A rare cultivar of horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L. ˈBaumaniiˈ) in Slovakia: morphological, molecular and antioxidant analysis

Aesculus hippocastanum L. ˈBaumaniiˈ (syn.: A. hippocastanum L. ˈFlore Plenoˈ; A. hippocastanum ˈPlenaˈ) is a rarely cultivated cultivar characterized by fully white and sterile flowers, and as a result it does not produce fruit. For identification and characterization of the morphological, molecular, and biochemical parameters of this cultivar, we performed the pollen viability test, morphological analysis of flowers, assay of miRNA-based markers and biochemical analyses. The results show that the germination of pollen grains in artificial media reached 0 % and the pistil in flowers was undeveloped. The antioxidant activity, total polyphenol and flavonoid content exhibited the highest values of all three tested parameters (1.5540 mg TEAC/g FM; 3.7278 mg GAE/g FM and 1.328 mg CAE/g FM) in the extracts from A. hippocastanum ˈBaumaniiˈ. The applied miRNA-based markers showed a sample-specific and tissue-specific genomic polymorphism. Various DNA fingerprinting profiles between the flowers and leaf samples of fruiting and barren trees were noted. URL: https://www.upjs.sk/pracoviska/botanicka-zahrada/odborne-aktivity/contents-abstracts/