EFFECT OF ROOTSTOCK ON FRUIT QUALITY OF TWO SWEET CHERRY CULTIVARS

The effect of rootstock on fruit quality of `Stella’ and `Lapins’ sweet cherry was investigated. The rootstocks Prunus avium Sel Noisetec 4; CAB 11E, Edabriz, and Vladimir (all P. cerasus); and P. padus seedlings were compared. Grafted trees were planted in 1994 and trained to a vase canopy architecture. Fruits were sampled at commercial ripeness in 1999 and analyzed for sugars and organic acids by gas chromatography, and for vitamins (-carotene, -tocopherol and ascorbic acid) by HPLC. Moreover, total polyphenols and anthocyanins were evaluated spectrophotometrically.
Fruit from `Stella’ had higher levels of malic acid, polyphenols and anthocyanins, whereas those from `Lapins’ had a significantly higher vitamin content. Among the rootstocks, the best was Sel Noisetec 4 which promoted higher fruit levels of glucose, fructose, sorbitol and vitamins. Another interesting rootstock was CAB 11E, which induced a fruit sugar composition similar to that on Sel Noisetec 4 and higher levels of polyphenols and anthocyanins. `Stella’ and `Lapins’ grafted on Vladimir had significantly lower amounts of all the biochemical compounds analyzed. Also, Edabriz had a negative effect on the fruit quality, particularly on vitamins, but affected positively the level of anthocyanins.