Growing broccoli under salinity: the influence of cultivar and season on glucosinolates content

ABSTRACT: The evaluation of factors that affect glucosinolates (GLS) concentrations in the roots, leaves, and inflorescence of broccoli plants is important in the improvement of the concentration of bioactive compounds and thus in the enhancement of the nutritional properties. In this work, the yield and the concentration of GLS of seven broccoli cultivars (Brassica oleracea var. italica) grown under salinity in field conditions were studied during three different seasons (autumn, winter, and spring). The results show that, generally, salinity did not alter significantly the inflorescence yield during any of the seasons, indicating a high tolerance of the cultivars tested. Yield was reduced only in cultivar Gea in autumn and in cultivar Parthenon in spring. The distribution of the GLS showed that their accumulation was greater in inflorescences and leaves, with higher concentrations in autumn and spring. The activation of GLS synthesis by salinity was restricted to several cultivars and depended on the season, with no reductions compared to control plants. In this study, we discuss the appearance of a Cinnamoyl-indol-GLS derivative in some of the cultivars and seasons with higher incidence in NaCl-treated plants.

摘要：硫代葡萄糖苷（glucosinolates, GLS）是西兰花植株中的关键生物活性物质，评估影响其在根、叶及花序中含量的相关因素，对提升生物活性化合物含量、进而改善植株营养品质具有重要意义。本研究针对田间盐胁迫条件下种植的7个青花菜（Brassica oleracea var. italica）品种，在秋、冬、春三个不同季节开展试验，探究其产量与硫代葡萄糖苷含量。结果表明，整体而言，盐胁迫未对任意季节的花序产量造成显著影响，表明供试品种具备较高耐盐性；仅秋季种植的‘Gea’品种与春季种植的‘Parthenon’品种出现产量下降。硫代葡萄糖苷的分布特征显示，其在花序与叶片中积累量更高，且秋季与春季的含量水平更高。盐胁迫对硫代葡萄糖苷合成的激活作用仅局限于部分品种，且受季节调控，与对照组植株相比，处理组硫代葡萄糖苷含量未出现降低。本研究还针对部分品种与季节中出现的肉桂酰吲哚类硫代葡萄糖苷衍生物展开讨论，该衍生物在经NaCl处理的植株中检出率更高。