Evaluation of yield and fruit quality of several ecotypes of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) in Polish conditions

Cornelian cherry is a little-known plant that can be grown in Poland both on a commercial and amateur scale. The commercial cornelian cherry plantations should be established using selected cultivars or vegetatively propagated valuable ecotypes, as only this guarantees a uniform yield, maturation and standardization of fruit quality. The experiment was carried out in 2014 and 2015 in the private plantation of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) located in Dąbrowica, near Lublin (22.454 N; 51.270 E). The subject of the research were ecotypes No.: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15 obtained as seedlings in 1998. Cornelian cherry plants obtained from seeds differed very much in the yield and quality of fruit. The fruit characteristics for the examined ecotypes ranged to 1.63–2.21g for fruit weight, 1.30–1.61 for fruit shape index, 10.13–15.32% for content of stone, 17.85–22.68% for soluble solids content (SSC), 2.32–3.0% for titratable acidity (TA), 6.59–8.36 for SSC/TA, 54.9–75.97 for vitamin C content. Among the ecotypes studied in terms of external fruit features, ecotypes No. 3 and 4 were distinguished due to the largest fruits (mass and diameter) and relatively small share of the stone in the whole mass of the fruit. However, due to the chemical composition, the fruits of ecotype No. 5 were distinguished by the content of extract, extract to acids ratio, sugar, dry matter, anthocyanins and vitamin C content. These fruits enjoyed 55% strong acceptability among adults. The indicated ecotypes can be used in breeding as well as in nursery for obtaining valuable varieties of cornelian cherry for production in Poland.