Japanese cabbage: features of morphological and biochemical parameters of a promising sample

Relevance. New types of vegetable crops, previously unknown on a large scale, appear on the market. Japanese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. subsp. nipposinica (L. H. Bailey) Hanelt) is one of such crops for the middle zone of the Russian Federation. Due to the high content of vitamin C and microelements, Japanese cabbage can be classified as a rational balanced diet, including dietary one, and it can also be used as a raw material for the medical industry. Methods. The study of a promising sample of Japanese cabbage selection at the Federal Research Vegetable Center consisted in phenological observation of the stages of plant growth and development, morphological study of economically valuable traits, and biochemical analyzes of the content of ascorbic acid, dry matter and photosynthetic pigments. Results. The results of observations made it possible to establish the timing of the onset of phenological phases in Japanese cabbage plants and showed that the active formation of leaf mass in plants occurs 20 days after planting the seedlings. A close direct relationship was established between the duration of economic shelf life and the number of leaves in a plant (R = 0.95) and the length of the leaf plate (R=0.92). In the conducted biochemical studies, it was revealed that the content of ascorbic acid in the promising sample is 37.84±0.88 mg%, and the dry matter is in the range of 11.3±0.42%. The content of antioxidants in terms of HA and AA is within 5.72±0.72 and 19.5±2.46 mg/g, respectively. The study of the morphological characteristics and biological characteristics of Japanese cabbage plants contribute to the maximum use of the potential of vegetable crops in the conditions of the Moscow region.