Influence of New Citrus Rootstocks on Lemon Quality
Marlene G. Aguilar-Hernández,
Lucía Sánchez-Rodríguez,
Francisca Hernández,
María Ángeles Forner-Giner,
Joaquín J. Pastor-Pérez,
Pilar Legua
Affiliations
Marlene G. Aguilar-Hernández
Department of Horticulture, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Av. La Molina s/n, Lima 15026, Peru
Lucía Sánchez-Rodríguez
Department of Agro-Food Technology, Research Group “Food Quality and Safety”, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Orihuela, Carretera de Beniel, Km. 3,2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain
Francisca Hernández
Department of Plant Sciences and Microbiology, Plant Production and Technology Research Group, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Ctra. de Beniel, Km. 3,2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain
María Ángeles Forner-Giner
Citriculture and Vegetal Production Center, Valencian Institute for Agricultural Research, Apartado Oficial, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
Joaquín J. Pastor-Pérez
Departmento de Ingeniería Agroforestal, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Ctra. de Beniel, Km. 3,2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain
Pilar Legua
Department of Plant Sciences and Microbiology, Plant Production and Technology Research Group, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Ctra. de Beniel, Km. 3,2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain
Citrus fruits are one of the main crops produced in the world with oranges, tangerines, lemons and grapefruits being among the most important. Among them, lemons are beneficial for human health because of their antioxidant activity, phenols and vitamin C. This study evaluates three rootstocks obtained in a Spanish breeding program (Valencian Institute for Agricultural Research (IVIA)): Forner-Alcaide 5 citrus rootstock (‘FA 5’), Forner-Alcaide 13 (‘FA 13’) and Forner-Alcaide 517 (‘FA 517’) grafted onto cultivars ‘Eureka´, ‘Verna´, ‘Fino 49’ and ‘Betera´. The results determined that rootstocks have influenced cultivars in terms of a decrease in the fruit size, weight, and thickness of the peel; but has increased the percentage of juice and soluble solids. With respect to phenol content and antioxidant activity, higher values were found with all cultivars studied on rootstocks ‘FA 13’, followed by ‘FA 517’. Cultivars that were most influenced by rootstocks were ’Bétera’ and ’Eureka’ in physical properties, while in chemical properties they were ’Verna’ followed by ’Fino 49’. This investigation demonstrated the interaction of rootstocks on different cultivars in morphological, biochemical and nutraceutical characteristics.
