Content of glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables grown at the same site for two years under different climatic conditions.

Abstract

Individual glucosinolates (GLS) were determined in vegetables of three Cruciferae species: Brassica oleracea L. (white cabbage, red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi), Brassica rapa L. (turnip), and Raphanus sativus L. (red radish, black radish, and white radish) produced in two years. The cultivars were compared for the contents of total-, indole-, and aliphatic GLS. In both years, the total content of GLS was highest in black radish, and all examined R. sativus vegetables contained the greatest amount of aliphatic GLS. Neither the level nor the identity of GLS differentiated among the vegetables of the other cultivars grown in the same year. Comparison of the GLS contents of the same cultivar in two production years, which differed in temperature and rainfall rate, showed that low average 10-day rainfall and high average temperature during the vegetation period significantly increased the GLS content of vegetables. This suggests that the year x cultivar interaction modified the GLS content of vegetables.