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AOBPreview published online on January 19, 2006
Annals of Botany, doi:10.1093/aob/mcj046
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received August 22, 2005
Revised October 3, 2005
Accepted November 16, 2005

Article

Effects of Cultivar, Fruit Number and Reflected Photosynthetically Active Radiation on Fragaria x ananassa Productivity and Fruit Ellagic Acid and Ascorbic Acid Concentrations

C. J. ATKINSON 1 *, P. A. A. DODDS 1, Y. Y. FORD 1, J. LE MIÈRE 1, J. M. TAYLOR 1, P. S. BLAKE 1, and N. PAUL 2

1 East Malling Research, New Road, East Malling, Kent ME19 6BJ, UK
2 Department of Biological Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
C. J. ATKINSON, E-mail: chris.atkinson{at}emr.ac.uk


  Abstract

• Background and Aims A number of strawberry varieties were surveyed for their total ellagic acid concentration, and attempts were made to determine if ellagic acid and ascorbic acid concentrations of two strawberry cultivars could be increased by polythene reflective mulches.

• Methods After adjusting crop yields and cultivation using polythene mulches with two different PAR reflective capacities, field- and polytunnel-grown strawberries were analysed for ellagic acid and ascorbic acid concentrations by HPLC. Comparative measurements of yield and fruit quality were determined along with plant developmental changes.

• Key Results Ellagic acid concentration varied widely with strawberry cultivar (60-341 µg g-1 frozen weight), as did the ratio of conjugated ellagic acid : free ellagic acid. Also, there was significant year-to-year variation in total ellagic acid concentration with some cultivars. Mulches with different reflective capacities impacted on strawberry production; highly reflective mulches significantly increased growth and yield, the latter due to increases in fruit size and number.

• Conclusions Highly reflective mulches significantly increased total concentrations of ellagic acid and ascorbic acid relative to control in fruit of different cultivars. The potential of agronomic practices to enhance the concentration and amounts of these important dietary bioactive compounds is discussed.

Keywords: Ellagic acid, ellagitannins, ascorbic acid, Fragaria, PAR, everbearers, June bearers, light reflectance, reflective mulch, strawberries, vitamin C.
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