title: Phenotypic Variations in the Foliar Chemical Profile of Persea americana Mill. cv. Hass.
abstract: The Hass avocado tree Persea americana cv. Hass was derived from a single hybrid tree of P. americana var. drymifolia and P. americana var. guatemalensis, and it is propagated clonally by grafting. This cultivar is the most widely planted in the world but its profile of secondary metabolites has been studied rarely despite of its importance in plant protection. We illustrate the variability of the volatilome of mature leaves by describing the average chemical composition and the phenotypic variability found in 70 trees. Contrary to the uniformity expected in the Hass cultivar, high variability coefficients were found for most of the 36 detected foliar volatile compounds; furthermore we found six chemotypes grouping the foliar phenotypes of the sampled trees using hierarchical cluster analysis. About 48% of trees were grouped in one chemotype; five chemotypes grouped the remaining trees. The compounds that determined these chemotypes were: estragole, α-farnesene, β-caryophyllene, germacrene D, α-cubebene and eugenol. This striking variation in a cultivar propagated clonally is discussed in terms of somatic mutation.
authors: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8701, Col. Ex-Hda. San José de la Huerta, Morelia, Michoacán, C.P. 58089, México.
authors: Yolanda Magdalena
authors: YM
authors: García-Rodríguez
authors: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8701, Col. Ex-Hda. San José de la Huerta, Morelia, Michoacán, C.P. 58089, México.
authors: Guadalupe
authors: G
authors: Torres-Gurrola
authors: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8701, Col. Ex-Hda. San José de la Huerta, Morelia, Michoacán, C.P. 58089, México.
authors: Claudio
authors: C
authors: Meléndez-González
authors: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8701, Col. Ex-Hda. San José de la Huerta, Morelia, Michoacán, C.P. 58089, México.
authors: Francisco J
authors: FJ
authors: Espinosa-García
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D027421:Persea / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification*; D010641:Phenotype; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: 
  Persea americana
  ; Chemotypes; Hass avocado; Intraclonal variation; Phenylpropanoids; Terpenoids