THE MINERAL COMPOSITION OF CHERRY (PRUNUS CERASUS MILL.) FRUITS DEPENDING ON THE SCION-STOCK COMBINATION.

Cherry is a stone fruit crop that is valued for its early fruiting, productivity, and high taste and diet properties. The researches in the sphere of compatible scion-stock combinations selection of cherry crops with high winter hardiness and fruits quality were held in Federal Horticultural Research Center for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery for these crops introduction in industrial gardening of the Central region of Russia. The mineral composition of four cherry cultivars of FHRCBAN selection (Apuсhtinskaya, Rusinka, Volochaevka, and Molodezhnaya) grown on rooted and grafted plants (stocks AVCH-2, Izmaylovskiy, and Moskoviya) was studied for the first time. The influence of scion-stock combinations on 11 elements (Na, P, K, Mn, Fe, Mg, Ca, Co, Zn, Se, Mo) accumulation in the fruits was determined. The greatest proportion of mineral substances in cherry fruits belongs to K. Depending on the scion-stock combination its amount is varied from 13.89 mass % (Apuсhtinskaya/Moskoviya) to 30.52 mass % (Molodezhnaya/Izmaylovskiy). For all cultivars fruits, the amount of K is 1.1 – 1.3 times higher on stock Izmaylovskiy than on rooted plants. The variation coefficient of K is low (V %) 1.37 – 6.91 for the majority of scion-stock combinations that indicate the stable entry of this element inside the fruit. The most content of all the elements under study was found in the fruits ash of Rusinka, Molodezhnaya, and Volochaevka on stock Izmaylovskiy that indicates the stable physiological state of the plants on these stocks. Results show that the cherry fruits analyzed could be an alternative to the supplementing of a mineral diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]