees ha−1) and BA 29 rootstock for high-density plantings (800 trees ha−1) for ‘Santa Maria’ pear cultivar in semi-arid conditions.

Phytosterols are important dietary components that contribute to reducing serum cholesterol levels. The objective of this research was to assess genetic diversity for total content and profile of free and esterified phytosterols in a world germplasm collection of almond [Prunus amygdalus Batsch; syn. P. dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb]. Steryl glycosides and acylated steryl glycosides were not measured. Fruit from 160 almond accessions were collected in 2009 and 2010. Kernel phytosterol content ranged from 1126 to 2769 mg·kg−1 in 2009 and from 1191 to 2777 mg·kg−1 in 2010. The phytosterol fraction was mainly made up of β-sitosterol (from 59.1% to 84.1% in 2009 and from 55.9% to 84.6% in 2010) and Δ5-avenasterol (from 8.9% to 25.4% in 2009 and from 8.5% to 28.2% in 2010). Significant genotypic effects were observed for kernel phytosterol content and concentration of major phytosterols. Kernel oil content was positively correlated with kernel phytosterol content in both years. The results suggested that almond germplasm contains genetic variability for both phytosterol content and profile that can be used for developing cultivars with increased levels of phytosterols and contrasting phytosterol profiles. Positive correlation between kernel phytosterol content and kernel oil content suggests the feasibility of simultaneous selection for both traits.

Se han determinado el contenido en aceite, el porcentaje de los diferentes ácidos grasos del aceite y la concentración de los tres homólogos mayoritarios de tocoferol en las almendras de 23 cultivares de Mallorca. Todos estos parámetros mostraron una gran variabilidad, con una oscilación de 47,40-56,78% del peso seco para el aceite, de 58,65-78,44% del total de aceite para el ácido oleico,

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