Genotype and microclimate conditions influence ripening pattern and quality of blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) fruit

Abstract

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) fruit is valued for its content of nutritional compounds essential for human health. Traditionally, major part of the production has been used for processing but in recent years, the use of these valuable berries for fresh consumption has increased. The quality of fruit in terms of fruit size and nutritional content is especially important for dessert type cultivars and therefore more attention is paid to these in the present blackcurrant breeding programs. At Polli Horticultural Research Centre of the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, fruit quality aspects of 3 genotypes ('Almo', 'Karri', 'Asker') from our own breeding program and 6 introduced cultivars 'Ben Alder' (Scotland), 'Intercontinental', 'Titania', 'Öjebyn' (Sweden), 'Pamjati Vavilova' (Belarus) and 'Zagadka' (Russia), were investigated. Fruit ripening dynamics and fruit size, soluble solids content (°Brix), sugar, acid and ascorbic acid content were evaluated in 2006-2010. The largest fruit was produced by the cultivars 'Intercontinental' and 'Karri'. Fruit of the cultivar 'Titania' have high content of sugar and acids, while 'Karri' has high sugar and low acid content. The most stable genotypes in respect of the majority of investigated parameters were 'Karri' and 'Zagadka'. 'Asker' distinguished from others by high and relatively stable vitamin C content.