Genetic improvement of Citrus fruits: The essential oil profiles in a Citrus limon backcross progeny derived from somatic hybridization

The peel essential oil profiles of an interspecific allotetraploid somatic hybrid, achieved by protoplast fusion of the ‘Valencia’ sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) and ‘Femminello’ lemon (Citrus limon L. Burm), and three sexual hybrids obtained by back crosses between Femminello lemon and the allotetraploid somatic hybrid (Valencia + Femminello), have been studied by gas chromatography (GC) combined with a flame ionization detector (FID) and a mass spectrometry (MS). In total, 83 components were fully characterized and grouped in four classes (monoterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and others) for an easier comparison of all oils. A statistical treatment by linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of the compositional data from the allotetraploid hybrid and the three sexual hybrids show an intermediate essential oil profile with respect to those of both parents. The contribution of ‘Femminello’ lemon parent is in all cases predominant in the production of the volatile profiles of the new hybrids; however, a different behavior in the peel essential accumulation between the allotetrapolid hybrid and the three hybrids is observed.