Sustainable Mulberry (Morus nigra L., Morus alba L. and Morus rubra L.) Production in Eastern Turkey

In this study, a total of 55 wild-grown mulberry landraces belonging to Morus alba L., Morus rubra L., and Morus nigra L. species (Rosales order, Moraceae family, Morus L. genus) were sampled around the Van Lake basin, and some fruit characteristics were determined. All landraces are naturally grown in the Lake Van basin under pesticide-free conditions. As fruit character, phenolic compounds (gallic acid, catechin, quercetin, protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, rutin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and phlorizin) and organic acids (malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid and ascorbic acid) were determined. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to determine the correlation between mulberry species in terms of biochemical compounds. As a result of PCA-biplot analysis, two variations were sufficient to explain the correlation between phenolic compounds and organic acids. This ratio reveals that mulberry species are separated with sharp boundaries in terms of biochemical compounds. Chlorogenic acid and rutin content were high in all mulberry landraces. The highest chlorogenic acid content was detected in landrace 65VN03 belonging to M. rubra (3.778 mg/g), 65GV12 belonging to M. nigra (3.526 mg/g), 13AD08 belonging to M. rubra (2.461 mg/g), and 13AH02 belonging to M. rubra (6.246 mg/g) landraces. In terms of organic acid content, malic acid was the dominant organic acid for genotypes. The rich bioactive compounds make M. alba, M. rubra, and M. nigra landraces as cultivar candidates for breeding purposes. It is a valuable source of bioactive agents that may have prevented humans from oxidative-stress-related diseases.