Secondary metabolites profile and physiological leaf traits in wild and cultivated Corylus avellana under different nutritional status.

Granata, M.U., Bracco, F., Catoni, R., Cavalloro, V., Martino, E.

(2021) Natural product and research, 35(18), pp. 3100-3107.

DOI: 10.1080/14786419.2019.1682577

ABSTRACT: Leaf secondary metabolites production and physiological leaf traits were analyzed in Corylus avellana wild type (WT) and cultivar (cv. ‘Tonda Gentile Trilobata’, TGT) under different nutrient supplies. Three treatments were applied: control treatment with no fertilizer supply (WT_C and TGT_C), low nutrient treatment (WT_LN and TGT_LN) and high nutrient treatment (WT_HN and TGT_HN). The analysis of leaf extracts showed a higher concentration of Quercitrin and Myricitrin, with the highest concentrations of both the compounds in WT than TGT. This result can be related to the ecological role of flavonoids, including also antimicrobial properties, which resulted more useful in the understory forest form which hazelnut wild type originates. Therefore, their lower concentration in TGT can be relate to the genetic background of TGT cultivar with a lesser intrinsic need to produce such compounds and justified by a usual growth under more controlled environmental conditions, including also pest and disease control.