Fruit Quality Attributes of Organically Grown Norwegian Apples Are Affected by Cultivar and Location.

In this work, 12 apple cultivars grown organically in three regions of Norway (Telemark, Ullensvang, Viken) were analyzed in terms of fruit quality, with the aim of equating different growing regions under specific climatic conditions. Apples were analyzed for concentration levels of minerals, sugars, sugar alcohols, organic acids, total phenolic content (TPC), radical scavenging activity (RSA), and phenolic profiles. Discovery "Rose" from Telemark stored the highest level of minerals (24,094.5 mg/kg dry weight). Glucose, fructose, sucrose, and sorbitol were the major carbohydrates, whereas the predominant organic acids were quinic acid and malic acid. Cultivar Discovery from Ullensvang had the highest TPC (9.22 g/kg) and RSA (229.32 mmol TE/kg). Of the polyphenols quantified, chlorogenic acid and kaempferol-3-O-glucoside were the most abounded, accounting for 85.50%. Principal component analysis (PCA) shows that the Ullensvang region is the richest source of most carbohydrates, organic acids (quinic, shikimic, and galacturonic), and most polyphenols, whereas the highest content of minerals and maleic acid characterized Viken. Regardless of location, the Discovery cultivar had, on average, the highest sugar and polyphenol contents. The results obtained suggest that organic apples from Norway are a rich source of beneficial compounds that can have a positive impact on human health. In addition, these results may be useful for consumers in identifying apple cultivars with desirable characteristics and for the fruit industry in tracing back the origin of apples. The findings could also be of great interest for locations with similar climate and soil conditions worldwide.

Fatty acid and phenolic profiles of almond grown in Serbia.

Almond production is not typical for Serbia however the existence of natural populations and unexpectedly suitable agro-climatic conditions initiated this kind of study. Total oil content and concentrations of the fatty acids, total phenolic content and radical-scavenging activity were determined in the kernel oil of 20 local almond selections originating from North Serbia and cultivars 'Marcona', 'Texas' and 'Troito'. Sixteen fatty acids were identified and quantified, with the most abundant being oleic acid and linoleic acid. Nine phenolic acids and nineteen flavonoids were quantified using UHPLC-DAD MS/MS. The predominant polyphenol was catechin, followed by chlorogenic acid and naringenin. Based on oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio, levels of unsaturated fatty acids and specific polyphenols, some selections were chosen for growing and could also be recommended for breeding programs. Our investigation demonstrated that this region could be a suitable for growing almonds with chemical compositions competitive with standard cultivars.

A bioassessment of soil nickel genotoxic effect in orchard planted on rehabilitated coalmine overburden.

Environmental problems of non-rehabilitated overburden material are present in surrounding of open coal mines worldwide. Ecological restoration of this soil material usually deals with the improvement of its bad physico-chemical properties and its poor nutrient status, sometimes associated with heavy metal problems. Applied overburden restoration by planting orchard (1990) is assumed to be the first of its kind at opencast mines globally, so that present work was aimed at acquiring information about its efficiency of the applied measures concerning their possible use in agriculture. Various physical and chemical properties, together with the pseudo total and DTPA extractable metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cd) as well as sequential Ni extraction analyses, was measured, in order to evaluate the impact of soil's Ni level (76.3-111.7 mg kg⁻¹) on decreasing yields of apples, pears and plums. As a general pattern, reclaimed soil was significantly enriched with organic matter (>2.5 percent) and nutrients compared to the initial (2 m depth) and non-reclaimed adjacent soil, approving this method for overburden restoration. Despite low Ni concentration in organs, Ni accumulation in a fruits' trees qualified these species as suitable for phytostabilization of present heavy metals, with a woody biomass as a large and important sink for Ni, especially in the roots. Applied cytogenetic studies evaluate the lack of genotoxic effect of nickel (Ni) on the gametic cells of investigated species, having no significant effect on meiosis and pollen germination. Most of the found anomalies were in apples, as a kind of aberrations with sticky figures and chromosome lagging, should be ascribed to the environmental and genetic interaction over the aging of trees.