This study has highlighted phytochemical accumulation for rocket varieties and accessions grown under controlled conditions. This is in contrast to field conditions that often stress plants and create phytochemical profiles reflective of fluctuating environmental stresses such as light intensity, temperature, pests and diseases. These studies, whilst undoubtedly valuable to rocket salad research, are not always directly comparable with other growing regions

and climatic backgrounds. It has been demonstrated in this study that under controlled conditions, and therefore due to genetic regulation rather than environmental response, that rocket predominantly accumulates glucosativin, and that virtually all other glucosinolates detected were GDC0449 minor by comparison. There was significant variability

in these accumulations between varieties, providing scope for plant breeders to select varieties based on their baseline accumulations of health-beneficial precursors such as glucoraphanin and glucoerucin. This can also be said of flavonol compounds detected this website in rocket. Significant variability was detected between accessions, and high accumulators may be a valuable genetic resource for breeders. By determining the baseline accumulations of phytochemicals in this manner, varieties can then be tested in a field environment to ascertain any differences that could affect commercial production. Several previous studies have made mention of using phytochemical screening as a means of selecting accessions to introduce into breeding programs. In almost every instance however, the experimental design of these studies was flawed by the fact that time-of-harvest was either much too early or much too late relative to Selleck Gemcitabine the commercial average. Not only does this make comparing results between studies more difficult, it also ignores the fact that phytochemical concentration and profiles

change as plants grow (Fernandes, de Pinho, Valentao, Pereira, & Andrade, 2009). If researchers wish to make their data as useful to breeding programs as possible, the phytochemical profile must be determined at the point of commercial harvest, as this is when concentrations will be at their most useful in a “real-world” commercial setting. Plant breeders and food processors will not be interested in the phytochemical content of seedlings or of plants that have bolted or flowered (unless they provide products for a very niche market), as their customers will not eat the product at these points. Table 3 features the number of days each of the mentioned studies grew rocket plants before harvesting. Regardless of growing conditions, the number generally chosen seems arbitrary.