<i>myo</i> -Inositol is the major sugar in <i>Actinidia arguta</i> during early fruit development

Abstract

Actinidia arguta (Sieb. et Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq. is a cold tolerant and heavy cropping species from the kiwifruit [ Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa (A. Chev.) C.F. Liang et A.R.Ferguson] family that has potential for commercialisation. As fruit developed, glucose was the major sugar (74%) in A. deliciosa during the first 40 days after anthesis, whereas myo -inositol was the major sugar (60–65%) in A. arguta. myo -Inositol accumulated rapidly in A. arguta during the first 20–30 daa then more slowly as fruit grew to reach a steady state level, between 15 and 50 mg fruit-1 for different selections. Peak levels were 55-60 mg g-1 dry wt. In contrast, maximum myo -inositol concentrations in A. deliciosa were only 18 mg g-1 dry wt. As fruit of A. arguta ripened, sucrose became the dominant sugar. In contrast to the fruit, myo -inositol concentrations were lower in leaves of A. arguta (~5 mg g-1 dry wt; ~10% of major sugars) than in leaves of A. deliciosa (15 mg g-1 dry wt; ~20% of major sugars). To ascertain whether myo -inositol was transported from the leaves to the fruit in the phloem stream, exudates were also analysed. In both species, sucrose was the predominant sugar (&amp;gt;95%) in the phloem. Therefore we suggest that an unusual accumulation of myo -inositol in A. arguta during early stages of fruit development, may be due to synthesis in the fruit.