Mineral element composition of 27 Chinese dwarf cherry (Cerasus humilis (Bge.) Sok.) genotypes collected in China

SummaryConcentrations of ten mineral elements (P, S, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Rb, and Sr) were determined in 27 genotypes of Chinese dwarf cherry using total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The results indicated that Chinese dwarf cherry was a rich source of mineral elements, especially Ca, Fe, and Zn, with the highest concentrations being 524, 24.2, and 4.86 mg kg–1 FW in genotypes C-12-5-7, A-9-1-3, and E-20-2-2, respectively. Among the 27 Chinese dwarf cherry genotypes examined, the coefficients of variation were > 30% for Rb, Fe, Ca, Sr, Zn, Mn concentrations, and 25 – 30% for P, S, K, and Cu concentrations. Principal components analysis was applied to the data matrix to evaluate the analytical results. Three principal components (PC1 – PC3) accounted for 75.6% of the total variance. The 27 Chinese dwarf cherry genotypes studied have potential benefits for human nutrition and healthcare research, as well as for genetic biodiversity research.