## 3 Results and Discussion
### Antioxidant Activities and Total Phenolic Content in Different Tissues of Aridchoke Genotypes
In the DPPH assay, within the Orte 1 population, the Orte 1 F4 P10 genotype exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in the SFH (1232.56 umol TE/g DW), which was significantly higher than that of the other genotypes across all the examined tissues (Table 27). Additionally, this genotype also showed notable antioxidant activity in the PFH (1075.91 umol TE/g DW), highlighting its strong antioxidant potential in the flower heads. Appreciable levels of antioxidant activity, as measured by the DPPH assay, were also detected in the PFH (1164.42 umol TE/g DW), stem (1009.10 umol TE/g DW), and SFH (1017.68 umol TE/g DW) tissues of the Orte 1 F3 P8 genotype (Table 27). In the Orte 2 population, Orte 2 F15 P3 demonstrated an exceptionally high DPPH value in the stem (1685.71 umol TE/g DW), which was significantly higher than that of the other genotypes across all the analyzed tissues. Notable antioxidant activity, as measured by the DPPH assay, was also recorded in the SFH (1591.16 umol TE/g DW) and stem (1297.61 umol/g DW) tissues of the Orte 2 F7 P2 genotype (Table 27). Among the reference genotypes, the highest antioxidant activity was detected in the SFH (1706.41 umol TE/g DW) and stem (1508.29 umol TE/g DW) tissues of Grato 1. Castellammare also showed notable DPPH activity, registering some of the highest values in both PFH (1373.56 umol TE/g DW) and SFH (928.15 umol TE/g DW) tissues (Table 27). When considering the total polyphenol content (TPC), it is important first to emphasize the notably high concentration of these compounds in the tissues of the three genotypes from the Orte 2 population, especially in the stems, as compared to the levels detected in the other two genotype groups (Orte 1 population and reference genotypes) (Table 27). In the Orte 1 population, the highest TPC was detected in the SFH (154.27 \(\pm\) 1.59 mg GAE/g DW) and stem (92.84 \(\pm\) 1.76 mg GAE/g DW) tissues of the Orte 1 F4 P10 genotype (Table 27). Notable total phenolic content was also recorded in the PHF (88.81 \(\pm\) 1.19 mg GAE/g DW) and SFH (79.01 \(\pm\) 1.25 mg GAE/g DW) of Orte 1 F17 P3, while Orte 1 F3 P8 exhibited significantly lower TPC across all tissues analyzed, when compared with the other two genotypes within the Orte 1 population (Table 27). In the Orte 2 population, the Orte 2 F7 P2 genotype recorded the highest TPC in the stem (245.56 mg GAE/g DW), which was not significantly different from the value detected in the same tissue for the Orte 2 F15 P3 genotype (242.17 mg GAE/g DW) (Table 27). The SFH consistently represented the second tissue with the highest TPC levels within this population, with the Orte 2 F7 P2 and Orte 2 F15 P3 genotypes again displaying the highest values in this tissue (183.44 and 173.56 mg GAE/g DW, respectively) (Table 27). Among the reference genotypes, the highest TPC values were recorded in the PFHs of Campagnano and C3, measuring 126.30 and 120.36 mg GAE/g DW, respectively. However, when considering the other three tissues, Grato 1 exhibited significantly higher TPC values compared to the other three reference genotypes, with notable levels detected in the SFH (97.59 mg GAE/g DW) and stem (92.09 mg GAE/g DW) tissues (Table 27). The investigation into the antioxidant abilities of methanolic extracts from the leaf, stem, PFH and SFH of the \"Carcifo Ortano\" genotypes revealed significant antioxidant potential in the various tissues of this landrace. It also confirmed the high antioxidant capacity of the artichoke plant, which exhibited higher ABTS, FRAP, and TPC values than other vegetables such as cucumber, asparagus, cabbage, red beet, radish, and turnip [2 ]. This high antioxidant capacity is primarily found in the flower heads and leaves [2 ], although other artichoke by-products may also possess higher antioxidant potential than many other foods [2 ]. In this study, the highest values obtained in all the antioxidant assays used were detected in methanolic extracts from the stem (for FRAP, ABTS and TPC assays) and from SFH (for the DPPH assay).