Population genomics of apricots unravels domestication history and adaptive events.

Among crop fruit trees, the apricot (Prunus armeniaca) provides an excellent model to study divergence and adaptation processes. Here, we obtain nearly 600 Armeniaca apricot genomes and four high-quality assemblies anchored on genetic maps. Chinese and European apricots form two differentiated gene pools with high genetic diversity, resulting from independent domestication events from distinct wild Central Asian populations, and with subsequent gene flow. A relatively low proportion of the genome is affected by selection. Different genomic regions show footprints of selection in European and Chinese cultivated apricots, despite convergent phenotypic traits, with predicted functions in both groups involved in the perennial life cycle, fruit quality and disease resistance. Selection footprints appear more abundant in European apricots, with a hotspot on chromosome 4, while admixture is more pervasive in Chinese cultivated apricots. Our study provides clues to the biology of selected traits and targets for fruit tree research and breeding.

Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Oils from the Seeds of Five Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Cultivars.

Oils from five cultivars of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) grown in Poland were analysed for characteristics of chemical and biological activity. The extracted oils had an average iodine value (g of I/100 g of oil) of 99.2; a refractive index of (40°C) 1.4675; a saponification value of 189 mg of KOH/g of oil; and 0.68% unsaponifiable matter. As regards the oxidation state, the specific extinction values of the oils at 232 and 268 nm were 2.55 and 0.94, respectively, while the peroxide value was 1.40 meq O2/kg and the p-anisidine value was 1.42. Oleic acid (70.70%) was the predominant fatty acid found in the oils, followed by linoleic (22.41%), palmitic (3.14%), stearic (1.4%), linolenic (0.90%), and palmitoleic (0.70%) acid. The content of α-, γ-, and δ- tocopherols in the oils from the five apricot cultivars was 19.6-40.0, 315.4-502.3, and 28.3-58.5 mg/kg, respectively. The antioxidant capacity of the apricot kernel oils, measured using the FRAP assay, ranged from 1.07 to 1.38 mM Fe2+/L, while total polyphenols and ß-carotene content were 0.85-1.22 mM gallic acid/L and 42.3-66.8 µg/g, respectively. The results indicate that among the cultivars tested, the 'Somo' cultivar grown in Poland provides the most oil, with the highest antioxidant activity. The results of our study demonstrate that apricot seeds are a potential source of oil that can have both dietary and cosmetic applications.

Genetic diversity analysis of sweet kernel apricot in China based on SSR and ISSR markers.

Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to evaluate genetic diversity among 22 sweet kernel apricot accessions and 12 cultivars in China to provide information on how to improve the utilization of kernel apricot germplasms. The results showed that 10 pairs of SSR primers screened from 40 primer pairs amplified 43 allelic variants, all of which were polymorphic (100%), and 9 ISSR primers selected from 100 primers amplified 67 allelic variants with 50 polymorphic bands (74.63%). There was a relatively distant genetic relationship between the 34 samples, where their genetic similarity coefficient was between 0.62 and 0.99. The UPGMA dendrogram constructed using combined data of the two marker systems separated the genotypes into three main clusters.