THE CONTENT OF ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN THE FLOWERS AND FRUITS OF CHAENOMELES (Chaenomeles Lindl.)

Abstract

Chaenomeles sp. (C. cathayensis, C. japonica, C. spesiosa and C. x superba) are
characterized by rich chemical composition of all plant parts and the wide
variability of the accumulation of separate components in different species and
cultivars. For the expansion of ideas about the chaenomeles content nutritional
value of 7 essential macro- and microelements in the flowers and fruit of 8
cultivars from the Nikita Botanical Gardens collection have been studied. Analysis
of plant samples was carried out by dry ashing with subsequent determination of
mostelements on the atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Ca and Mg were
determined by complex metric method. It was revealed that essential elements were
accumulated in the flowers and fruits in different quantities. The maximum amount
of K, Fe, Mg, Zn, Cu and Mn is contained in the flowers. The largest amount of Ca
was detected in fruits, whereas Zn, Mn and Cu were most presented in seeds. The
studied cultivars differ significantly in accumulation of essential elements.
According to the studied complex components, the accession P-8-3 was allocated.
Flowers were characterized by the highest content of Ca, Zn, Mn, Cu and high
content – of K; fruits were rich in K, Ca, Zn, Mn and Cu. In the jam from the
chaenomeles fruit, the high content of K (2087 mg 100 g-, i. e. more than 2%) was
revealed. It is seven fold higher than daily rate for human. Thus, chaenomeles
flowers, fruits and seeds are a valuable raw material, enriched with vital macroand
microelements.