Seasonal Variation in Nutritional Substances in Varieties of Leafy Chinese Kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>): A Pilot Trial

Chinese kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>), a native Chinese vegetable, is usually grown for its bolting stems as the common edible part. However, the tender leaves of the vegetable have higher nutritional value. To investigate the effects of cultivation s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yating Wang, Huiying Miao, Fen Zhang, Bo Sun, Qiaomei Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/671
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850093140236566528
author Yating Wang
Huiying Miao
Fen Zhang
Bo Sun
Qiaomei Wang
author_facet Yating Wang
Huiying Miao
Fen Zhang
Bo Sun
Qiaomei Wang
author_sort Yating Wang
collection DOAJ
description Chinese kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>), a native Chinese vegetable, is usually grown for its bolting stems as the common edible part. However, the tender leaves of the vegetable have higher nutritional value. To investigate the effects of cultivation seasons on the nutritional substances in leafy Chinese kale, we conducted a pilot trial to analyze the differences in the content of nutritional substances, including glucosinolates, in five varieties of leafy Chinese kale (JLYC-01, JLYC-02, JLYC-03, JLYC-04, JLYC-05) cultured in fall, winter, and spring. The plant weight was 27.2 g–40.4 g in spring, 20.0 g–38.6 g in winter, and 20.3 g–34.0 g in fall, and the JLYC-05 variety showed superiority among the varieties, with weights of 34.0 g in fall, 38.6 g in winter, and 39.7 g in winter. Overall, the nutritional substance content in leafy Chinese kale cultivated in spring and fall was better than that of those cultivated in winter, providing a key reference for leafy Chinese kale planting. Among the five varieties, JLYC-04 and JLYC-05 are excellent candidates for future breeding programs, since JLYC-04 has a higher content of total phenols (10.1 mg GAE g<sup>−1</sup> DW–10.7 mg GAE g<sup>−1</sup> DW) and glucosinolates (5.8 μmol g<sup>−1</sup> DW–7.1 μmol g<sup>−1</sup> DW), exhibiting strong antioxidant capacity, while JLYC-05 contains more chlorophyll (157 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup> FW–214 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup> FW) and carotenoids (31.8 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup> FW–39.1 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup> FW).
format Article
id doaj-art-3c44dbd871384e28bc424ef947ccc654
institution DOAJ
issn 2073-4395
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Agronomy
spelling doaj-art-3c44dbd871384e28bc424ef947ccc6542025-08-20T02:41:58ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-03-0115367110.3390/agronomy15030671Seasonal Variation in Nutritional Substances in Varieties of Leafy Chinese Kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>): A Pilot TrialYating Wang0Huiying Miao1Fen Zhang2Bo Sun3Qiaomei Wang4Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaKey Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaCollege of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaKey Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaChinese kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>), a native Chinese vegetable, is usually grown for its bolting stems as the common edible part. However, the tender leaves of the vegetable have higher nutritional value. To investigate the effects of cultivation seasons on the nutritional substances in leafy Chinese kale, we conducted a pilot trial to analyze the differences in the content of nutritional substances, including glucosinolates, in five varieties of leafy Chinese kale (JLYC-01, JLYC-02, JLYC-03, JLYC-04, JLYC-05) cultured in fall, winter, and spring. The plant weight was 27.2 g–40.4 g in spring, 20.0 g–38.6 g in winter, and 20.3 g–34.0 g in fall, and the JLYC-05 variety showed superiority among the varieties, with weights of 34.0 g in fall, 38.6 g in winter, and 39.7 g in winter. Overall, the nutritional substance content in leafy Chinese kale cultivated in spring and fall was better than that of those cultivated in winter, providing a key reference for leafy Chinese kale planting. Among the five varieties, JLYC-04 and JLYC-05 are excellent candidates for future breeding programs, since JLYC-04 has a higher content of total phenols (10.1 mg GAE g<sup>−1</sup> DW–10.7 mg GAE g<sup>−1</sup> DW) and glucosinolates (5.8 μmol g<sup>−1</sup> DW–7.1 μmol g<sup>−1</sup> DW), exhibiting strong antioxidant capacity, while JLYC-05 contains more chlorophyll (157 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup> FW–214 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup> FW) and carotenoids (31.8 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup> FW–39.1 mg 100 g<sup>−1</sup> FW).https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/671cultivation seasonagronomic traitsbioactive compoundsantioxidantsglucosinolates
spellingShingle Yating Wang
Huiying Miao
Fen Zhang
Bo Sun
Qiaomei Wang
Seasonal Variation in Nutritional Substances in Varieties of Leafy Chinese Kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>): A Pilot Trial
Agronomy
cultivation season
agronomic traits
bioactive compounds
antioxidants
glucosinolates
title Seasonal Variation in Nutritional Substances in Varieties of Leafy Chinese Kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>): A Pilot Trial
title_full Seasonal Variation in Nutritional Substances in Varieties of Leafy Chinese Kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>): A Pilot Trial
title_fullStr Seasonal Variation in Nutritional Substances in Varieties of Leafy Chinese Kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>): A Pilot Trial
title_full_unstemmed Seasonal Variation in Nutritional Substances in Varieties of Leafy Chinese Kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>): A Pilot Trial
title_short Seasonal Variation in Nutritional Substances in Varieties of Leafy Chinese Kale (<i>Brassica oleracea</i> var. <i>alboglabra</i>): A Pilot Trial
title_sort seasonal variation in nutritional substances in varieties of leafy chinese kale i brassica oleracea i var i alboglabra i a pilot trial
topic cultivation season
agronomic traits
bioactive compounds
antioxidants
glucosinolates
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/671
work_keys_str_mv AT yatingwang seasonalvariationinnutritionalsubstancesinvarietiesofleafychinesekaleibrassicaoleraceaivarialboglabraiapilottrial
AT huiyingmiao seasonalvariationinnutritionalsubstancesinvarietiesofleafychinesekaleibrassicaoleraceaivarialboglabraiapilottrial
AT fenzhang seasonalvariationinnutritionalsubstancesinvarietiesofleafychinesekaleibrassicaoleraceaivarialboglabraiapilottrial
AT bosun seasonalvariationinnutritionalsubstancesinvarietiesofleafychinesekaleibrassicaoleraceaivarialboglabraiapilottrial
AT qiaomeiwang seasonalvariationinnutritionalsubstancesinvarietiesofleafychinesekaleibrassicaoleraceaivarialboglabraiapilottrial