Aronia mitschurinii is a fruiting plant that has the potential of becoming the next-generation superfood. The fruit contains high concentrations of flavonoids, polyphenols, and anthocyanins, which are known to be powerful antioxidants. The fruit is regarded for its potential to treat oxidative stress diseases like cancer. Recent studies have proven that this fruit contains significantly more antioxidants than the acai berry and even 40 times more than tomatoes. Here, we report results for developing and optimizing the horticultural management program for growing aronia on Maryland small farms to produce the crop with the highest possible antioxidant capacity, based on observations since 2009. This was achieved by analyzing how plant age, fertilizers, mineral soil amendments, and other factors like disease and pest pressure affect the antioxidant content. This data can help in improving sustainability of local farm businesses by providing them with new alternative and highly profitable crops to grow and process. Analysis and comparison of the fruit yield, soluble sugar content (°Brix), pH, total polyphenols, total anthocyanins, and total flavonoids of aronia based on two treatment levels of nitrogen fertilizer (3 g N plant −1 year −1 vs 14 g plant −1 year −1 ) and conventional and organic-based nitrogen are presented. Plants were fertilized with either 127 g (rows A and C) or 27 g (rows B and D) of Bartlett's Boost Natural at the base of each plant. This equated to 14 and 3 g of N, respectively. Average yields of plants given 14 g of organic N were only significantly higher than those given only 3 g of conventional N but not organic N. The yield in all plants increased year by year from 2009 and until 2019 and slightly decreased in 2020. Even though an increase in the anthocyanin content was noted for a lower N rate, the higher N rate would have produced more fruit and hence more anthocyanin per hectare. A higher nitrogen (N) rate positively affected the yield, but not always the phytochemical content. Organic N did not have a positive effect on the phytochemical content. Additionally, we report the cyanide content of aronia fruit in comparison to other fruits.
Black chokeberry or Aronia melanocarpa is a small fruit‐bearing shrub in the rose family. Although it is native to Maryland, its range nowadays is from Newfoundland, west to Ontario, south into Alabama, and east to Georgia, and hardy to Zone 3. Aronia is a landscape quality plant, susceptible to few pests and diseases that persist in soils and temperate climatic conditions. It is an ideal candidate for organic fruit production. The Aronia fruit has nutraceutical qualities, heightening its marketability and sales potential as a value‐added product. There is currently great interest in fruits and vegetables that contain high concentrations of flavonoids, considered potent antioxidants. Some recent studies have implicated the relationship between in‐field plant nutrient fertility and antioxidant production in aronia. Here we present the data for the antioxidant content of Aronia melanocarpa as a function of the difference of age, amount of time spent in the sun or shade, and nitrogen treatment levels of crops. We have shown that the level of nitrogen treatment in the soil influences the antioxidant capacity significantly. Detailed measurements and analysis of anthocyanin and polyphenols as well as ORAC factor will be presented and discussed. The aim of the project is to determine the treatment that produces the highest capacity of antioxidants in aronia. Grant Funding Source: Supported by Grant T34GM008411, from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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