Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.): ecological features of promising forms and the value of the nutrient composition of their fruits for the production of functional products

Background.The relevance of the research is determined by a constant striving to increase the possibilities of using rare fruit and berry crops, e.g. blackthorn, in plant bree­ding and the production of healthy food products. It can be achieved by scientifically based selection and evaluation of fruit taking into account their physiological, phyto­pathological and biochemical parameters. The purpose of the research is to expand the morphological diversity of blackthorn that combines high productivity and quality for further breeding. Materials and Methods. Morphological characteristics and biological properties of the new forms of blackthorn as well as their biochemical parameters constitute the material for this research. A plethora of methods was applied: field, phenological, biometric, physiological and statistical ones. Results. The study presents original data on the morphology and economic charac­teristics of various blackthorn forms (Prunus spinosa L.) obtained as a result of selection in semiarid lands of the northern, central and western parts of Ukraine. The paper highlights morphological and biological properties of the selected forms of blackthorn, biochemical parameters of fruits, including the content of polyphenolic substances as a source of antioxidants. The study revealed that the selected forms of blackthorn have high drought resistance and winter hardiness, in addition to resistance to low temperatures during the flowering phase. Phenological observations of plants of different forms of Prunus spinosa L. allowed establishing the time of onset of the ontogenesis phases: the development of vegetative and generative buds, budding and flowering, appearance of leaves, intensity of shoot growth, formation and development of ovaries, and fruit ripening, which is a significant scientific achievement for the prospective selection in the fruit gardening system. The forms of blackthorn were differentiated by plant height, growth strength, thorniness, fruit size and weight and their potential use in the processing and manufacturing of functional foods. Biochemical analysis of the fruits, particularly the determination of polyphenols, allowed ascertaining their suitability for processing and manufacturing of healthy food products. Conclusions. The obtained data on selected new forms of blackthorn is a potential source of material for prospective breeding. Moreover, technologies for the production of blended juices and syrups from the fruits of the best samples of blackthorn were developed regarding their biochemical properties and technological indicators.