FACTORS INFLUENCING MINERAL COMPOSITION OF PLUM FRUITS

The study has been based on a three-factor field experiment (two rootstocks – Myro-balan and Stanley seedlings, two cultivars – Èacanska lepotica and Èacanska najbolja, three years – 2006, 2007 and 2008) set up according to the method of randomized blocks with four replications. The aim of this work was to evaluate the mineral composition of plums in Serbia. The results indicated that levels of fruit ash and minerals, except nitrogen, si-gnificantly differed between the treatments. The average content of ash in plum fruits reached 4.54%, nitrogen – 0.78%, phosphorus – 0.06%, potassium – 1.45%, calcium – 0.07%, magnesium – 0.16%, iron – 19.37 µg g–1, manganese – 10.21 µg g–1, copper – 3.21 µg g–1, zinc – 19.29 µg g–1 and boron – 22.83 µg g–1 of dry matter. A strong rootstock/cultivar/year interaction was found for most of the minerals. Between ash and manganese or zinc, and between manganese and zinc in plums, significant correlations were observed. On the ba-sis of the analysis of major components, we concluded that Stanley rootstock had better ability to accumulate ash and most of the minerals in fruits of both cultivars than Myroba-lan rootstock