SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY, cilt.147, ss.142-152, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)
Secondary compounds of fruit are among the essential concerns due to their positive effects on human health. Many studies have attempted to improve these compounds by applying different genotype or cultivation practices such as irrigation and fertilization. This study aimed to find out the effect of different harvest dates on strawberry genotypes in terms of total phenolic (TP), total antioxidant activity (TAA), total monomeric anthocyanin (TMA), and some crucial individual phenolic compounds during the five-month growing season (January - May periods) with one month intervals. Besides, superior bred lines ('330, '360 and '610) were compared with widely grown cultivars ('Rubygem', 'Festival' and 'Fortuna') under the Mediterranean climate conditions. Regarding the genotypes, it was observed that TMA, TP, TAA, (similar to) epicatechin, (similar to) epicatechin gallate, pelargonidin 3- glucoside (P3G), and pelargonidin 3- rutinoside (P3R) values were the highest values in the 33-bred line, while the 36-bred line stood out in terms of ferulic acid and cyanidin 3- glucoside (C3G). This study also has shown that the chlorogenic acid and sinapic acid contents of the 61-bred line were found in the highest level compared with the others. Regarding the harvest date, fruit antioxidant activity, total phenolic compounds, and individual phenols such as gallic, syringic, ferulic, (similar to) epicatechin and ellagic acid were measured the highest in May-harvested fruits, whereas these values were observed at the lowest level in March, except for syringic and (similar to) epicatechin. On the other hand, rutin, quercetin, sinapic acid, chlorogenic and caffeic acids, and P3G and P3R levels of fruits were the highest in April, when it was the most intense harvest period in Mediterranean climate conditions. These observations indicated that these compounds could be increased by choosing the right genotype and suitable environmental conditions. (c) 2022 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.