The effects of plant density and irrigation on phenolic content in cauliflower

Abstract

This study was conducted to study the influence of plant density and irrigation on the content of phenolic compounds, i.e., phenolic acids and flavonols in cv. ‘Sevilla’ cauliflower curds. Levels of phenolic acids and flavonols were in the range of 3.0–6.2 mg and 25.4–87.8 mg/100 g of dry weight, respectively, depending on plant density and irrigation. Of the phenolic acids, caffeic acid was detected in the highest amount, followed by p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, gallic acid, and ferulic acid. Of the two flavonols detected, the levels of quercetin were higher than those of kaempferol. The content of the detected phenolic acids (with the exception of ferulic acid) and both flavonols increased with increasing plant density. Furthermore, the concentration of phenolic compounds (with the exception of ferulic acid) was significantly higher under irrigation.