INTERSPECIFIC AND INTERVARIETAL VARIATIONS IN CONTENT OF VOLATILE ISOTHIOCYANATE IN SEED MEALS OF CRUCIFEROUS CROPS

Abstract

Volatile isothiocyanates in seed meals of various cruciferous crops were measured and were calculated as allyl isothiocyanate.
Volatile isothiocyanate was contained in all cultivars examined. Specific differences of volatile isothiocyanate content were statistically significant and seemed to be strongly connected with genome constitution, especially with bb-genome.
The correlation between content of volatile isothiocyanate and oxazolidinethione was high among the species in genus Brassica without B. campestris, being r=-0.936 (p=0.05).
Total content of volatile isothiocyanate and oxazolidinethione, classified genus Brassica according to species, was statistically significant and B. napus, B. juncea, B. carinata and B. nigra seemed to be higher than B. oleracea and B. campestris in total content.
Only in B. oleracea there was significant difference in total content of volatile isothiocyanate and oxazolidinethione among varieties.
In B. napus two interest cultivars, Tokiwa natane and Russian No. 6 natane, were found which exhibited a very low total content of volatile isothiocyanate and oxazolidinethione.
The importance to study thioglucosides in cruciferous plants not only for plant breeding, but also for botany was also discussed.