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Total phenolics, anthocyanins and ORAC FL values from a large number of wild and cultivated genotypes of dark-fruited Aronia melanocarpa (diploid and tetraploid), Aronia prunifolia and Aronia mitschurinii were quantified and characterized in two consecutive years. The A. prunifolia taxonomic group had the highest total phenolic content. The diploid A. melanocarpa group had the highest ORAC FL values and A. mitschurinii the lowest values. Anthocyanin content was highest in the diploid A. melanocarpa group and also in the A. mitschurinii group in 2011. Anthocyanin content was lowest for the A. prunifolia group. Accessions UC009, UC047 and UC082 had elevated amounts of cyanidin-3-galactoside and reduced cyanidin-3-arabinoside, suggesting they have altered anthocyanin metabolism compared to most accessions. Polyphenol content for the same genotypes varied significantly between years, especially for wild germplasm. Wild Aronia genotypes represent a significant source of fruit biochemical diversity and have substantial potential for use directly in nutraceutical fruit production or in plant breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Aronia ‘Viking’ extract increased IL-10 in mouse splenocytes. [•] Underutilized aronia extracts inhibited IL-6 in CD4+ and CD4− mouse splenocytes. [•] Minor polyphenols may be responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of aronia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• AFLP analysis and ploidy were used to evaluate 132 accessions of Aronia. • Aronia was found to be comprised of four, or possibly five, species and seven taxonomic groups. • arbutifolia was tetraploid, and A. prunifolia was typically tetraploid, and rarely triploid. • Diploid A. melanocarpa were found in New England, but elsewhere they were tetraploid. • Formation of A. prunifolia as a hybrid of A. arbutifolia by A. melanocarpa is supported by AFLP analysis and ploidy. Speciation in Aronia is complex based on Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) and ploidy analysis of 132, mostly wild, accessions. There are four species of Aronia and seven taxonomic groups comprised of species by ploidy combinations. A. melanocarpa can be diploid or tetraploid, with diploid forms occurring in New England and tetraploid forms occurring primarily outside of New England. A. arbutifolia was only found as a tetraploid and did not appear to occur throughout parts of New England as is generally accepted. It is likely that numerous misidentifications of A. arbutifolia have occurred historically. Almost all wild A. prunifolia were tetraploid, with the exception of a single triploid plant. Evidence from AFLP analysis and several accessions expressing a continuum of morphological characteristics between those of A. arbutifolia and A. melanocarpa suggest that A. prunifolia is of interspecific hybrid origin. The occurrence of a natural triploid A. prunifolia accession and our ability to easily create triploid A. prunifolia progeny from diploid A. melanocarpa by tetraploid A. arbutifolia crosses supports the hybrid formation of the A. prunifolia species. Hybrid A. prunifolia origin is also supported by the prevalence of A. prunifolia accessions in geographic areas where A. arbutifolia and diploid A. melanocarpa interface. Most likely, tetraploid A. prunifolia found in the wild result from repeated formation of triploid F 1 interspecific hybrids and the triploid bridge mechanism. AFLP analysis, along with morphology and phenology, suggest that a new species of black-fruited Aronia (melanocarpa S) exists in the southern part of the A. melanocarpa geographic range. A. melanocarpa S plants are placed on a separate branch of the AFLP dendrogram that is separate from other Aronia species. Several accessions with large, wide leaves, large fruits and non-rhizomatous growth were found to be A. mitschurinii , an intergeneric hybrid between Aronia and Sorbus. All A. mitschurinii accessions were tetraploid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii DC) is an invasive shrub, widely naturalized across the United States, whose numerous cultivars remain an important horticultural commodity. Maintaining this crop for the future necessitates the development of sterile clones. Exposure to the mitotic inhibitors colchicine and oryzalin is a traditional method for inducing tetraploidy in breeding lines as a precursor to creating sterile genotypes. Treatments utilized pre-germinated B. t. var. atropurpurea seeds with emerged radicles. Seeds were immersed in aqueous solutions of colchicine (.02%, .05%, .1% and .2%) and oryzalin (.002%, .005%, .01% and .02%) dissolved in 1% DMSO for 6, 12 and 24h durations. Seedling ploidy level was determined via flow cytometry following 6 and 52 weeks of growth in the greenhouse. Both anti-mitotic chemicals proved effective at inducing tetraploidy and produced comparable efficiency rates. The survival rate of treated seeds decreased in response to both increased mitotic inhibitor concentration and longer exposure duration. While exposure to oryzalin produced greater seed mortality than colchicine, most seedlings that survived had altered ploidy levels. The most efficient oryzalin concentration was 0.002% with a rating of 28%, while the most efficient colchicine concentrations were in the range from 0.05% to 0.2%. Duration of exposure to mitotic inhibitor was not a significant factor over the range from 6 to 24h. Reversion of tetraploid plants to the diploid state occurred at a low frequency following a dormancy period. Some tetraploid seedlings derived from exposure to both chemicals displayed foliar abnormalities including irregular leaf margins and mottled lamina. The primary advantage of colchicine was low seedling toxicity, while oryzalin was notable for its ability to induce tetraploidy at low concentrations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of this study was to develop an in vitro shoot regeneration procedure and to evaluate the frequency of adventitious shoot regeneration from: (1) in vitro leaves of a commercial cultivar of Aronia mitschurinii on various media treatments; (2) cotyledons of closely related Pyrinae taxa; and (3) 21 wild Aronia genotypes. Optimum regeneration of leaf explants occurred when they were wounded with two transverse cuts along the midrib and placed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media containing 5 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 10 μM thidiazuron (TDZ). TDZ was more effective than 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) as a cytokinin, and IBA was more effective than the no auxin control, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Regeneration from cotyledons of seven Pyrinae taxa was evaluated using 10 μM BAP in combination with 0.1, 1 and 5 μM NAA. Adventitious shoot formation for A. melanocarpa and P. communis responded best to 1 μM NAA, whereas all other taxa formed a greater number of adventitious shoots on 5 μM NAA. A. mitschurinii cotyledon explants produced a significantly greater number of shoots compared with in vitro leaf explants. The number of shoots forming per cotyledon explant and the percent of explants forming shoots were both significantly different among the 21 Aronia genotypes. Significant differences were observed between the six Aronia taxonomic groups for the number of shoots forming per explant. Diploid and tetraploid Aronia genotypes produced a significantly greater number of shoots per explant than did triploid genotypes. Regenerated shoots were rooted in vitro and plants grew normally in the greenhouse. These results will be useful for future studies using leaf and cotyledon explants for genetic transformation, genome editing and mutation breeding with Aronia and related taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this work was to characterize how the date of harvest of ‘Viking’ aronia berry impacts juice pigmentation, sugars, and antioxidant activity. Aronia juice anthocyanins doubled at the fifth week of the harvest, and then decreased. Juice hydroxycinnamic acids decreased 33% from the first week, while proanthocyanidins increased 64%. Juice fructose and glucose plateaued at the fourth week, but sorbitol increased 40% to the seventh harvest week. Aronia juice pigment density increased due to anthocyanin concentration, and polyphenol copigmentation did not significantly affect juice pigmentation. Anthocyanin stability at pH 4.5 was similar between weeks. However, addition of quercetin, sorbitol, and chlorogenic acid to aronia anthocyanins inhibited pH-induced loss of color. Sorbitol and citric acid may be partially responsible for weekly variation in antioxidant activity, as addition of these agents inhibited DPPH scavenging 13–30%. Thus, aronia polyphenol and non-polyphenol components contribute to its colorant and antioxidant functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]