Rootstock and harvest season affect the chemical composition of

plum

JELENA TOMIĆ1*, MARIJANA PEŠAKOVIĆ1, BORIS RILAK1, IVANA GLIŠIĆ1, FRANCI ŠTAMPAR2, MAJA MIKULIČ PETKOVŠEK2 JERNEJA
JAKOPIČ2
1Fruit Research Institute, Čačak, Kralja Petra I 9, 32000 Čačak, Serbia, *jtomic@institut-cacak.org
2University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Agronomy, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

1. INTRODUCTION 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

According to the realized production of plums (412.778 t in 2021), Serbia ranks among the Plant material
world's largest producers [1]. Despite the fact that in the last 30 years, a large number of
Middle ripening, moderate-vigorous, dessert plum
polyvalent rootstocks have been created that can be used for several types of stone fruits
cultivar ʻČačanska Lepoticaʼ was grafted on four
[2], in the area of the Western Balkans, ‘Myrobalan’ (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.) is dominant as
vegetative rootstocks: ʻWavitʼ, ʻWeiwaʼ, ʻDocera 6ʼ and
a rootstock for plum [3]. The predominant presence of ‘Myrobalan’ seedlings in plum
vigor ʻDospina 235ʼ.
production is due to high availability, good seed germination, seedling growth and
adaptability to a wide range of soil types [2]. However, wide spatial, modest requirements in Table 1. Origin of tested rootstock
terms of cultivation conditions and most often generative reproduction caused a high Rootstock Origin Source Vigor
polymorphism of ‘Myrobalan’ [4]. The use of less vigor, vegetative rootstocks in the Interspecific hybrid
Technische Universität Medium
production of plums allows for an increase in the number of trees per unit area, and thus a ʻDocera 6ʼ [Prunus domestica L. × Prunus cerasisifera
München (Germany) vigorous
Ehrh.]
higher yield. ʻDospina Interspecific hybrid Technische Universität Low
Given that there is increased interest in research on plums due to high levels of polyphenols 235ʼ [Prunus domestica L. × Prunus spinosa L. ] München (Germany) vigorous
A clone selected from a seedling
as well as the fact that the rootstock can affect not only vegetative growth and yield [5] but ‘Wavit’ population of ‘Wangenheim’ ‘Schreiber’ (Austria)
Medium
vigorous
also can have an important effect on fruit quality [6], our work aimed to examine influence (Prunus domestica L.)
of rootstock on the yield and content of primary and secondary metabolites in the fruit of A clone selected from a seedling
Technische Universität Medium
‘Weiwa’ population of ‘Wangenheim’
the plum cultivar ‘Čačanska Lepotica’ during two-year period. (Prunus domestica L.)
München (Germany) vigorous

Weather conditions
A 2017 2018 Determination of fruit quality
The analyses of sugars, organic acids and phenols
were carried out using high-performance liquid
chromatography (HPLC) as reported by Mikulic-
Petkovsek et al. [7]. The content of all analyzed
sugars and acids were summed and presented as
B 2017 2018
total sugars (TS) and total acids (TA). The sugar to
acid ratio is defined as the proportion of total sugars
and the total organic acids (TS/TA) in the plum
sample. The content of all individual phenols groups
were summed and presented as total
hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, flavanols and B A
Figure 1. Figure 1. Meteorological data (A – anthocyanins.
average (Taver), minimal (T min) and maximal
(Tmax) monthly temperature and the sum of Figure 2. Content of total phenols of plum
precipitations (PP); B-solar radiation) from the 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION cultivars ʻČačanska Lepoticaʼ grafted on
April to August in 2017 and 2018. different rootstocks.
Table 1. Content of TS, TA (mg kg-1
FW) and TS/TA in plum cultivar Table 2. Content of phenolics (mg kg-1 FW) of plum cultivars ʻČačanska Lepoticaʼ
ʻČačanska Lepoticaʼ grafted on different rootstocks grafted on different rootstocks
Hydroxycinnamic Flavonoids
Total sugars Total acids TS/TA acids Flavonols Flavanols Anthocyanins
ʻDocera 6ʼ 98.0±3.3b 11.8±0.9a 8.3±0.7b ʻDocera 6ʼ 125.7±3.8a 13.8±0.2b 146.2±6.3a 19.0±1.8b
4.8±0.5c
2017.

63.7±2.5c 13.4±1.0a
2017.

ʻDospina 235ʼ ʻČačanska ʻDospina 235ʼ 125.4±3.0a 9.2±0.4c 143.5±4.4a 21.7±2.0b

ʻČačanska Lepoticaʼ
ʻWavitʼ 113.2±3.6a 11.6±0.3a 9.8±0.3a Lepoticaʼ ʻWavitʼ 101.5±1.7b 18.1±0.4a 133.9±6.0a 30.6±2.0a
ʻWeiwaʼ 101.2±2.1b 12.0±0.3a 8.4±0.2b ʻWeiwaʼ 71.7±1.0c 13.7±0.3b 113.5±5.2b 29.8±4.1a
Mean 94.0±2.9A 12.2±0.6A 7.8±0.1A Mean 106.1±2.4B 13.7±0.3B 134.3±5.5A 25.3±2.5B
ʻDocera 6ʼ 68.0±4.4a 13.5±0.3a 5.0±0.2a ʻDocera 6ʼ 166.8±1.1a 24.6±0.7a 181.7±2.0a 123.3±5.2b
2018.

ʻDospina 235ʼ 75.4±4.8a 11.9±0.8a 6.3±0.2a ʻČačanska ʻDospina 235ʼ 110.3±1.0b 19.0±0.3b 94.6±3.3c 149.9±7.9a
2018.

ʻČačanska Lepoticaʼ
ʻWavitʼ 77.5±6.0a 13.3±0.7a 5.8±0.3a Lepoticaʼ ʻWavitʼ 117.8±1.8b 18.9±0.7b 149.8±2.4b 29.4±1.7d
ʻWeiwaʼ 69.1±9.1a 13.6±0.3a 5.1±0.9a ʻWeiwaʼ 111.5±2.4b 16.2±0.1b 144.9±4.7b 62.4±3.4c
Mean 72.5±6.1B 13.1±0.5A 5.6±0.3B Mean 126.6±1.6A 19.7±0.5A 142.8±3.1A 91.3±4.5A

4. CONCLUSION
Cultivar ‘Čačanska Lepotica’ grafted on ‘Wavit’ was the most effective for the production of
fruits with good sensory characteristics. The grafting union of ‘Čačanska Lepotica’ and
‘Docera 6’ can be considered a suitable for improving the nutritional characteristics of the
fruits. Considering the abovementioned as well as the characteristic of ‘Docera 6’ to reduce
the number of PPV-infected plants, ‘Docera 6’ can be recommended for expansion in
intensive plum orchards in conditions of Southeast Europe. Higher amount of precipitation
and less solar radiation resulted in obtaining fruits with better organoleptic properties,
while a higher amount of precipitation and solar radiation during fruit ripening favored a
better phenolic composition.
V Balkan Symposium on Fruit Growing, Zagreb, Croatia, June 18-21, 2023
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This study was supported by the Ministry of
Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia,
Contract No. 451-03-47/2023-01/200215.