Classification and Screening of Baby-leaf Vegetables on the Basis of Their Yield, External Appearance and Internal Quality

Abstract

Baby-leaf vegetables" is a new category of leafy vegetables that are used in juvenile stage mixtures of different types of leafy vegetables. They include Brassicaceae, Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, and other crops. The emergence periods, growing periods, total cultivation periods, from sowing to harvest, as well as the yields, SPAD values, ascorbic acid and nitrate concentrations, leaf characteristics and post-harvest shelf lives of 22 baby-leaf crops were investigated in April 2010 and April 2011. A principal component analysis, based on the total cultivation periods, yields, SPAD values, as well as the ascorbic acid and nitrate concentrations, indicated three main groups: Brassicaceae crops, which had short total cultivation periods and high ascorbic acid concentrations; Asteraceae crops (except for 'Italian Red' chicory), which had long total cultivation periods and low ascorbic acid concentrations; Amaranthaceae crops, which had comparatively high yields and low nitrate concentrations. 'Italian Red' chicory did not fall into any of these three groups. The yield had very limited effects on the grouping. The higher-yield crops tended to have more leaves and lower dry matter ratios, and the crops with higher SPAD values tended to have thicker leaves. An ideal assortment of baby-leaf crops was proposed based on an evaluation of the yield, external appearance and internal quality of each crop.

Effect of LED Lights on Secondary Metabolites and Antioxidant Activities in Red Pakchoi Baby Leaves

“…14 Baby leaf vegetables are grown in high densities, harvested, and used when the leaves are young (juvenile stage). 15 The baby leaf market is growing rapidly owing to its convenience and health benefits. 16 The method of growing fresh vegetables with LEDs has shown many positive aspects, such as compact bulb material, long life, specific wavelength, and ease of adjustment.…”

Residue, dissipation and dietary intake risk assessment of tolfenpyrad in four leafy green vegetables under greenhouse conditions

“…Leafy green vegetables, which include cruciferae (such as Chinese cabbage ( Brassica bara L., BBL) and Shanghai green ( Brassica chinensis L., BCL)); compositae (such as lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L., LSL)); amaranthus (such as spinach ( Spinacia oleracea L., SOL)) and other leafy green vegetables ( Takahama et al, 2019 ), play an important role in people’s daily diet. Leafy green vegetables are rich in a variety of nutrients, including vitamins, proteins, and minerals, which are necessary for the human body ( Li et al, 2021 , Park et al, 2021 ).…”

A short-term cooling of root-zone temperature increases bioactive compounds in baby leaf Amaranthus tricolor L.

“…Baby leaf vegetables, also known as baby greens, are commercial terms for leafy vegetables sold as seedling leaves with petioles. The leaf length, leaf area, color, texture, and flavor of baby leaf vegetables and the concentrations of certain bioactive compounds, such as ascorbic acid, anthocyanin, and β-carotene, are major quality criteria (Takahama et al, 2019). A seedling stage plant, on average, contains more bioactive compounds, nutrients, and minerals than a mature plant (Paradiso et al, 2018;Rakpenthai et al, 2019;Le et al, 2020).…”