Some Important Horticultural Properties of Summer Apple Genotypes from Coruh Valley in Turkey

Coruh Valley located in Northeastern part of Turkey is accepted one of the 34 hotspots for plant biodiversity area by International Union for Conservation of Nature. In this study, 22 seed propagated summer apple genotypes were evaluated using a number of phenological, morphological, and biochemical markers. Phenological, morphological, and sensory traits were highly differed among genotypes. Harvest dates of genotypes were found quite variable ranging from 9 July to 8 August. Fruit weight were found between 81.3 and 125.4 g. Round, conic, and oblate were the common fruit shapes of genotypes. Fruit firmness and stalk length recorded in the range of 3.10-6.11 kg/cm(2) and 4.0-8.0 mm, respectively. High total phenols and antioxidant capacity were found for genotypes CVE 16 and CVE2. This study could help promote the commercialization of promising summer apple genotypes, which are rich in bioactive compounds for use in for nutraceutical purposes. CVE2 and CVE16 genotypes displayed superior traits as summer apple genetic resources, and they could be important for future breeding activities.