ABSTRACT
In order to provide rationale for selection of good germplasm in Rubus chingii, main effective medicinal ingredients of green fruit such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, kaempferol-3-rutinoside, astragalin and tiliroside were measured using UPLC for the samples collected from Chun'an county of Zhejiang province, and such parameters as soluble solid contents of ripe fruit of some samples were also measured to study variation among individuals and correlation. It has been found that there were differences among individuals in the contents of gallic acid, ellagic acid, kaempferol-3-rutinoside, astragalin and tiliroside, which ranged from 0.010 2%-0.027 4%, 0.089 5%-0.291 1%, 0.010 5%-0.114 8%, 0.005 8%-0.041 2% and 0.010 9%-0.086 3%, respectively, with a CV of 18.60%, 27.02%, 44.23%, 44.17% and 47.29%, respectively. Gallic acid was positively correlated with ellagic acid, but negatively with kaempferol-3-rutinoside and astragalin significantly. Significantly positive correlation existed between kaempferol-3-rutinoside, astragalin and linden glycoside as well as between ellagic acid and fruit shape index of ripe fruit and between linden glycoside and the content of soluble solids. 51.35% of the individuals had a content of soluble solids more than 15%. Therefore, abundant variations have been found among individuals in effective medicinal ingredients in R. chingii, which shows great potential for selection, but only do 7.61% of the individuals meet the requirement of Chinese pharmacopoeia in terms of the contents of effective medicinal ingredients. Therefore, selection could be first performed in terms of fruit shape index of ripe red fruit, followed by the contents of ellagic acid and kaempferol-3-rutinoside measured. The individuals, in which the contents of effective medicinal ingredients don't meet the requirement of Chinese pharmacopoeia, could be considered for the selection in terms of edible fresh fruit.