COMPOSITION AND INHERITANCE OF FLAVANONES IN CITRUS FRUIT

Early work on the chemosystematics of citrus is briefly reviewed. A short summary of the confusion existing in citrus taxonomy is given with special reference to the source of nomenclatural errors which have appeared in the chemical literature. A tabulation is given of literature citations, through 1966, of flavanone compounds reported to occur in various Citrus species. A thin-layer chromatographic survey was made of 41 citrus varieties representing 18 recognized species of citrus. In addition, 49 hybrids of 18 different crosses were also surveyed. An analysis of the data has shown that a qualitative and quantitative consistency of flavanone composition, with minor variations, is characteristic of individual Citrus species and crosses. Rules governing the inheritance of citrus flavanones were deduced from the composition of known hybrids. These rules, coupled with compositional data, were used to evaluate the probable relationships of various citrus varieties and species. The use and limitations of flavanone composition in citrus taxonomy and breeding are discussed briefly. © 1970.