The potential of kales as a promising vegetable crop

Abstract

Sixty varieties of kale (Brassica oleracea acephala group) from Galicia (northwestern Spain) were evaluated in two locations along with four commercial kale varieties. Data on 26 agronomic and morphological traits and five nutritional traits (crude fibre, acid detergent fibre, crude protein, calcium and potassium) were recorded. The objectives of this work were (i) to know the potential ability of kale as an horticultural crop, (ii) to assess the characteristics of local varieties of Galician kale in order to select those with the highest yield and a good adaptation to obtain improved varieties. In most traits, significant differences between locations were found, while varieties · location interaction was not significant for most of them. Significant differences were found among varieties and a high intravarietal variability was noticed in some traits. Galician kale germplasm displayed variability in the most important agronomic traits. They are characterized by their long cycles, their susceptibility to Lepidoptera pests, their good yield and adaptation to Galician conditions and their high calcium content. Four local varieties (MBG-BRS0468, MBG-BRS0476, MBG-BRS0477 and MBG-BRS0494) were the most promising for vegetal and fodder use. One of them showed the best early vigor (MBG-BRS0366) and two of them were the most resistant to Lepidoptera pest (MBG-BRS0060 and MBG-BRS0223). Kale varieties showed a high crude fibre content, and also a high acid detergent fibre, crude protein and calcium content. The varieties MBG-BRS0106, MBG-BRS0281, MBG-BRS0335 and MBG-BRS0464 could be candidates for future breeding programs since they had a good agronomic performance and a high calcium content.

Seasonal variation in glucosinolate content in Brassica oleracea crops grown in northwestern Spain

“…The B. oleracea collection maintained at MBG has been studied by Padilla et al (2007a,b) and Vilar et al (2007) based on morphological and agronomical traits. However, no information is available on the glucosinolate content of this collection.…”

<b>Population parameters and selection of kale genotypes using Bayesian inference in a multi-trait linear model

“…is an annual or biennial vegetable that belongs to the Brassicaceae family. Due to its new uses in culinary dishes and recent discoveries about its nutraceutical properties, the kale consumption has gradually increased (Moreno, Carvajal, Lopez-Berenguer, & Garcia-Viguera, 2006;Vilar, Cartea, & Padilla, 2008;Soengas, Sotelo, Cartea, & Velasco, 2011). The aim of a kale-breeding program is the facilitation of cultural practices and the increase in the yield per area.…”

Physiological performance and competitive ability in kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Manteiga da Georgia’) intercropped with important aromatic species and herbs

“…acephala DC) is the most widespread in Brazil, with a significant share in domestic vegetable production (Fernandes et al, 2009;Resende et al, 2010). Kale is a sturdy crop that adapts well to different environmental conditions (Vilar et al, 2008). It is also responsive to management techniques, and can be grown under various levels of technology and cropping systems, with its own differing response mechanisms to environmental variables, even when under conditions of stress (Rodriguez et al, 2015).…”