Influence of the pollinizer in the amygdalin content of almonds

Bitter kernel taste in almonds is a monogenic trait, being bitter recessive. Bitterness depends on the content of the cyanogenic glucoside amygdalin, whose concentration can be more than 1000 times higher in bitter kernels than in sweet ones. Although previous studies showed that the bitter taste of almonds was not influenced by the pollinizer, nothing is known about the influence of the pollinizer on the amygdalin content of the kernel. In order to study the possible effect of the pollinizer on the content of amygdalin, we analyzed seeds from four cultivars: Del Cid (SkSk: sweet), Marcona (Sksk: sweet), Garrigues (Sksk: slightly bitter) and S3067 (sksk: bitter), which were crossed with four different pollinizers: Ramillete (SkSk: sweet), Atocha (Sksk: sweet), S3065 (Sksk: slightly bitter) and S3067. Results showed that when a sweet pollinizer was involved, the content of amygdalin could be reduced by up to 21%, compared to the bitter × bitter crosses.

► There is a predominant maternal control of amygdalin content.
► There is also an influence of the pollinizer on this character.
► Pollinizer modulates the original concentration of prunasin and amgydalin.
► This is the first time it has been proved in a Prunus species.