Determination of herbal and chemical characteristics of some selected hawthorn genotypes growed in Battalgazi ecology of Malatya province

This study was conducted between 2023 and 2024 in the Hawthorn Gene Collection Garden of the Apricot Research Institute, which is located within the boundaries of Battalgazi district in Malatya province. The plant material consisted of 15 different hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) genotypes collected from different regions of Türkiye and grown under uniform ecological conditions. During the study, the phenological development of the hawthorn genotypes was observed over a period of two years and their morphological characteristics were evaluated according to UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants) criteria. Individual identification cards reflecting the morphological characteristics were generated for each genotype. According to the two-year average pomological analysis data, fruit weight ranged from 1.02 to 13.38 g, fruit width from 11.43 to 31.01 mm, fruit length from 11.69 to 23.03 mm, fruit volume from 0.98 to 11.82 ml, pulp thickness from 2.34 to 8.87 mm, and pulp ratio from 69.94% to 89.37%. Seed weight was determined between 0.30 and 1.38 g, the number of seeds between 1.00 and 4.94, peduncle length between 4.03 and 18.97 mm, and peduncle thickness between 0.63 and 1.72 mm. Color parameters varied as follows: C* ranged from 34.83 to 44.53, h° from 17.96 to 97.41, soluble solids content (SSC) from 10.45% to 20.21%, and titratable acidity (TA) from 0.32% to 1.51%. According to the two-year average phytochemical analysis results, total phenolic content ranged from 1 058.87 to 2 455.70 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/kg fresh weight (FW), flavonoid content from 527.09 to 2 288.69 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/kg FW, monomeric anthocyanins from 0.73 to 552.28 mg/kg FW, carotenoids from 68.36 to 468.05 mg β-carotene equivalent/kg FW, protein content from 0.94% to 1.96%, and melatonin from 0.17 to 10.15 ng/g. Antioxidant capacity was measured as 881.99–2 435.93 mg Trolox equivalent (TE)/kg FW by DPPH assay, 2 241.17–3 885.19 mg TE/kg FW by ABTS, and 3 273.04–13 735.64 mg TE/kg FW by CUPRAC method. Among organic acids, tartaric acid ranged from 578.78 to 1 903.19 mg/kg FW, citric acid from 470.32 to 3 536.30 mg/kg FW, oxalic acid from 113.05 to 244.13 mg/kg FW, and malic acid from 2 803.63 to 9 846.68 mg/kg FW. Among sugars, sucrose was measured at 2.05–3.52 g/100 g FW, glucose at 2.29–5.05 g/100 g FW, fructose at 1.83–4.07 g/100 g FW, and sorbitol at 0.85–5.50 g/100 g FW. Among the macroelements, Na ranged from 24.60 to 154.16 mg/kg FW, Mg from 99.60 to 301.44 mg/kg, K from 1 429.04 to 2 601.16 mg/kg, and Ca from 486.16 to 1 670.40 mg/kg. Among the microelements, Fe ranged from 4.75 to 12.10 mg/kg, Cu from 1.48 to 4.98 mg/kg, Zn from 0.17 to 2.54 mg/kg, and Al from 2.64 to 7.27 mg/kg. According to the cluster analysis, the genotypes were divided into two main groups. While the majority of the genotypes were grouped in the first cluster, genotypes coded F17 and H14 diverged from the others and constituted the second main group. Among the hawthorn genotypes examined, F17 and H14 were distinguished by their large fruit size and high pulp ratio, whereas G19 and C18 stood out due to their high phytochemical content.