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. Prunus avium L. rootstock Sel Noisetec 4, P. cerasus L. rootstocks CAB 11E, Edabriz, and Vladimir, and P. padus seedlings were compared. 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’ exhibited 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, influencing positively the levels of glucose, fructose, sorbitol and vitamins. Another interesting rootstock was CAB 11 E, which induced a similar sugar composition as Noisetec 4 and higher levels of polyphenols and anthocyanins. `Stella’ and `Lapins’ grafted on Vladimir showed 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.