Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) is one of the most frequently consumed leafy vegetables globally, as it contains numerous nutrients; essential amino acids, phenolics, vitamins, and minerals, and is particularly rich in glucosinolates. However, the differences in the biosynthesis of glucosinolates and related gene expression among kale cultivars has been poorly reported. In this study, we investigated glucosinolates profile and content in three different kale cultivars, including green (‘Man-Choo’ and ‘Mat-Jjang’) and red kale (‘Red-Curled’) cultivars grown in a vertical farm, using transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. The growth and development of the green kale cultivars were higher than those of the red kale cultivar at 6 weeks after cultivation. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed five glucosinolates in the ‘Man-Choo’ cultivar, and four glucosinolates in the ‘Mat-Jjang’ and ‘Red-Curled’ cultivars. Glucobrassicin was the most predominant glucosinolate followed by gluconastrutiin in all the cultivars. In contrast, other glucosinolates were highly dependent to the genotypes. The highest total glucosinolates was found in the ‘Red-Curled’ cultivar, which followed by ‘Man-Choo’ and ‘Mat-Jjang’. Based on transcriptome analysis, eight genes were involved in glucosinolate biosynthesis. The overall results suggest that the glucosinolate content and accumulation patterns differ according to the kale cultivar and differential expression of glucosinolate biosynthetic genes.

This study was performed in order to examine the functional and quality characteristics of raw noodles with added kale powder. The raw noodles were prepared at a concentration of 4, 8, and 12% (w/w) of the kale, based on flour weight. The antioxidant activity of kale powder, specifically DPPH free radical scavenging, reducing activity, and total phenolic content were found to be 75.16%, 1.24 (O.D.) and 44.47 mg GAE/g, respectively. Using Hunter Lab color values for raw noodle with added kale powder, L (lightness) values decreased with an increased concentration of kale powder, whereas a (redness) values decreased (p<0.001). In a texture analysis, chewiness (p<0.01), gumminess (p<0.001), and cohesiveness (p<0.001) increased significantly as the amount of added kale powder increased. According to sensory evaluations: color, flavor, taste, texture, and overall palatability had the highest score in noodle with 8% kale powder (p<0.001). During periods of storage, moisture contents were decreased when kale powder concentrations increased, but pH did not differ in any of the groups and bacteria cell counts were between 0% and 8%. Kale noodles were observed at 8% then 0%, decreased by 102 log CFU/g. The antioxidant activities of raw noodles with added kale powder were increased by 8%, a 30~50% increase over the control group. These results suggest that kale powder is useful as a functional food resource with antioxidant activities.

This research was carried out to study the effect of mulching materials and weed control methods on weed occurrence and growth of kale on upland and paddy soil of field culture at spring and autumn season. Paddy soil temperature of mulching treatments was high by 0.9~2.0℃ in comparison of non-mulching at autumn season. The control value of weed was over 91% at mulch paper and time required for weed control was reduced by 70% at mulch paper + machine weeding in comparison of non-mulching + hand weeding. The yield of kale was similar to that of conventional culture. Paddy soil temperature of mulch paper was higher on April, but lower on May and June than non-mulching at spring season. Dominant weed was Chenopodium album var. centrorubrum Makino, The control value of weed was over 91% at mulch paper, time required for weed control was reduced by 75% at mulch paper + machine weeding in comparison of non-mulching + hand weeding and the yield of kale increased by 34% than conventional culture. Dominant weed was Alopecurus aequalis var. amurensis Ohwi. on paddy soil at autumn season. The control value of weed was 43% at mulch paper. Time required for weed control was reduced by 80% at mulch paper + machine weeding in comparison of non-mulching + hand weeding. The yield of kale increased by 26% compared with than of conventional culture.