Variability of Glucosinolates in Pak Choy ( Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis ) Germplasm

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 9
• Main Authors: Kim, Seong-Hoon, Ochar, Kingsley, Hwang, Aejin, Lee, Yoon-Jung, Kang, Hae Ju
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 19.12.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Aliphatic compounds; Analysis; Brassica; Chinese cabbage; Chromatography; compounds; Crop diseases; Cruciferae; Cultivars; Discriminant analysis; Disease prevention; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Germplasm; Germplasm resources, Plant; Glucosinolates; Liquid chromatography; Mass spectrometry; Methods; pak choy; Physiological aspects; Phytochemicals; Plant breeding; Rural development; Scientific imaging; Seeds; Sinigrin; Sulfur; Sulfur compounds; Variance analysis; Vegetables; South Korea; United States > US; Germany; Brassica; compounds; phytochemicals; germplasm; pak choy; glucosinolates
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants13010009

Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing phytochemicals generally abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as pak choy. Glucosinolates participate in a range of biological activities essential for promoting a healthy human body. In this study, we aimed to elucidate glucosinolate variability present in pak choy germplasm that are under conservation at the Rural Development Administration Genebank, Jeonju, Republic of Korea. The Acquity Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) analytical system was used in profiling the glucosinolate content in leaf samples of various accessions. We identified a total of 17 glucosinolates in the germplasm. Based on principal compoment analysis performed, three separate groups of the accessions were obtained. Group 1 contained the cultivar cheongsacholong which recorded high content of glucobrassicin (an indole), glucoerucin (aliphatic), gluconasturtiin (aromatic) and glucoberteroin (aliphatic). Group 2 consisted of six accessions, BRA77/72, Lu ling gaogengbai, 9041, Wuyueman, RP-75 and DH-10, predominatly high in aliphatic compounds including glucoiberin, glucocheirolin, and sinigrin. Group 3 comprised the majority of the accessions which were characterized by high content of glucoraphanin, epiprogoitrin, progoitrin, and glucotropaeolin. These results revealed the presence of variability among the pak choy germplasm based on their glucosinolate content, providing an excellent opprtunity for future breeding for improved glucosinolate content in the crop.