Black chokeberry (×Sorbaronia fallax nothosubsp. mitschurinii; syn. Aronia melanocarpa) is valued for its agronomic resilience and exceptional biochemical profile, rich in phenolics and antioxidants. Cultivar selection based on a comprehensive evaluation of morphological, pomological, and biochemical traits is crucial for optimizing production and nutraceutical applications. However, integrated assessments combining these traits with adapted International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) descriptors under Mediterranean conditions remain limited.
Results
Significant phenotypic and biochemical diversity was observed among the three cultivars (‘Galicjanka’, ‘Nero’, ‘Viking’). ‘Viking’ exhibited superior fruit weight (1.28 g), soluble solid content (23.03 °Brix), total phenolic content (6360.79 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) 100 g−1 fresh weight (FW)), total antioxidant capacity (76.44% radical scavenging activity), and total anthocyanin content (1168.39 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents (CGE) 100 g−1 FW). ‘Galicjanka’ and ‘Viking’ demonstrated stronger vegetative vigor, denser canopy architecture, and higher yield. Multivariate analyses revealed strong correlations, particularly between total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity (r = 1.00), and principal component analysis (PCA) identified three major components explaining 65.70% of total variance, integrating vegetative vigor, fruit quality, and biochemical composition.
Conclusions
This study provides a comprehensive characterization of black chokeberry cultivars using adapted UPOV descriptors, highlighting ‘Viking’ as ideal for nutraceutical use and ‘Galicjanka’ for high-yield systems. The findings establish a foundational resource for breeding, germplasm conservation, and cultivar-specific cultivation strategies in Mediterranean climates.
XuJLiFZhengMShengLShiDSongK.A comprehensive review of the functional potential and sustainable applications of Aronia melanocarpa in the food industry. Plants2024; 13: 3557.
2.
MezhenskyjVMShevchukLMKovalchukSPHavryliukOSLevchukLMBabenkoSM, et al.Phytochemical analysis of Aronia melanocarpa and ×Sorbaronia fallax fruit. Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems2024; 15: 49–54.
3.
VlăduțAO.The study of the adaptability of two chokeberry varieties in the Dobrogean area – partial results. Annals of the University of Craiova2024; 29.
4.
WielochDKonopackaD.Black chokeberry extracts (Aronia melanocarpa) as an ingredient of functional food—potential, challenges and directions of development. Molecules2025; 30: 4237.
5.
GiannakoulaAOuzounidouGStefanouSDaskasGDichalaO.Effects of biostimulants on the eco-physiological traits and fruit quality of black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.). Plants2024; 13: 3014.
6.
OchmianIDGrajkowskiJSmolikM.Comparison of some morphological features, quality and chemical content of four cultivars of chokeberry fruits (Aronia melanocarpa). Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca2012; 40: 253–260.
7.
TaşABerkSKGündoğduM.Determination of some morphological and biochemical characteristics of Galicjanka aronia cultivar grown in Edirne region. IV Balkan Agricultural Congress Proceedings2022; 962–973.
8.
PădureţSGhineaCPrisacaruAELeahuA.Physicochemical, textural, and antioxidant attributes of yogurts supplemented with black chokeberry: fruit, juice, and pomace. Foods2024; 13: 3231.
9.
ChioreanAMJakab-IlyefalviZSmarandaRMGuzuGMoldovanCZagraiI, et al.The effects of climate changes on the phenology of some chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) cultivars. Bulletin of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Horticulture2025; 82: 43–49.
10.
JurikovaTMleekJSkrovankovaSSumczynskiDSochorJHlavacovaI, et al.Fruits of black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) in the prevention of chronic diseases. Molecules2017; 22: 944.
11.
ShipunovAGladkovaSTimoshinaPLeeHJChoiJDespiegelaereS, et al.Mysterious chokeberries: new data on the diversity and phylogeny of Aronia Medik. (Rosaceae). European Journal of Taxonomy2019; 570.
12.
StalažsA.×Sorbaronia mitschurinii: from an artificially created species to an invasion in Europe: repeating the fate of invasive Amelanchier ×spicata, a review. Journal of Plant Research2021; 134: 497–507.
13.
StalažsABādereA.×Sorbaronia fallax (CK Schneid.) CK Schneid. nothosubsp. mitschurinii nothosubsp. nov., with taxonomical notes on Aronia ×prunifolia ‘Floribunda’. Phytotaxa2023; 630: 171–182.
14.
TSMS. Climate data: Monthly average temperatures of Antakya for 2021–2023. Republic of Türkiye, Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. 2025.
UPOV. General introduction to the examination of distinctness, uniformity and stability and the development of harmonized descriptions of new varieties of plants (TG/1/3). Geneva: International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants; 2002.
17.
UPOV. Vaccinium L. (TG/137/5 Rev.). Geneva: International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants; 2019.
18.
UPOV. Rubus subgenus Rubus (TG/73/7). Geneva: International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants; 2006.
19.
SingletonVLRossiJA.Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolybdic–phosphotungstic acid reagent. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture1965; 16: 144–158.
20.
Brand-WilliamsWCuvelierMEBersetCLWT.Use of a free radical method to evaluate antioxidant activity. LWT-Food Science and Technology1995; 28: 25–30.
21.
ZhishenJMengchengTJianmingW.The determination of flavonoid contents in mulberry and their scavenging effects on superoxide radicals. Food Chemistry1999; 64: 555–559.
22.
GiustiMMWrolstadRE.Characterization and measurement of anthocyanins by UV-visible spectroscopy. Current Protocols in Food Analytical Chemistry2001; 1: F1–2.
23.
PearsonK.Mathematical contributions to the theory of evolution. VII. On the correlation of characters not quantitatively measurable. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series A1900; 195: 262–273.
24.
KaiserHF.The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychometrika1958; 23: 187–200.
25.
JMP®. JMP statistical software. 2024.
26.
OriginLab®. Origin statistical software. 2025.
27.
GoodarziSKhadiviAAbbasifarAAkramianM.Phenotypic, pomological and chemical variations of the seedless barberry (Berberis vulgaris L. var. asperma). Scientia Horticulturae2018; 238: 38–50.
28.
MostafaSHusseinBASayedHAElItribyHAHusseinEH.Genetic diversity assessment among some Ficus species using morphological characters and AFLPS. Plant Archives2020; 20: 1395–1404.
29.
ElwakilHEZaitounAFWehedaBAbushadyAMKhalidAEAliNA.Genetical and morphological studies on Ficus trees. Journal of the Advances in Agricultural Researches2021; 26: 60–73.
30.
KhadiviAMirheidariFMoradiY.Multivariate analysis of Ficus benghalensis L. based on morphological characterizations. South African Journal of Botany2022; 150: 1080–1086.
31.
Khadivi-KhubAEtemadi-KhahA.Phenotypic diversity and relationships between morphological traits in selected almond (Prunus amygdalus) germplasm. Agroforestry Systems2015; 89: 205–216.
32.
MohammadiSAPrasannaBM.Analysis of genetic diversity in crop plants—salient statistical tools and considerations. Crop Science2003; 43: 1235–1248.
33.
TolićMTLandeka JurčevićIPanjkota KrbavčićIMarkovićKVahčićN.Phenolic content, antioxidant capacity and quality of chokeberry products. Food Technology and Biotechnology2015; 53: 171–179.
34.
JeonJAChoiJSJungEHKimCWBaeEJJeongST.The quality characteristics of aronia by cultivation region. Food Science and Preservation2018; 25: 804–810.
35.
BoyaciSPolatŞKafkasNE.Determination of the phytochemical contents and pomological properties of chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.) fruit in different harvesting periods. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry2023; 47: 842–850.
36.
GazdikZReznicekVAdamVZitkaOJurikovaTKrskaB, et al.Use of liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection for the determination of antioxidants in less common fruits. Molecules2008; 13: 2823–2836.
37.
RopOMlčekJJuríkováTValšíkováMSochorJŘezníčekV, et al.Phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, radical oxygen species scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibiting activities of extracts of five black chokeberry cultivars. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research2010; 4: 2431–2437.
38.
RuginăDSconţaZLeopoldLPinteaABuneaASocaciuC.Antioxidant activities of chokeberry extracts and the cytotoxic action of their anthocyanin fraction on HeLa human cervical tumor cells. Journal of Medicinal Food2012; 15: 700–706.
39.
ŞaşmazHKKilic-BuyukkurtOSelliSBouazizMKelebekH.Antioxidant capacity, sugar content, and tandem HPLC–DAD–ESI/MS profiling of phenolic compounds from Aronia melanocarpa fruits and leaves (Nero and Viking cultivars). ACS Omega2024; 9: 14963–14976.
40.
DobrosNZielińskaASiudemPZawadaKDParadowskaK.Profile of bioactive components and antioxidant activity of Aronia melanocarpa fruits at various stages of their growth, using chemometric methods. Antioxidants2024; 13: 462.
41.
TaheriRConnollyBABrandMHBollingBW.Underutilized chokeberry accessions are rich sources of anthocyanins, flavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and proanthocyanidins. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry2013; 61: 8581–8588.
