The report of cochlearine, the 3-hydroxybenzoate ester of tropine found in Cochlearia officinalis, Brassicaceae, initiated a screening for tropane alkaloids in Cochlearia species and for calystegines in further Brassicaceae. All ten Cochlearia species investigated contained cochlearine, tropine, and pseudotropine. Calystegines, nortropane alkaloids deriving from pseudotropine, were also identified in all Cochlearia species and accumulated up to 0.5% dry mass in leaves. Brassicaceae species of all major lineages of the family were analysed for calystegines. Of the 43 species included in the study, 18 accumulated calystegines of various structures. This is the first screening of Brassicaceae for products of the tropane alkaloid pathway, which is known as characteristic for plants of Solanaceae family. The identification of calystegines in all branches of the Brassicaceae family including Aethionema, a species at the basis of the family, suggests tropane alkaloids as secondary compound typical for Brassicaceae.

The article discusses the impact of drought on the development of wild species of the Brassicaceae Burnett. family in the flora of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the ways to solve this problem. Researches were conducted in the direction of climate change of wild species of the Brassicaceae Burnett. family, which are distributed in Babek, Kangarli, Julfa, Ordubad, Shahbuz regions of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, starting from the lowland region to the high mountain arches. The amount of precipitation in the plains is less than in the highlands and the annual temperature is higher. Considering these features, plains have been the center of attention. Plants belonging to the Brassicaceae Burnett. family (mostly belonging to the mesophyte type ecological group), which are distributed in water edges, wetlands, wetlands, meadows and agricultural areas, are exposed to drought stress more than species distributed in other ecological environments. The bioecological and geographical (phenophase, height, life form, ecological group, altitude zone and ecological environment) characteristics of these plants are tabulated. As the effects of drought are expected to increase in the future due to global climate change, more sustainable approaches are recommended in this area.

As one of the important sources of human nutrition, Brassicaceae vegetables are widely grown worldwide. Black rot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) seriously affects the quality and yield of Brassicaceae vegetables. Therefore, it is important to study control methods of Xcc for Brassicaceae vegetable production. This paper reviews the physical, chemical, and biological control methods of Xcc in Brassicaceae vegetables developed in recent years, and the underlying mechanisms of control methods are also discussed. Based on our current knowledge, future research directions for Xcc control are also proposed. This review also provides a reference basis for the control of Xcc in the field cultivation of Brassicaceae vegetables.

Glucosinolates (GSLs) are secondary plant metabolites that occur mainly in the Brassicaceae plants, which are desirable compounds in human foods due to their diverse biological activities. In this study, we developed an integrated data filtering and identification strategy to characterize the GSLs. An in-depth GSLs profiling was performed on 25 commonly Brassicaceae tissues in Jinan, China. By comparison with the reference standards and previous researches, we tentatively identified 47 GSLs including 8 unknown ones. The GSLs profiles of 25 Brassicaceae tissues were established, and 11 markers of GSLs could be used to distinguish the Brassica and Raphanus. This approach enables accurately characterization the GSLs of Brassicaceae tissues, and demonstrates the potential of GSLs profiles for Brassicaceae species discrimination.

Along with the recommendation of a healthy diet, it is suggested to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Among the latter, Brassicaceae species are preferred, because they show many phytochemicals mainly belonging to the isothiocyanates (ITCs) family compounds, with proven activities related to the prevention of chronic diseases and cancer. A survey about seasonal availability and phytochemical levels of Brassicaceae species in the total of vegetables marketed in the province of Mendoza (located in the centre west of Argentina) was done. Results throw that Brassicaceae vegetables are an important part of Mendoza vegetable market reaching up to 23% of the vegetables commercialized. Regarding ITCs content, watercress and rocket were the vegetables with the highest ITCs levels, being, therefore, the most promising vegetables studied herein by their potential functional activities. Finally, high levels of variation (up to 10 times) on ITCs content along the year in a single species were found. These facts should be considered when designing Brassicaceae species phytochemical characterization assays to achieve more reliable results. This work represents the first report of Brassicaceae availability and seasonal phytochemical variability in local conditions. Highlights High levels of variation (up to 10 times) on ITCs content along the year in a single Brassicaceae species were found. Brassicaceae vegetables are an important part of Mendoza vegetable market reaching up to 23% of the vegetables commercialized. Considering ITCs content, watercress and rocket were the vegetables with the highest ITCs levels. | Along with the recommendation of a healthy diet, it is suggested to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Among the latter, Brassicaceae species are preferred, because they show many phytochemicals mainly belonging to the isothiocyanates (ITCs) family compounds, with proven activities related to the prevention of chronic diseases and cancer. A survey about seasonal availability and phytochemical levels of Brassicaceae species in the total of vegetables marketed in the province of Mendoza (located in the centre west of Argentina) was done. Results throw that Brassicaceae vegetables are an important part of Mendoza vegetable market reaching up to 23% of the vegetables commercialized. Regarding ITCs content, watercress and rocket were the vegetables with the highest ITCs levels, being, therefore, the most promising vegetables studied herein by their potential functional activities. Finally, high levels of variation (up to 10 times) on ITCs content along the year in a single species were found. These facts should be considered when designing Brassicaceae species phytochemical characterization assays to achieve more reliable results. This work represents the first report of Brassicaceae availability and seasonal phytochemical variability in local conditions. Highlights High levels of variation (up to 10 times) on ITCs content along the year in a single Brassicaceae species were found. Brassicaceae vegetables are an important part of Mendoza vegetable market reaching up to 23% of the vegetables commercialized. Considering ITCs content, watercress and rocket were the vegetables with the highest ITCs levels.

Self-incompatibility (SI), which has recurred during the evolution of plants, is one of the most important cross-pollination mating systems. Three S-loci have been reported in Brassicaceae, namely, Arabidopsis lyrata (Al), Brassica (Br), and Leavenworthia alabamica (La) S-loci. Here, through multi-genomic comparative analysis of 20 species, we revealed that the most ancient S-locus was formed prior to the divergence of Brassicaceae lineage I and II. It was retained and inherited by Arabidopsis, as the Al S-locus in Brassicaceae lineage I. Furthermore, we found that the Br S-locus, which has been widely used in the breeding of Brassica crops to generate hybrid seeds, was formed through segmental translocation (ST) in the hexaploid ancestor of Brassica in Brassicaceae lineage II. The Br S-locus was evolved through a ST from one of the triplicated ancestral S-locus paralogs in the Brassica hexaploidy ancestor, while the other two S-locus paralogs were lost. Together with the previous discovery that the La S-locus was formed through a secondary origin in Brassicaceae lineage I, we conclude the monophyletic origin of Al and Br S-loci and clarify the evolutionary route of S-loci in the Brassicaceae family. Our findings will contribute to evolutionary studies and breeding applications of the S-locus in Brassicaceae.

Self-incompatibility (SI), which has recurred during the evolution of plants, is one of the most important cross-pollination mating systems. Three S-loci have been reported in Brassicaceae, namely, Arabidopsis lyrata (Al), Brassica (Br), and Leavenworthia alabamica (La) S-loci. Here, through multi-genomic comparative analysis of 20 species, we revealed that the most ancient S-locus was formed prior to the divergence of Brassicaceae lineage I and II. It was retained and inherited by Arabidopsis, as the Al S-locus in Brassicaceae lineage I. Furthermore, we found that the Br S-locus, which has been widely used in the breeding of Brassica crops to generate hybrid seeds, was formed through segmental translocation (ST) in the hexaploid ancestor of Brassica in Brassicaceae lineage II. The Br S-locus was evolved through a ST from one of the triplicated ancestral S-locus paralogs in the Brassica hexaploidy ancestor, while the other two S-locus paralogs were lost. Together with the previous discovery that the La S-locus was formed through a secondary origin in Brassicaceae lineage I, we conclude the monophyletic origin of Al and Br S-loci and clarify the evolutionary route of S-loci in the Brassicaceae family. Our findings will contribute to evolutionary studies and breeding applications of the S-locus in Brassicaceae.

The cosmopolitan flea beetle genera Phyllotreta and Psylliodes (Galerucinae, Alticini) are mainly associated with host plants in the family Brassicaceae and include economically important pests of crucifer crops. In this review, the host plant associations and geographical distributions of known species in these genera are summarised from the literature, and their proposed phylogenetic relationships to other Alticini analysed from published molecular phylogenetic studies of Galerucinae. Almost all Phyllotreta species are specialised on Brassicaceae and related plant families in the order Brassicales, whereas Psylliodes species are associated with host plants in approximately 24 different plant families, and 50% are specialised to feed on Brassicaceae. The current knowledge on how Phyllotreta and Psylliodes are adapted to the characteristic chemical defence in Brassicaceae is reviewed. Based on our findings we postulate that Phyllotreta and Psylliodes colonised Brassicaceae independently from each other.

Novel morphological structures allowed adaptation to dry conditions in early land plants. The cuticle, one such novelty, plays diverse roles in tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses and plant development. Cuticular waxes represent a major constituent of the cuticle and are comprised of an assortment of chemicals that include, among others, very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). Members of the β-ketoacyl coenzyme A synthases (KCS) gene family code for enzymes that are essential for fatty acid biosynthesis. The gene KCS6 (CUT1) is known to be a key player in the production of VLCFA precursors essential for the synthesis of cuticular waxes in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae). Despite its functional importance, relatively little is known about the evolutionary history of KCS6 or its paralog KCS5 in Brassicaceae or beyond. This lacuna becomes important when we extrapolate understanding of mechanisms gained from the model plant to its containing clades Brassicaceae, flowering plants, or beyond. The Brassicaceae, with several sequenced genomes and a known history of paleoploidy, mesopolyploidy and neopolyploidy, offer a system in which to study the evolution and diversification of the KCS6-KCS5 paralogy. Our phylogenetic analyses across green plants, combined with comparative genomic, microsynteny and evolutionary rates analyses across nine genomes of Brassicaceae, reveal that (1) the KCS6-KCS5 paralogy arose as the result of a large segmental duplication in the ancestral Brassicaceae, (2) the KCS6-KCS5 lineage is represented by a single copy in other flowering plant lineages, (3) the duplicated segments undergo different degrees of retention and loss, and (4) most of the genes in the KCS6 and KCS5 gene blocks (including KCS6 and KCS5 themselves) are under purifying selection. The last also true for most members of the KCS gene family in Brassicaceae, except for KCS8, KCS9 and KCS17, which are under positive selection and may be undergoing functional evolution, meriting further investigation. Overall, our results clearly establish that the ancestral KCS6/5 gene duplicated in the Brassicaceae lineage. It is possible that any specialized functions of KCS5 found in Brassicaceae are either part of a set of KCS6/5 gene functions in the rest of the flowering plants, or unique to Brassicaceae.

Nelly N, Rusli R, Yaherwandi, Yusmarika F (2010) Diversity of parasitoid Lepidopterans larvae on Brassicaceae. Biodiversitas 11: 93-96. Diversity of parasitoid lepidopterans larvae on Brassicaceae was conducted in several Brassicaceae areas in West Sumatra. The objective of the research was to study the diversity of parasitoid lepidopterans larvae on Brassicaceae. Sampling was conducted on Brassicaceae plants: cabbage, cauliflower, petsai and sawi. It was taken five samples in every plot, by using W method. Collection technique was done by direct collecting larvae, by using yellow trap and insect net. Adult of parasitoids was identified until family. The result of the research indicated that there was the diversity of parasitoid lepidopterans, the highest diversity was found on sawi. The number of parasitoid Lepidopterans larvae found was 566, 83 species, 9 families. The degree of parasitation on the three plants was low.