Quality and yield of Ribes and Rubus cultivars grown in Southern Italy hilly locations

Abstract

The berry fruit species, belonging to the genera Ribes and Rubus, are important for diversification of production in the mountainous and marginal areas of the Southern Apennines. The fruit, both for food and non-food (pharmaceutical, cosmetic industries) use, is a source of revenue for people living in these marginal areas. These species could be intensively exploited. To improve quality, plantation could be carried out according to the principles of modern genetic, agronomic and technical information. To observe the behaviour of the cultivars tested and to evaluate their bioagronomical performance and the quality of the fruits, trials were made in Melfi and Villa D'Agri (province of Potenza). Concerning the quality of the fruit, among other traits, the polyphenol, vitamin C and anthocyanin contents have been analysed. These compounds have interesting properties such as antiinflammatory, antioxidative, healing, aromatic, vitaminic, capillary vessel protecting. This justifies a broad use of berry fruits not only for food purposes but also as a source for pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The results obtained show a good adaptability of the cultivars tested in the different grounds: their productivity and the qualitative traits of the fruits are expected to improve the cultivation.