Morphological and biochemical characteristics of medlar (Crataegus germanica) fruits in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine
Abstract
This study was carried out to determine the morphological traits of the fruit as well as the dry matter, sugars, and organic a c ids of medlar ( Crataegus germanica (L.) Kuntze) genotypes which were grown near Kyiv, Ukraine in 2022–2024. A total of 15 genotypes were evaluated in the study, including 14 varieties originating from Western, Central, and Eastern European countries, the North Caucasus, and Iran, and one local semi-wild form. S ignificant differences were detected among the genotypes on the morphological and biological characters and on the chemical composition of the fruit. Fruit diameter ranged from 16.97 to 42.17 mm, fruit weight from 2.39 to 34.37 g, pyren a percentage from 0.00 % to 16.82%. ‘Apyrena’ and ‘Seedless’ are charact e rized by the complete absence of pyren a s and seeds in the fruit. In terms of fruit diameter and fruit weight genotypes are grouped into very small fruit (‘Apyrena’), small fruit (semi-wild medlar, ‘Seedless’ and ‘Nottingham’), medium-sized fruit (‘Gojtkhiv s ka’, ‘Monstruose d’Evreinoff’, ‘Haidegger’, ‘25-hrammovaja’, ‘Elburs’, ‘Silberberger’, ‘Delice des Vannes’, and ‘Sladkaja Dr a chyova’), and large fruit (‘Holland’, ‘Dutch Giant’, ‘Dniprovska’, and Flanders Giant ® ). The correlation between fruit diameter and fruit weight is very strong, r = 0.9 8 . The weight of pyren a s in the fruit is moderately correlated with the fruit weight, r = – 0.45. Medlar pyren a s var ied in length from about 8.75 to 13.53 mm, in width from 6.06 to 11.01 mm and in thickness from 3.97 to 7.12 mm. The largest pyren a s we re found in ‘Dutch Giant’, ‘Holland’, Flanders Giant ® , ‘Dniprovska’, and ‘Gojtkhivska’, accordingly 0.33, 0.33, 0.35, 0.37, 0.48 g; the smallest pyren a s (0.11 g) we re found in semi-wild medlar fruit. The fruits of the ultra-early ‘Hoitkhivska’ variety beg a n to soften on the tree in late October. The early ripening varieties ‘Elburs’, ‘Haidegger’, ‘Nottingham’, ‘Si l berberger’ and semi-wild medlar reach ed consumer ripeness when stored indoors at room temperature for two weeks. Late-ripening varieties include ‘Delice des Vannes’, ‘Dutch Giant’, Flanders Giant ® , ‘Holland’, ‘Monstruose d'Evreinoff’, ‘Sladkaja Drachyova’, and ‘25-hrammovaja’. Fruits of ultra-late varieties ‘Apyrena’, ‘Dniprovska’, and ‘Seedless’, we re ha r vested in the late October without bletting. In December , fruit after repeated freezing outdoors on the tree, when the flesh had reached a soft consistency, consisted of dry matter from 19.7% to 26.2%. The total sugar ranged from 8.5% to 17.1%, monosa c charides from 8.3% to 16.0%, titratable acidity from 0.28% to 1.12%, ascorbic acid from 2.94 to 4.84 mg / 100 g, sugar/acidity index from 10.0 to 50.8.References
Baird, J. R., & Thieret, J. W. (1989). The medlar (Mespilus germanica, Rosaceae) from antiquity to obscurity. Economic Botany, 43(3), 328–372.
Bantle, J. P. (2009). Dietary fructose and metabolic syndrome and diabetes. The Journal of Nutrition, 139(6), 12635–12685.
Bibalani, G. H., & Mosazadeh-Sayadmahaleh, F. (2012). Medicinal benefits and usage of medlar (Mespilus germanica) in Gilan Province (Roudsar District), Iran. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 6(7), 1155–1159.
Campbell, C. S., Evans, R. C., Morgan, D. R., Dickinson, T. A., & Arsenaut, M. P. (2007). Phylogeny of subtribe Pyrinae (formerly the Maloideae, Rosaceae): Limited resolution of a complex evolutionary history. Plant Sysematics and Evolution, 266, 119–145.
Cevahir G., & Bostan S. Z. (2021). Organic acids, sugars and bioactive compounds of promising medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) genotypes selected from Turkey. International Journal of Fruit Science, 21, 312–322.
Cosmulescu, S. N., Trandafir, I., Scrieciu, F., & Stonescu, A. M. (2020). Content in organic acids of Mespilus spp. and Crataegus spp. genotypes. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 48(1), 171–176.
Cosmulescu, S., Scrieciu, F., Iordanescu, O., & Manda M. (2019). Some pomological characteristics of medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) genotypes. Acta Horiculturae, 1259, 43–46.
Cristofori, V., Silvestri, C., Pica, A. L., Bertazza, G., & Bignami, C. (2019). Evaluation of four medlar cultivars: agronomical, pomological and qualitative traits. European Journal of Horticultural Science, 84(6), 350–358.
Dobrochaieva, D. M. (1954). Mushmula – Mespilus L. [Medlar – Mespilus L.]. In: Zerov, D. K. (Ed.). Flora URSR [Flora of the Ukrainian SSR]. Vydavnytstvo AN Ukrainian SSR, Kyiv. Vol. 6. Pp. 48–49 (in Ukrainian).
Fedorov, A., & Fedorov, A. (1937). Mushmula Kavkaza [Medlar of the Сauсasus]. Transactions of the Armenian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Biological Series, 2, 21–60 (in Russian).
Glew, R. H., Ayaz, F. A., Sanz, C., Vander Jagt, D. J., Huang, H. S., Chuang, L. T., & Strnad, M. (2003a). Changes in sugars, organic acids andamino acids in medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) during fruit development and maturation. Food Chemistry, 83(3), 363–369.
Glew, R. H., Ayaz, F. A., Sanz, C., Vander Jagt, D. J., Huang, H. S., Chuang, L. T., & Strnad, M. (2003b). Effect of postharvest period on sugars, organic acids and fatty acids composition in commercially sold medlar (Mespilus germanica ‘Dutch’) fruit. European Food Research and Technology, 216(5), 390–394.
Grygorieva, O., Klymenko, S., Vinogradova, Y., Vergun, O., & Brindza, J. (2018). Variation in morphometric traits of fruits of Mespilus germanica L. Potravinarstvo, 12(1), 782–788.
Jenkins, D. J., Wolever, T. M., Taylor, R. H., Barker, H., Fielden, H., Baldwin, J. M., Bowling, A. C., Newman, H. C., Jenkins, A. L., & Goff, D. V. (1981). Glycemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 34(3), 362–366.
Katanić Stanković, J. S., Mićanović, N., Grozdanić, N., Kostić, A. Ž., Gašić, U., Stanojković, T., & Popović-Djordjević, J. B. (2022). Polyphenolic profile, antioxidant and antidiabetic potential of medlar (Mespilus germanica L.), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) and common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.) fruit extracts from Serbia. Horticulturae, 8(11), 1053.
Khadivi, A., Rezaei, M., Heidari, P., Safari-Khuzani, A., & Sahebi, M. (2019). Morphological and fruit characterizations of common medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) germplasm. Scientia Horticulturae, 252, 38–47.
Kokhno, N. A., & Kurdyuk, A. M. (1994). Teoreticheskie osnovy i opyt introdukcii drevesnyh rasteniy v Ukraine [Theoretical foundations and experience of introduction of woody plants in Ukraine]. Naukova Dumka, Kyiv (in Russian).
Krasovskyi, V. V., Cherniak, T. V., Fedko, R. M., & Orlovskyi, O. V. (2022). Doslidzhennia kistochok mushmuly zvychainoyi (Mespilus germanica L.) v Khorol’s’komu botanichnomu sadu [Research on seeds of the common medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) in the Khorolsky Botanical Garden]. Ecological Sciences, 11(2), 125–129 (in Ukrainian).
Linnaeus, C. (1753) Species Plantarum, 1. Holmiae: Imprensis Laurentii Salvii.
Lo, E. Y. Y., Stefanović, S., & Dickinson, T. A. (2007). Molecular reappraisal of relationships between Crataegus and Mespilus (Rosaceae, Pyreae) – two genera or one? Systematic Botany, 325(3), 596–616.
Lypa, A. L., Kosarevskij, I. A., & Salatich, A. K. (1952). Ozelenenie naselennykh mest [Greening of populated areas]. Izdatel'stvo Akademii Architektury Ukrainskoy SSR, Kyiv (in Russian).
Medikus, F. K. (1789). Philosophische Botanik mit kritischen Bemerkungen. 1. Mannheim.
Mezhenska, L. O., & Mezhenskyj, V. M. (2013). Rid Hlid (Crataegus L.) v Ukrayini: Introduktsiya, selektsiya, ekoloho-biolohichni osoblyvosti [The genus of the hawthorn (Crataegus L.) in Ukraine: Introduction, breeding, ecological and biological features]. Komprint, Kyiv (in Ukrainian).
Mezhenskyj, V. M. (2008). Sklad i vykorystannia kollektsiyi netradytsiynykh plodovykh kul’tur. 5. Mushmula (Mespilus L.) [Composition and use of the collection of non-traditional fruit crops. 5. Medlar (Mespilus L.)]. Plant Genetic Resources, 5, 49–54 (in Ukrainian).
Mezhenskyj, V. M., & Mezhenska, L. O. (2015). Formation of the collection and improvement of plant breeding methods of rare fruit and ornamental crops. Komprynt, Kyiv (in Ukrainian).
Mikulic-Petkovsek, M., Jakljevic, K., Veberic, R., Hudina, M., & Rusjan, D. (2023). Changes in the fruit quality parameters of medlar fruit (Mespilus germanica L.) after heat treatment, storage, freezing or hoarfrost. Foods, 12(16), 3077.
Nistor, D. I., Marc, R. A., & Mureșan, C. C. (2024). Phytochemistry, nutritional composition, health benefits and future prospects of Mespilus germanica L. (Medlar): A review. Food Chemistry: X, 22, 101334.
Oleshko, V. V., & Doroshenko, O. K. (2013). Introduktsiya derevnykh roslyn Kavkazu na Volynsʹkomu Polissi [The introduction of woody plants of the Caucasus in the Volyn Polissya]. Plant Introduction, 57, 92–97 (in Ukrainian).
Peel, M. C., Finlayson, B. L., & McMahon, T. A. (2007). Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11(5), 1633–1644.
Phipps, J. B. (2016). Studies in Mespilus, Crataegus, and ×Crataemespilus (Rosaceae), I. Differentiation of Mespilus and Crataegus, expansion of ×Crataemespilus, with supplementary observations on differences between the Crataegus and Amelanchier clades. Phytotaxa, 257(3), 201–229.
Potter, D., Eriksson, T., Evans, R. C., Oh, S.-H., Smedmark, J. E. E., Morgan, D. R., Kerr, M. S., & Campbel, C. S. (2007). Phylogeny and classification of Rosaceae. Plant Systematic and Evolution, 266(1), 5–43.
Roelofsen, P. A. (1954). On the softening of fruits of Mespilus germanica. Acta Botanica Neerlandica, 3(1), 154–160.
Rop, O., Sochor, J., Jurikova, T., Zitka, O., Skutkova, H., Mlcek, J., Salas, P., Krska, B., Babula, P., Adam, V., Kramarova, D., Beklova, M., Provaznik, I., & Kizek, R. (2011). Effect of five different stages of ripening on chemical compounds in medlar (Mespilus germanica L.). Molecules, 16(1), 74–91.
Šebek, G., Pavlova, V., & Popović, T. (2019). Biochemical and pomological characteristics of fruit of some commercial medlar cultivars (Mespilus germanica L) grown in Bijelo Polje. Food and Environment Safety Journal, 18 (2), 97–104.
Sususoglu Durul, M., & Unver, H. (2016). Morphological and chemical properties of medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) fruits and changes in quality during ripening. AGROFOR International Journal, 1(2), 133–140.
Talent, N., Eckenwalder, J. E., Lo, E. E. Y., Christensen, K. I., & Dickinson, T. A. (2008). Proposal to conserve the name Crataegus L. against Mespilus L. (Rosaceae). Taxon, 57(3), 1007–1008.
Tkachyk, S. O. (Ed.) (2017). Metodyka provedennia kvalifikatsiynoyi ekspertyzy sortiv roslyn na prydatnist’ do poshyrennia v Ukrayini: Metody vyznachennia pokaznykiv yakosti produktsiyi roslynnytstva [Methodology for conducting qualification examination of plant varieties for suitability for dissemination in Ukraine: Methods for determining quality indicators of plant products]. D. Y. Korsyn, Vinnytsia (in Ukrainian).
Ufimov, R. A., & Dickinson, T. A. (2020). Infrageneric nomenclature adjustments in Crataegus L. (Maleae, Rosaceae). Phytologia, 102, 177–199.
Voaides, C., Radu, N., Birza, E., & Babeanu, N. (2021). Medlar – A comprehensive and integrative review. Plants, 10, 2344.
Webster, T. (2008). Mespilus germanica. Medlar. In: Janick, J., & Paull, R. B. (Eds.). The encyclopedia of fruits and nuts. CABI, Oxfordshire. Pp. 674–678.
Yahia, E. M., Carrillo-López, A., & Bello-Perez, L. A. (2019). Carbohydrates. In: Yahia, E. M. (Ed.). Postharvest physiology and biochemistry of fruits and vegetables. Woodhead Publishing. Pp. 175–205.
Źołnierczyk, A. K., Ciałek, S., Styczyńska, M., & Oziembłowski, M. (2021). Functional properties of fruits of common medlar (Mespilus germanica L.) extract. Applied Scienves, 11, 7528.
Źołnierczyk, A. K., Pachura, N., Bąbelewski, P., & Taghinezhad, E. (2023). Sensory and biological activity of medlar (Mespilus germanica) and quince ‘Nivalis’ (Chaenomeles speciosa): A comperative study. Agriculture, 13, 922.
