Insight to the current state and challenges in Aronia melanocarpa cultivation, phytochemicals, potential and applications

Abstract

Aronia, also called chokeberry, is a member of the Rosaceae family. The genus is usually considered to contain two species: black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa (Michx.) Ell., and red chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia (L.) Pers. (Kokotkiewicz et al., 2010; Kulling and Rawel, 2008). Black. A. melanocarpa (Michx.) Ell. is more prevalent. It is spread across North America, Europe, Russia and Ukraine, where it is a common mass-produced plant. It grows in a form of a shrub 2–3 m tall, and can live up to 20 years. Ripening phase of aronia starts in late July, and harvest is performed between August and September. The first harvest can be done after three years, whereas the full yield of 5-10 kg fruit per shrub or 5-12 t/ha, can be expected in about five years once plants have matured. A series of factors, such as habitat/location, harvest date, cultivar, fertilization, and maturation of the berries can affect the content of aronia phytochemicals.