2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Prunus serotina (black cherry) is native to America and consists of five subspecies. Black cherry trees are found in forests throughout the U.S. and are known for their high-quality wood. Their fruits are small, with high astringency, making them unsuitable for human consumption. One of the P. serotina subspecies, known as subsp. capuli, is endemic to Ecuador and is characterized by larger, juicer, and tastier fruit. They have important nutraceutical values and are available in the Ecuadorian market. However, no commercial varieties of capulies are currently available. In 2016, 45 accessions (genotypes) of capulies collected from three main provinces in Ecuador were characterized for fruit weight and shape, endocarp weight and shape, and °brix. The weight of three replicates of 10 fruits and 10 endocarps of each accession were measured. Diameter and height for five fruits and five endocarps of each accession were measured. °Brix for five individual fruit representatives of each accession were also quantified using a handheld refractometer. The accession PserTU48 had the largest average weight of 4.4 g per fruit and PserCH90 had the smallest average weight of 0.7 g per fruit. PserTU77 had the largest endocarp with an average 0.48 g per fruit and PserCH90 had the smallest with an average 0.17 g per fruit. °Brix was found to be the highest for PserCH112 (30.1) and lowest for PserCH113 (14.4). Strong correlations were observed between fruit and endocarp for weight (r=0.78, P<0.001), diameter (r=0.78, P<0.001) and height (r= 0.79, P<0.001). °Brix was independent of fruit and endocarp height, diameter and weight. This research is an important first step towards determining capuli’s potential and adaptability to the Southeastern U.S. and selection of valuable genotypes with commercial characteristics to lay the foundations of their breeding program.