The evolutionary and selective history of Chinese cabbage. Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis

Chinese cabbage is the most consumed leafy crop in east Asian countries. Continuous low temperatures induce premature bolting, which severely decreases yield and edibleness; therefore limiting the planting season and geographic distribution of the Chinese cabbage. In the past ~40 years, spring Chinese cabbage with strong winterness has been selected to meet the temporal-spatial demand of Chinese cabbage. Here, we focused our study on the following questions to elucidate the evolutionary and selective history of Chinese cabbage: (1) which type of Chinese cabbage served as the progenitor and (2) where was the geographic origin of spring Chinese cabbage, and (3) what is the genetic basis during spring Chinese cabbage selection.