## 2 Results  
### Changes in Ascorbic Acid Content during Development of Petals and Leaves of Valencia Late Changes  
The AsA and DHA concentration in petals and leaves of Valencia Late at two developmental stages were assessed. Both tissues accumulated high levels of AsA, although contents were higher in petals than in leaves (Figure 2). DHA was detected in both tissues, accounting on average for 22% of total AsA in petals and 13% in leaves. Accumulation of AsA was similar in petals of closed flowers and at anthesis (-430 mg/100 g FW), but DHA increased by nearly 4-times during petal development (Figure 2A,B). It is noteworthy that the concentration in petals was the highest detected in this study. Young-expanding and mature leaves of Valencia orange were selected for AsA analysis (Figure 2C,D). AsA concentration was high in both types of leaves (276-341 mg/100 g FW), and did not experience significant changes during leaf development. Similarly, no variation was detected in DHA content between young and mature leaves (43-55 mg/100 g FW) (Figure 2D). Changes in Fruit Growth, Peel Coloration, and Ascorbic Acid Content in the Flavedo and Pulp during Fruit Development of Valencia Late Orange  
Figure 3A shows the evolution of Valencia Late orange fruit growth and development, expressed as changes in fruit weight and diameter, in which three phases could be distinguished. The first phase of fruit division comprised June and July, in which a slow increase in fruit weight and a significant increment in diameter were observed (Figure 3A). The second phase of fruit development was characterized by a rapid increment in both fruit weight and diameter, and lasted for about 3 months until the peel began color break (November to December). Afterwards, fruit initiated the maturation phase in which the peel color transitioned from green (\(a/b<0\)) to yellow-orange (\(a/b>0\)) (Figure 3B), and fruit weight--and to a lower extent fruit diameter--continued to increase. Important differences in AsA concentration were detected between the flavedo (outer colored part of the fruit peel) and the pulp of Valencia orange fruits, and also in their temporal evolution during fruit development (Figure 3C,D). Contents were always higher in the flavedo than in the pulp, and differences were up to 10-times higher in fruit harvested in December (4.6-times higher in the flavedo, on average of the 10 months analyzed). In the flavedo, total AsA concentrations oscillated between 73 and 407 mg/100 g FW, and three temporal patterns of accumulation could be differentiated, which seemed to be coordinated with the different phases of fruit development. A first wave occurred during the first phase, in which a gradual decrease in AsA contents was detected (from June to September). In the second phase AsA markedly increased (3.4-fold increase from September to October) to reach a maximum in December, coincidentally with color break (Figure 3B). The third wave was characterized by a decline in AsA content in the flavedo of colored fruits (approximately 50% reduction in the flavedo of fruits in January in comparison to December), which remained relatively constant until June, when AsA decreased again in overmature fruits. DHA was only detected in the flavedo of fruits from June until December, and contents remained almost constant or with slight variations (Figure 3C). In the pulp, total AsA was much lower than in the flavedo, with contents varying between 41 to 57 mg/100 g FW (Figure 3D). In immature fruits from June, only traces of AsA were detected, which drastically increased in July. A maximum in AsA content was detected in the pulp of fruits in September, and afterwards contents fluctuated but remained relatively unaltered during fruit development and maturation. DHA levels were detected in the pulp of all the samples analyzed, increasing gradually during development and reaching a maximum in overmature fruit of June (Figure 3D).