No abstract

Berries representing 21 cultivars of blackcurrant were analyzed using liquid chromatographic, gas chromatographic, and mass spectrometric methods coupled with multivariate models. This study pinpointed compositional variation among cultivars of different origins cultivated in the same location during two seasons. The chemical profiles of blackcurrants varied significantly among cultivars and growing years. The key differences among cultivars of Scottish, Lithuanian, and Finnish origins were in the contents of phenolic acids (23 vs 16 vs 19 mg/100 g on average, respectively), mainly as 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 4-O-coumaroylglucose, (E)-coumaroyloxymethylene-glucopyranosyloxy-(Z)-butenenitrile, and 1-O-feruloylglucose. The Scottish cultivars were grouped on the basis of the 3-O-glycosides of delphinidin and cyanidin, as were the Lithuanian cultivars. Among the Finnish samples, the content of myricetin 3-O-glycosides, 4-O-caffeoylglucose, 1-O-coumaroylglucose, and 4-O-coumaroylglucose were significantly different between the two green-fruited cultivars and the black-fruited cultivars. The samples from the studied years differed in the content of phenolic acid derivatives, quercetin glycosides, monosaccharides, and citric acid.

The volatile profiles of three blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) cultivars grown in Finland and their responses to growth latitude and weather conditions were studied over an 8 year period by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas-chromatographic–mass-spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. Monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpenes were the major classes of volatiles. The cultivar ‘Melalahti’ presented lower contents of volatiles compared with ‘Ola’ and ‘Mortti’, which showed very similar compositions. Higher contents of volatiles were found in berries cultivated at the higher latitude (66° 34′ N) than in those from the southern location (60° 23′ N). Among the meteorological variables, radiation and temperature during the last month before harvest were negatively linked with the volatile content. Storage time had a negative impact on the amount of blackcurrant volatiles.

The purpose of the study was to support the selection process of the most valuable currant and gooseberry accessions cultivated in Northern Europe, in order to establish a decentralized core collection and, following the selection, to ensure sufficient genetic diversity in the selected collection. Molecular analyses of the material from nine project partners were run at seven different laboratories. The results were first analysed for each partner separately, and then combined to ensure sufficient genetic diversity in the core collection.

Microshoots of `McIntosh' apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) were grown on Murashige-Skoog (MS) nutrient medium supplemented with either sucrose or sorbitol or with sucrose and an elevated level of cytokinin. Shoot growth was recorded and concentrations of fructose, glucose, sorbitol, and sucrose were analyzed in nutrient media and shoots during a 6-week subculture period. Axillary branching was stimulated by high cytokinin and sorbitol media, with increased biomass production and carbohydrate use on the high-BA medium only. The sucrose in the nutrient medium was hydrolyzed to fructose and glucose, which were equally taken up by shoots. Sorbitol was taken up somewhat less effectively. The elevated level of BA decreased sucrose hydrolysis in the nutrient medium. There were high concentrations of sorbitol in shoots grown on the sorbitol medium, and sorbitol also accumulated at the end of the culture period in shoots grown on sucrose. The amount of sucrose was low, and glucose was more abundant than fructose in microshoots. The starch content of leaves was not affected by treatments or sampling time. Chemical names used: N6-benzyladenine (BA).