Abstract
Leek (Allium porrum) is known for its high antioxidant activity and the ability to accumulate significant amounts of potassium and iron. We assessed yield, quality indicators, antioxidants and elemental composition of nine leek cultivars grown in greenhouses under organic or conventional systems in the Moscow region. The management system did not affect yield, which attained the highest value with the cultivar Giraffe and the lowest with Premier and Cazimir. Pseudo-stem dry matter and sugars were higher with organic management, whereas nitrate concentration was higher with conventional management. The cultivars Vesta and Summer Breeze showed the highest dry matter and total sugar content, whereas Goliath had the highest antioxidant, selenium and potassium concentrations. Among the antioxidants, ascorbic acid attained higher values with organic management. The antioxidant system of leek was characterized by highly significant positive correlations between: Se and polyphenols, Se and ascorbic acid, Se and K, ascorbic acid and polyphenols, ascorbic acid and K, polyphenols and K (r = 0.94, 0.94, 0.95, 0.94, 0.95, 0.96, respectively, at P ≤ 0.001). Negative correlations were recorded between leaf and pseudo-stem Se and between leaf and pseudo-stem polyphenols (r = −0.922 and −0.976, respectively, at P ≤ 0.001). Among the mineral elements, only K was significantly affected by the management system, showing a higher content in organically grown pseudo-stems. Varietal differences in pseudo-stem element composition showed strong positive correlations of: Al with As, Co, Li, Pb and V; Cr with I, Mg, Si, Ca; V with As, Co and Fe; negative correlations of Se with Cr and I. Compared to related species such as garlic (A. sativum), leek accumulated levels equal to garlic of K, Mg, P, Cd, Cu, Mn, Se, Zn, lower levels of Si and significantly higher amounts of Ca, Na, Al, As, Cr, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, Sn, B, Co, Fe, I, Li. The strong relationships between quality, antioxidant and mineral components in leek plants may give wide possibilities in breeding programs for both conventional and organic management systems in greenhouses.
Highlights
Among Allium species, leek (A. porrum), garlic (A. sativum) and onion (A. cepa) are the most widely used for human consumption
As the year of research had no significant effect on yield, quality and antioxidant variables examined, both as main factor or in interaction with the experimental factors management system or cultivar, the results are reported as average values of the two years of investigation
The management system showed no significant effects on leek pseudo-stem yield and mean weight (Table 1)
Summary
Among Allium species, leek (A. porrum), garlic (A. sativum) and onion (A. cepa) are the most widely used for human consumption. Popularity of leek is connected with its high nutritional value and with its wide spectrum of biological activities, primarily due to a high antioxidants content [1,2,3,4,5]. Cardio-protective, hypocholesteremic, hypoglycemic and anticancer activities [6,7]. Leek consumption is known to improve liver and gastro-intestinal tract functioning, quicken metabolic processes, to be useful in rheumatism treatment, to decrease blood pressure, to protect against anemia, to enhance brain activity, to inhibit platelet aggregation and to prevent neural tube defects [3]. Antimicrobial effects of leek have been recorded both against gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonasaeruginosa) [10]; and, antifungal activity has been reported [11,12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
