Variation in the content of bioflavonoids of orange as affected by scion, rootstock, and fruit part

Fruits of citrus cultivars contain bioflavonoids and some other important secondary metabolites in pharmaceutical and nutritional industries. The present experiment was designed to investigate the correlation between the content of flavonoid components like naringin, hesperidin, and neohesperidin of the scions fruits and the same parameters in rootstocks fruits. Six-year-old trees including four citrus cultivars of 'Moro', 'Mars', 'Salustiana', and 'Italian' which were previously grafted on the four different rootstocks including 'Yuzu', 'Shelmahalleh', 'Citromelo', and 'Sour orange' were selected as experimental trees. The content of the mentioned flavonoids was investigated in the peel and pulp of the fruits of both scions and rootstocks. The results showed that the measured parameters were significantly influenced by scions, rootstocks, and tissues. Based on the obtained results, it can be suggested that the accumulation of chemicals in citrus fruit depends on genetic and inherent abilities of the scion, more than what was previously believed, while the rootstock can also play an important role in the accumulation of these substances.