2018 ASHS Annual Conference

The genus Aronia is a group of deciduous shrubs in the Rosaceae family, subtribe Pyrinae and are native to eastern regions in North America. The four commonly accepted species include A. arbutifolia (L.) Pers., red chokeberry; A. melanocarpa (Michx.) Elliott, black chokeberry; A. prunifolia (Marshall) Reheder, purple chokeberry; and A. mitschurinii (A.K. Skvortsov & Maitul), involving A. melanocarpa ´ Sorbus aucuparia hybridization. The sugar content of Aronia fruit is one of the primary traits perceived by consumers. The development of new Aronia cultivars with sugar-enhanced content is a primary objective of our breeding program. The Aronia germplasm collection at the University of Connecticut, comprised of 120 wild and domesticated accessions, was evaluated for fruit physical traits (weight, size, and percent water content) and fruit chemical traits (total soluble solids [brix] and titratable acidity [TA]) at peak ripe development. A subset of accessions representing six taxonomic groups (six A. melanocarpa [2x], two A. melanocarpa [4x], two A. melanocarpa-S [4x], one A. prunifolia [3x], two A. prunifolia [4x], two A. arbutifolia [4x]) were evaluated at three stages of fruit development. There was a significant amount of variability for physical and chemical traits within and between each taxonomic group at stage two (peak ripe). In general, fruit size, water content and brix increased at each developmental stage. There was a significant negative correlation between water content and brix values. Brix:TA ratios of A. melanocarpa-S accessions were significantly higher than all other Aronia species. A. mitschurinii had the lowest brix:TA ratios, suggesting that wild Aronia species may be useful in a breeding program to improve flavor of Aronia fruits for commercial production and fresh consumption. The results from this study will provide useful information on future breeding efforts of Aronia for commercial fruit production.