From Eyosias Ashenafi (ashene@rpi.edu) and Marianne Nyman Ph.D. (nymanm@rpi.edu), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI):
Over the past 6 months, our group has been actively studying the effect of environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, growing medium, and light) on the growth and development of kale.
Kale (Brasssica oleracea var. acephala) is a leafy green vegetable that has been dubbed as a superfood due to its high nutraceutical properties. Three kale cultivars (Toscano, Winterbor, and Redbor kale) were grown in three different environmental conditions, namely field, greenhouse, and growth chamber (see photos below).
Plants were harvested at three developmental stages (seedling, juvenile, and mature) from each environmental condition for morphological and nutrient measurements. Selected leaf samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored in -80°C freezer for phytochemical analysis. Chlorophyll and carotenoid content of leaf samples were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
