Mespilus Germaica L. – O Specie De Interes
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SCRIECIU FLAVIA CRISTINA 2020 UNIVERSITY OF CRAIOVA FACULTY OF HORTICULTURE DOCTORAL SCHOOL OF ANIMAL & PLANT RESOURCE ENGINEERING Dipl Eng. SCRIECIU FLAVIA CRISTINA ABSTRACT OF PhD THESIS MESPILUS GERMANICA L. – A SPECIES OF INTEREST FOR LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND FRUIT TREE SCIENCE AND THE NEED TO EXTEND IT IN CULTURE SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISOR Prof. Univ. dr. SINA NICULINA COSMULESCU CRAIOVA 2020 1 MESPILUS GERMANICA L. – O SPECIE DE INTERES PEISAGISTIC ȘI POMICOL ȘI NECESITATEA EXTINDERII EI ÎN CULTURĂ ABSTRACT Mespilus germanica L., known as medlar, is a fruit tree that belongs to Rosaceae family and Mespilus genus, and in Romania it grows both in spontaneous flora and in cultivated state in the gardens around the houses. Medlar has a special ornamental value, being a point of attraction throughout the year, even during the dormant period. Medlar has all the characteristics found in ornamental plants, in addition it is a useful plant, it produces fruits. The fruits have ornamental value, due to the less common appearance compared to other fruit species, in terms of shape, size, colour, as well as food and therapeutic importance (fruits contain sugars, phenolic compounds, organic acids, tannins) being consumed in fresh state, and also processed under different forms. The innovative aspect of the thesis consists in identifying and selecting some medlar genotypes, their characterization in terms of fruit-tree science and landscape design, and also the propagation of the valuable ones and their introduction in culture. Medlar offers the possibility to develop businesses by delivering to consumers a lesser known fruit, used in both food and natural medicine. The PhD thesis titled "Mespilus germanica L. - A species of interest for landscape design and fruit tree science, and the need to extend it in culture" has the following objectives (described in Chapter IV): Objective 1. Identification, evaluation and characterization of some genotypes of Mespilus germanica L. from the southwestern part of Romania; Objective 2. Morphological and ornamental characteristics of medlar; Objective 3. Capitalizing on diversity through the use of selections in culture. The PhD thesis contains 235 pages and is divided into 7 chapters to which are added the introduction, bibliography, abstract in Romanian and English and annex. In the thesis were consulted 216 bibliographic sources, including books, scientific papers and websites. The processed data were organized into 34 tables, 78 original figures and photographs and 9 photographs processed from bibliographic sources. Part I (Current state of knowledge) is represented by three chapters presenting aspects regarding the origin, role, importance and spread of Mespilus germanica L. species, the current stage of research on exploration and capitalization of medlar and the characteristics of medlar’s growth and fruit-setting. SCRIECIU FLAVIA CRISTINA 2020 Chapter I highlights the origin and role of Mespilus germanica L. species, emphasizing the importance of culture, food, therapeutic, commercial importance and last but not least the culture of medlar, worldwide and in Romania. Chapter II discusses numerous studies and research on the exploration and capitalization of medlar's biodiversity as well as its genetic improvement, and also cultivars worldwide and in Romania. Chapter III provides information on the characteristics of growth and fruiting, floral biology, propagation of medlar and its cultivation technology. Part II (Personal Contributions) is structured in four chapters starting with the aim and objectives of the research, the biological material and the research methods, results and discussions, and conclusions. In Chapter V the biological material and research methods are described. Biological material is represented by a number of 16 medlar genotypes aged between 4 - 70 years, coded with letters and numbers, the letter representing the initial of locality where they were identified, and the figure is the genotype number from the respective locality, as follows: Mătăsari - M1, M2, M3, Croici – Cr1, Cr2, Strâmba-Jiu - S1, S2, Ezeriș - E1, Turnu Ruieni - T1, Craiova - C1, C2, Nanov - N1, Drăgășani - D1, Bala - B1, Ștefănești - Șt1, Bârsești - Bâ1. The identified genotypes are on their own roots. The observations were conducted over three consecutive years (2017/2018, 2018/2019, 2019/2020). To achieve the research objectives, specific methods were used for each stage of study, as follows: • methods for exploring, identifying and locating genotypes; • methods for phenotypic characterization of genotypes; • methods for recording phenological phases; • methods for morphological characterization of fruits; • methods for biochemical characterization of fruits; • methods for grafting of selected genotypes; • methods for statistical data analysis. The location identification of genotypes studied was made using the Google Maps application, by identifying the geographical coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude). For phenotypical characterization of genotypes, determinations were made on pomological characteristics of the studied genotypes, regarding: plant habitus according to the method described by COSMULESCU (2014), main stems, growths on stem, canopy shape according to 3 MESPILUS GERMANICA L. – O SPECIE DE INTERES PEISAGISTIC ȘI POMICOL ȘI NECESITATEA EXTINDERII EI ÎN CULTURĂ the method described by DUMITRAȘ et al. (2008). Determinations were made regarding growth characteristics, trunk diameter (m), canopy circumference (at a distance of 1 m from the ground), tree height (m) and approximate age of genotypes (years). Phenological observations were recorded weekly (sometimes at intervals of 3-5 days), establishing the calendar dates when the main milestones were recorded. Six main growth stages were described for bud development, leaves, inflorescence appearance, flowering, fruit development and fruit ripening, according to the methodology described by ATAY (2013). For the morphological characterization of the fruits, determinations were performed on 50 fruits from each identified genotype, following up: fruit weight, seed weight, pulp weight, pulp percentage, fruit volume and density, fruit diameter and height. The shape and shape index of the fruits was also calculated, adapting the method of ANGHEL et al. (1963) to medlar. For the biochemical characterization of fruits, the total dry matter (SUT) was determined using the method described by NOUR (1998), the results obtained being expressed in percentages (%); soluble dry matter (SUS) using the digital refractometer, and the results were expressed as a percentage; titratable acidity using the method described by IONICĂ (2014). The organic acid content was also determined using HPLC analysis, fruit and leaf color using the CIEL*a*b* system. Propagation of genotypes was done by grafting, using the quince rootstock BN-70. The propagation method was grafting in the growing eye, the period of application corresponds to the 11-20 of April, when the sap circulates and the bark detaches easily from the wood, at a distance of 10-15 cm above the ground. In medlar seeds, determination of size (with Klass150 mm digital model calliper; accuracy 0.01 mm), penetration force (with Lloyd Instrument universal mechanical testing machine, with Nexygen specialised software) and X-ray radiography were performed on the seed seeds. ImageJ, image processing and analysis program, was used to determine the morphometric characteristics of leaves (dimensions, surface of limbus) and medlar flowers. The data obtained from determinations were statistically processed, calculating the arithmetic mean, standard deviation, amplitude of variation (maximum and minimum, respectively), variation coefficient for each characteristic, correlation coefficient, using the Data Analysis option in Microsoft Office Excel. SCRIECIU FLAVIA CRISTINA 2020 Chapter VI presents the results of the research according to the established objectives, and Chapter VII, the conclusions that outline the results obtained. Objective 1. Identification, evaluation and characterization of some genotypes of Mespilus germanica L. from the south-western area of Romania In the southwestern part of Romania, especially in the counties of Dolj, Gorj, Vâlcea, Mehedinți, Teleorman, Caraş-Severin, a number of 16 genotypes considered valuable for their fruits were identified, located and evaluated: M1, M2, M3 (Mătăsari), Cr1, Cr2 (Croici), S1, S2 (Strâmba-Jiu), E1 (Ezeriș), T1 (Turnu-Ruieni), C1, C2 (Craiova), N1 (Nanov), D1 (Drăgășani), B1 (Bala), Șt1 (Ștefănești), Bâ1 (Bârsești). The genotypes in the research area are located in forests, hills, on uncultivated agricultural land and in the gardens around the houses. Regarding the ecological factors, we consider that the southwestern area of Romania is favourable to medlar culture also due to the fact that Mespilus germanica L. is a less demanding species in terms of ecological factors. Regarding the evaluation of growth elements of selected genotypes, it was found that they show a great variability. According to habitus, the identified genotypes are divided into two groups, namely: the group of trees themselves, which is characterized by a single main stem (C1, C2, N1, E1, T1, M3, Șt1, Bâ1) and the group of shrubs, which is characterized by the presence of 2 to 8 main stems starting from the collar area (D1, B1 with 2 main stems, M1 with 6 main stems, S1, Cr2 with 7 main stems and M2, S2, Cr1 with 8 main stems) (SCRIECIU and COSMULESCU, 2019). The selected genotypes reflect