The demand for quality food in the markets is increasing nowadays. With the correct selection of the rootstock, which is still used mainly as an aid for the propagation of varieties, growers could produce healthier and better-quality food. Research has shown that rootstock has an impact on both primary and secondary metabolites. The extent of this influence depends on the rootstock, the fruit class and the variety. Research in which lemons were grafted onto two different rootstocks in combination with seven different interstock showed that the content of flavonoids is significantly more influenced by the rootstock than the interstock. Experiments on citrus fruits have shown that vigorous rootstocks with better water uptake into the plant reduce the content of sugars and organic acids. In research on peaches, peach and almond hybrids performed best along other rootstock. The results have also shown that the genotype of the rootstock has a greater influence on the phenol content than induced tree vigour and that a more stable concentration of these could be achieved in apples with the correct combination of the rootstock and the variety. No rootstock was found to be the most optimal for all variety of the same fruit species, but different rootstocks were optimal for different variety. Accumulation of phenols around the graft site could be an indication of incompatibility between the rootstock and the variety.
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