Journal of applied botany · 2000 · 34 citations · 0 references
AgriculturePlant BiologyPlant SciencesPlant BiochemistryPlant EcophysiologyPlant PhysiologyFlavonoid BiosynthesisFruit PhysiologyFruit RipeningPhenolic Compound AnalysisPhenolic Profile AnalysisTannin ChemistryBiochemical Marker AssaysBiochemical Marker AssessmentFruit FlavonoidsFruit TanninsPhenolic ProfilingSecondary Plant CompoundsSenescenceSenescence Biology
The present study investigated the role of polyphenols in pear-quince graft incompatibility, a phenomenon of early tree senescence, to determine whether such secondary compounds become an early signal forecasting incompatibility, i.e. a potential biochemical marker of the phenomenon. Assays of bark and phloem samples excised from two-year-old potted pear trees for polyphenol detection by HPLC and TLC showed that (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin increased in the quince-incompatible cvs. Beurre Bosc' and Bartlett'. Both metabolites were found in year 2 after grafting and before the appearance of visible incompatibility symptoms.