Morphological and chemical characterizations of jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) to select superior accessions

Assessment of Fruit Traits and Antioxidant Capacity in Wild and Cultivated Genotypes of Ziziphus sp

The genus Ziziphus includes numerous species, both cultivated and wild, offering significant genetic variability and economic potential that are often overlooked. Due to their high variability and ecological plasticity, jujube species and genotypes can be utilized in marginal areas and on land where few plants could be efficiently exploited. This study investigated variations in morphological characteristics (qualitative and quantitative), bioactive content (e.g., DPPH radicals), and antioxidant capacity in fruits, leaves, and stones of cultivated Z. jujuba genotypes ('Hu Ping Zao' and 'Jun Zao') and wild genotypes (Z. acido-jujuba and 'Jurilovca'), using different solvents (water, ethanol, and methanol). The mass and dimensions of the fruits as well as their parameters (fresh and dry weight, length, width, and pulp-to-stone ratio) and the antioxidant potential of different plant organ types (leaves, fruit pulps, and stones) were determined. The results showed that the cultivated genotypes produced larger and heavier fruits with a higher pulp percentage than the wild forms of the same species. However, the wild forms exhibited higher antioxidant capacities than the cultivated genotypes, depending on the type of plant organ analyzed and the solvent used for extraction.

Regulatory network of flavonoids, phenolic acids and terpenoids biosynthesis in Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Goutou jujube fruits

Flavonoids, phenolic acids and terpenoids are important active ingredients that are biomarkers for evaluating the quality of Zizyphus jujuba Mill. Cv. Goutou jujube fruit. Nevertheless, regulatory network of these active ingredients biosynthesis in jujube fruit is still unclear. Here, integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics analyses were conducted at four different stages during the ripening of jujube fruits. Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450s) and uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are pivotal enzymes for flavonoids, phenolic acids and terpenoids biosynthesis in plants. Benzoylmalic acid, a phenolic acid, 4', 5, 7-trihydroxyflavanon and quercetin-3-O-(6″-p-coumaroyl), two flavonoid metabolites, and jujuboside B1, a triterpenoid metabolite were targeted as they were correlated with both CYP450s and UGTs. Furthermore, networks of TFs, CYP450s and UGTs involved in the target metabolites biosynthesis were elucidated. NAC_1 and bZIP2 up-regulated CYP71A7 expression, while G2-like2 and bHLH_1 positively regulated the CSE expression contributing to promoted benzoylmalic acid biosynthesis. G2-like2, bHLH_1 and bHLH_2 indicated a positive relationship with CYP93D1, CYP86C2/3 or UGT71A16 which were positively correlated with 4', 5, 7-trihydroxyflavanon biosynthesis. MYB1/2/3, C2H2_2 and WRKY positively regulated expression of CYP82A4 or UGT_1 resulted in increased quercetin-3-O-(6″-p-coumaroyl) galactoside biosynthesis. G2-like2 and bHLH_1 up-regulated 4 C L, CYP93D1 or UGT71A16 was the reason for an increase of jujuboside B1 biosynthesis. The findings provide new insight into molecular breeding of high-quality jujube fruits.

Synergistic effects of lactobacillus strains and Acetobacter pasteurianus on jujube puree's product functionality and quality

Commercial lactic acid bacteria strains and indigenous Chinese acetic acid bacterium were co-cultivated bi- and tri-culturally in Junzao jujube puree for the first time to investigate their effects on physicochemical properties and quality attributes. Lactic-acetic acid bacteria co-fermentation was performed at 37 °C for 48 h during the anaerobic fermentation phase and at 30 °C for 144 h during aerobic fermentation. FTIR results showed that predominant wave numbers at 1716-1724 cm-1 and 2922-3307 cm-1 exhibited discernible alterations in the lactic-acetic acid co-fermented jujube purees compared to the control sample. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the flavonoid and flavonol contents were responsible for the enhanced 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activities of the fermented jujube purees. Consequently, fermented jujube puree from tricultures of Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Acetobacter pasteurianus gave the best results, with the highest phenolics, flavonoid, and flavonol contents and the most improved antioxidative properties and color. Overall, lactic-acetic acid bacteria co-culture holds significant promise in valorizing Junzao jujube purees for functional ingredient development, paving the way for further research into similar interactions with different food matrices or microbial strains.

Association between quantitative morphological traits and RAPD molecular markers in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is very important in terms of horticulture and food around the world. The present research aimed to identify the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers associated with morphological traits in pomegranate genotypes. Significant differences were observed among the studied genotypes based on the recorded traits. The 18 RAPD primers produced a total of 154 polymorphic fragments among genotypes. Using multiple regression analysis between each of the morphological traits and 154 RAPD polymorphic bands, RAPD markers associated with each of the morphological traits were identified. In total, 11 markers showed significant correlations with fruit weight, 9 markers with 100-aril weight, 11 markers with anthocyanin, and 8 markers with total soluble solids. Some markers were associated with more than one morphological trait, showing that the association of a marker with more than one trait can be caused by the pleiotropic effects of quantitative trait loci related to each other in different traits. For instance, the BA6-1 marker showed positive correlations with fruit weight, fruit crown width, and leaf length. Also, OPG13-3 and BA6-10 markers showed positive correlations with total soluble solids and anthocyanin content. The informative markers identified related to morphological characteristics in pomegranate can be a suitable guide to identify the genotypes with valuable fruit traits. Also, these markers can be used in selecting suitable parents for population generation for mapping purposes.

Morphological characterization and interspecific variation among five species of Ziziphus genus to select superiors in Iran

BACKGROUND

Several species of the genus Ziziphus are used worldwide for their medicinal and therapeutic properties. The present study aimed to investigate the phenotypic variation of five species of the Ziziphus genus, including Z. jujuba Mill. (25 accessions), Z. mauritiana Lam. (25 accessions), Z. spina-christi L. (25 accessions), Z. nummularia L. (10 accessions), and Z. xylopyrus Willd. (10 accessions) from Markazi, Sistan-va-Baluchestan, and Khuzestan provinces, Iran.

RESULTS

The investigated accessions have significant differences in terms of all the measured as revealed using analysis of variance (ANOVA, P < 0.01). The range of fruit weight was 0.43-1.29 g in Z. jujuba, 17.85-29.87 g in Z. mauritiana, 0.94-3.44 g in Z. spina-christi, 0.93-2.02 g in Z. nummularia, and 0.91-3.02 g in Z. xylopyrus. All the measured traits showed significant and positive correlations with each other. Multiple regression analysis (MRA) results showed that fruit length, stone width, stone weight, stone length, and fruit width have significant effects on fruit weight, and thus their fluctuations have a significant effect on increasing or decreasing fruit weight. The accessions were grouped into two main clusters using hierarchical cluster analysis. The first cluster (I) included all the accessions of Z. mauritiana, while the second cluster (II) contained the accessions of the rest species forming two sub-clusters.

CONCLUSION

Based on the commercial characters, accessions no. 12, 13, 17, 23, and 24 in Z. jujuba, accessions no. 3, 9, 17, 18, 20, 22, and 23 in Z. mauritiana, accessions no. 5, 6, 8, 13, 19, 22, and 24 in Z. spina-christi, accessions no. 3, 7, and 9 in Z. nummularia, and accessions no. 2, 4, 7, and 10 in Z. oxyphylla showed the highest fruit weight and thus can be suggested as superior for cultivation or use in breeding programs due to having larger fruits.