Abstract
This study investigated if genetic diversity among cauliflower cultivars (white ‘Xenia’ F1, green ‘Vitaverde’ F1, purple ‘Graffiti’ F1, orange ‘Sunset’ F1, romanesco ‘Celio’ F1) and transplant chilling are reflected in the content of 17 elements in mature curds. Transplants at 40 days after sowing were exposed to 4 °C (chilling) and 18 °C (control) for 7 days and then planted in the field till harvest maturity. The lowest Ag, Al, Co, and Li contents were found in ‘Celio’ F1 cauliflower, which also had the highest Ba and Sr levels. Orange curds of ‘Sunset’ F1 were the richest in Al, and high in Li, Sc, and Sn. Chilling applied to the transplants increased Ag, Ba, Co, Sc, Sr, and Tb, and decreased the Y content of mature curds. Transplant chilling can permanently alter plant metabolism, and subsequently may affect the mineral composition of the curds.
Highlights
Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. ssp. botrytis) is an important vegetable crop grown worldwide for its edible curds, being composed of undifferentiated shoot apices formed upon thick, hypertrophied, repeatedly branched terminals of the short, thick stem
The results indicate that the contents of the elements analyzed were controlled by interaction effects (Fig. 1, Table 2)
Interaction effects were most significant for Sc accumulation in ‘Vitaverde’ F1 and ‘Sunset’ F1 cultivars, where the low temperature increased the Sc content by 280.0% and 116.7%, respectively, compared to plants subjected to the control temperature (18 °C)
Summary
Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. ssp. botrytis) is an important vegetable crop grown worldwide for its edible curds, being composed of undifferentiated shoot apices formed upon thick, hypertrophied, repeatedly branched terminals of the short, thick stem. Ekholm et al.[2] observed a lower content of Al and Co in cauliflower relative to broccoli, while cauliflower curds had a 1.8-fold higher Co concentration than white cabbage heads. These data highlight the diverse accumulation of chemical elements within B. oleracea L. Controlled application of low temperature, affecting plants’ metabolome, changes the chemical composition of plants and may refer to TEs, those performing certain functions in plants’ physiological and metabolic processes. Such changes may be permanent[20]. The response of the plants to abiotic stress applied in the juvenile stage may lead to a metabolic predisposition, which causes differences in the accumulation of several elements in fully-matured edible plant parts
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