title: Pigment metabolism of 'Sikitita' olive ( Olea europaea L.): a new cultivar obtained by cross-breeding.
abstract: The new olive cultivar 'Sikitita' was obtained from a cross between the 'Picual' and 'Arbequina' varieties. 'Sikitita' was selected for its features, making it particularly suited to high-density olive hedgerow orchards. From the standpoint of chloroplast pigment metabolism, the fruits of the 'Picual' and 'Arbequina' varieties have significant differences. It is therefore extremely interesting to analyze the descendants of both cultivars. With regard to chlorophyll catabolism, 'Sikitita' has proven to be a cultivar with low pigmentation and low levels of chlorophyllase activity. This is contrary to the findings obtained to date, where varieties with low pigmentation are a consequence of high chlorophyllase activity ('Arbequina') and highly pigmented fruits are due to low chlorophyllase activity ('Picual'). 'Arbequina' was, until recently, the only cultivar described that had developed a carotenogenic process, despite its anthocyanic ripening. However, from its father ('Arbequina'), the 'Sikitita' cultivar has inherited the pool of enzymes necessary to esterify xanthophylls at the chromoplast level. This makes 'Sikitita' a very interesting cultivar, with potential chemotaxonomic differences (such as esterified xanthophylls in the olive oils), and demonstrates the interest in genetic improvement programs for olive cultivars with different organoleptic characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Food Biotechnology Department, Instituto de la Grasa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) , Avenida Padre García Tejero 4, Sevilla 41012, Spain. mroca@cica.es
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roca
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: León
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de la Rosa
mesh_terms: D001947:Breeding / Q000379:methods*; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000378:metabolism; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000201:enzymology; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D031658:Olea / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000069463:Olive Oil; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D010938:Plant Oils; D002734:Chlorophyll; D002338:Carotenoids; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; C019875:chlorophyllase