Determination of some morphological traits and total phenolic and flavonoid contents in Cynara spp collected from Turkey and North Cyprus Turkish Republic

Preserving gene resources is important for sustainable agriculture. It is also essential to determine the fruit and vegetable content of flavonoids and phenolics that are beneficial for health. In future breeding studies, local varieties, wild types, and their content of flavonoid and phenolic compounds may gain prominence. This study focused on the properties of the artichoke, a plant which originates from Turkey and Cyprus. A collection of local and wild artichokes composing a Cynara gene pool was submitted to analysis in order to determine the morphological features, as well as the total flavonoid and phenolic content in accordance with the UPOV criteria. The total phenolic content was calculated as 4.97 mg GAE g-1 in Sakızvariety, 6.41 mg GAE g-1 in early Cyprus variety and 5.22 mg GAE g-1 t in Hasanağa. Total flavonoid content was 1.05 mg CE g-1 in Sakız, 3.77 mg CE g-1 in early Cyprus, 1.45 mg CE g-1 in Hasanağa (Bayrampaşa) type, 2.70 mg CE g-1 and 2.10 mg in Cynara cornigera. All local and wild varieties showed 97.89% variation in morphological characters. As a result of the research, morphological features were determined in accordance with the UPOV criteria, and total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were also assayed. The values obtained from the determination of the total phenolic and flavonoid content in the collected local and wild varieties, and relationships between the content of phenolics and flavonoids were examined. Following this study, some varieties were chosen for a future breeding program. Thus, it is thought that an innovation can be brought to research on artichoke by evaluating the above features and their mutual relationships for the purpose of future breeding programs.