Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #372593

Research Project: Quality, Shelf-life and Health Benefits for Fresh, Fresh-cut and Processed Products for Citrus and Other Tropical/Subtropical-grown Fruits and Vegetables

Location: Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research

Title: Effect of Poncirus trifoliata on chemical composition of fruits in pedigrees of Citrus scion hybrids

Author
item DETERRE, SOPHIE - Agro Paris Tech
item McCollum, Thomas
item LECLAIR, CLOTILDE - Ensat
item Manthey, John
item Bai, Jinhe
item BALDWIN, ELIZABETH - Retired ARS Employee
item RAITHORE, SMITA - Symrise Ag
item Stover, Eddie
item Plotto, Anne

Submitted to: Scientia Horticulturae
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/17/2020
Publication Date: 11/3/2020
Citation: Deterre, S., Mccollum, T.G., Leclair, C., Manthey, J.A., Bai, J., Baldwin, E.A., Raithore, S., Stover, E.W., Plotto, A. 2020. Effect of Poncirus trifoliata on chemical composition of fruits in pedigrees of Citrus scion hybrids. Scientia Horticulturae. 277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2020.109816.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2020.109816

Interpretive Summary: Two mandarin hybrids and six Citrus x Poncirus trifoliata hybrids with various degrees of P. trifoliata parentage were analyzed for volatiles, limonoids and flavonoids. Four of the hybrids had similar composition to pure citrus, but two hybrids had volatile profile closer to a true Poncirus, and one of those showed a similar flavonoid aglycone profile to that of pure P. trifoliata. A cluster analysis grouped the six hybrids according to their P. trifoliata background, not as a percentage of the pedigree but seemingly as to whether the P. trifoliata was from the male or female parent.

Technical Abstract: Citrus breeders have made numerous hybridizations that included Poncirus trifoliata L.Raf. (P. trifoliata), a relative of the genus Citrus, in their pedigree to produce hybrids that are cold- and disease-resistant. Initial hybrids of Citrus × P. trifoliata typically produce fruit that have unacceptable flavor, but more advanced hybrids with greater proportions of Citrus in their pedigrees have various degrees of off-flavor and taste. This study reports the volatile constituents, as well as nonvolatile limonoids and flavonoids, in the juice of six Citrus hybrids containing P. trifoliata in their pedigrees, compared to two hybrids derived solely from Citrus. Secondary metabolite profiles reflected the complex genetic backgrounds of those hybrids. Hybrids 6_23-20 and US 119 had juice composition most similar to that of P. trifoliata, with more volatiles, and in particular, more esters and sesquiterpenes with higher amounts in total. Furthermore, hesperidin concentration in US 119 was low (10 µg g-1) in comparison with other hybrids (125-326 µg g-1) while concentrations of narirutin and isosakuranetin-7-O-rutinoside were unusually high (135-211 µg g-1 and 304-182 µg g-1, respectively) in comparison with the other hybrids (5-60 µg g-1 and 10-75 µg g-1, respectively), which is in agreement with the composition of pure P. trifoliata. Juice of P. trifoliata derived hybrids 5-18-24, 5-18-31, 1-76-100, and 1-77-105 presented secondary metabolite compositions closer to those of pure Citrus hybrids. Based on volatiles, limonoids, and flavonoid profiles, we conclude that it is possible to generate advanced Citrus hybrids including P. trifoliata in their pedigrees that approach the quality of common Citrus types.