Effect of Organic and Conventional Management on Bio-Functional Quality of Thirteen Plum Cultivars (Prunus salicina Lindl.)

Abstract

In this study, thirteen Japanese plum cultivars (Prunus salicina Lindl.) grown under conventional and organic conditions were compared to evaluate the influence of the culture system on bioactive compounds. Their organic acids content (malic, citric, tartaric, succinic, shikimic, ascorbic and fumaric acid), total polyphenols, total anthocyanins, total carotenoids and antioxidant capacity (FRAP, ABTS) were evaluated. The study was performed during two consecutive seasons (2012 and 2013) in two experimental orchards located at the IFAPA centre Las Torres-Tomejil (Seville, SW Spain). The culture system affected all the studied parameters except for total carotenoid content. The organic plums had significantly higher polyphenol and anthocyanin concentrations and a greater antioxidant capacity. Additionally, significant differences between cultivars were also found. ‘Showtime’ and ‘Friar’ were the cultivars with the highest polyphenol concentration and antioxidant capacity. ‘Black Amber’ had the highest anthocyanin content and ‘Larry Ann’ and ‘Songold’ the highest carotenoid content. ‘Sapphire’ and ‘Black amber’ were the cultivars with the highest concentration of ascorbic acid. Our results showed a strong year effect. In conclusion, organic management had an impact on the production of phytochemical compounds in plums.

Organic versus Conventional Cropping Sustainability: A Comparative System Analysis

“…Cuevas et al, 2015 [120] Organic plums had 5-10% higher antioxidant capacity than conventional fruit.…”

“…Karlund et al [121] found that the sensory qualities of strawberries produced under different cultivation systems varied mostly to due to genotype. Cuevas et al [120] identified one plum variety with superior production of total phenolic compounds and total organic acid content under organic management compared to the other twelve accessions tested. Lombardo et al [114] also identified a potato variety that presented greater total phenols and ascorbic acid than the other varieties tested when produced under organic practices.…”

“…Several recent studies have identified specific varieties with superior performance under organic compared to conventional management, suggesting a strong genotype x environment interaction for tomato, plum, apple, blueberry, strawberry, corn, potato, and wheat [116,117,120,[126][127][128][129][130]. Although the concept of breeding specifically for organic agriculture is relatively new, several small agricultural companies and public institutions mostly in Europe and North America have initiated breeding programs directed at organic agriculture to help meet the needs of these underrepresented producers ( Figure 9).…”

Effects of Organic and Conventional Growing Systems on the Phenolic Profile of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

“…Phenolic biosynthesis in plants is known to be strongly affected by the cultivar, the environmental conditions (especially light), as well as the type of fertilization [14,15]. Previous studies demonstrate that the organic fruits have higher phenolic content than conventional ones [16,17,18].…”

Carbohydrate and nitrogen reserves in two cultivars of Japanese plum grown under organic and conventional management

“…Plums are an important source of fibre and antioxidants (Stacewicz-Sapuntzakis et al 2001;Kim et al 2003). Moreover, organic plums have been described to harbour higher anthocyanin and polyphenol concentrations and greater antioxidant capacities (Cuevas et al 2015). Reserves in deciduous fruit trees consist mainly of carbohydrates, and to a lesser extent, nitrogen (Tromp 1983).…”