Brassica family

This is the practice of growing related vegetables in different areas of the garden in consecutive years. If crops from the same family—the lettuce family, the brassica family, and so on (see pp.234-253)—are grown in the same place year after year, related soilborne pests and diseases may become established. In small plots, moving vegetables just a few yards may not have much effect on pest and disease control, but it is still worth doing for other benefits. 

This family takes its botanical name, Brassicaceae, from the genus—Brassica—to which so many of its members belong. This diverse group, which includes annuals, biennials, and perennials, would all, ultimately, produce the same, characteristic flower, with the four petals arranged in a cross (another name for this family is Cruciferae). The same four-petal arrangement can be seen in ornamental members of the brassica family, such as wallflowers. 

Less potentially serious efforts may be produced by vegetables of the brassica family (cabbage, sprouts, spinach) which increase the activity of some oxidative enzymes, and possibly of conjugating (Phase II) enzymes also, leading to lowered Cp of some analgesics - notably paracetamol. 

The Brassica family produces a wide range of glucosinolate compounds, anionic glycosides produced by the plant as antifeedant protective chemicals. As significant amounts of these compounds are left in the oilseed rape meals that remain after oil extraction, there is currently interest in exploiting these materials as crop-protection products for control of soil-borne diseases (Palmieri, 2003). 

Sterols or phytosterols are present in flax oils at a level lower than those in many vegetable oils, 2.3 mg/g in flaxseed oil versus 4.1 to 6.9 mg/g in other oils (Table 2). The composition of sterols was similar to other oils, where p-sitosterol was the main component followed by campesterol and A -avenasterol. Brassicasterol was found in trace amounts in flax oil. This phytosterol is characteristic to plants from the Brassica family and often is used as a marker for oil adulteration (Table 2). 

Plant sterols identified in this oil consist mainly of p-sitosterol and campesterol (Table 4). About 4% brassicasterol was detected in the oU, which is typical for Brassica family plants (51). The total content of sterols in oil is comparable with other commercial oils (Tables 2 and 4). The presence of cholesterol in camelina oil makes it unique among vegetable oils, where only a trace has been detected in some tropical oils (51). 

Thale cress, a small flowering plant, member of the brassica family which includes mustard and cabbage, and is a model organism for studying plant biology. 

Nonlegumes respond to added Mo because of the requirements for Mo by their nitrate reductase enzymes. Molybdenum additions in the presence of high amounts of N in the soil have prevented depressed crop yields due to excess N. Grains such as com, wheat, and rice have shown improved utilization of N following Mo application, but again, not all cultivars have the same Mo requirements. Many crops in the Brassica family respond to added Mo. Some of the early studies describing whiptail in cauliflower also found that different Brassica crops required different amounts of Mo. 

The two most common naturally occurring c/s docosenoic acids are erucic acid (c/s 22 1 n-9) found in the seed oil of the Brassica family and ceto-leic acid (c/s 22 1 n-11) found mainly in marine oils (Ackman et ai, 1971a). The cetoleic acid in fish oils is derived by oxidation of the corresponding alcohol present in small Crustacea which form part of the food chain for marine life (Nenenzel, 1970 Pascal and Ackman, 1976). To date, no longterm studies have been reported in which these two docosenoic fatty acids were fed in purified form. When a comparison was made between a HEAR... 

The recent expansion in the production of manufactured fatty foods, such as margarine and shortening, had led to the need for cheaper and indigenous sources of food oils. Rapeseed oil, also known as colza oil, has consequently become an important commodity in northern countries because rape, a member of the Brassica family, grows particularly well in temperate climates. 

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