13th Eucarpia Symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics, Warszawa, Polonya, 11 - 15 Eylül 2011, cilt.976, ss.231-236
The genus Arbutus (fam.: Ericaceae) is represented by two species, A. unedo L. and A. andrachnae L., in the flora of northwestern Turkey. The Canakkale region located in northwestern Turkey is one of the main locations for Arbutus species. The main objective of the present study is to present some phenological, plant and fruit characteristics of the Arbutus population. During the study, flowering time, average canopy size, tree height, trunk diameter and fruit yield were determined. Besides plant characteristics some chemical properties including pH, soluble solid content (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid, anthocyanins and minerals were determined in fully mature Arbutus unedo L. and Arbutus andrachnae L. fruits collected from different sites of Canakkale-Turkey. Preliminary results of A. unedo fruit storage are presented. Based on the plant characteristics and chemical composition, cultivation of this underutilized crop is recommended.