Seasonal variation in contents of sugars in different parts of broccoli

Abstract

Seasonal variation in the contents of sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) in the floret, leaf, and stem of broccoli were studied in ten commercial broccoli cultivars. Plants were grown in the spring and fall seasons in 2011. In both seasons, glucose was the major constituent, comprising about 50% of the total sugar content in the floret and leaf tissue of most cultivars, whereas the broccoli stem showed an unusual pattern of accumulation. Sucrose exhibited greater cultivar dependency as well as seasonal variation compared to fructose and glucose in floret and leaf tissues. The floret tissue had a higher total content of sugar in the spring compared to the fall due to an increase in glucose and fructose. However, most of the leaf and stem tissues of broccoli had a higher total sugar content in the fall compared to the spring. Furthermore, stem and leaf tissues possessed a relatively higher total sugar content compared to floret tissue in both seasons. ‘Grandeur’ broccoli contained a significantly greater amount of total sugar in both floret and leaf tissues in both seasons, whereas ‘YuDoRi No.1’ broccoli exhibited the highest total content of sugar in stem tissue. At overall, the results showed significant influences of genotype, plant part and growing season on sugar content in broccoli.