3. Results
3.1 Flavonoids and chlorogenic acid concentrations in fruit skin
In Experiment 1, ethephon application significantly increased the concentration of cyaniding 3-galactoside (anthocyanin) in the fruit skin at commercial harvest ( Table 1). The concentration of the other flavonoid cases as well as of the total flavonoids was not significantly influenced by any of the applied chemicals. However, there is an indication that ethephon might enhance the concentration of both quercetin 3-glycosides, total flavonoids and chlorogenic acid (P=0.11) and that GA4+7 might have a negative effect on chlorogenic acid concentration (P=0.11).
In Experiment 2 at week 19 after full bloom, the concentration of anthocyanin was very low (almost zero), but gradually increased during fruit maturation in all treatments (Fig. 1b). Ethephon application accelerated the accumulation of anthocyanin and greatly increased the final concentration compared to the control and all other treatments. In contrast, ABG application delayed the onset of anthocyanin accumulation by about 2 weeks and greatly reduced the final concentration. GA3 application also markedly reduced the accumulation of anthocyanin compared to the control, whereas alar and seniphos applications has no influence. However, total flavonoids concentration showed no significant changes during maturation (Fig.1c). Chlorogenic acid concentration decreased