The solar radiation (SR) is one of the key factors for plant adaptation, and of its growth and development, and for several horticultural crops is important for reaching good yield and produce quality. The SR vary in Europe from 2189 to 517 kwh from Sicily to North cape. Sprouts, microgreens, and baby-leaves, recognized as novel foods due to their high nutraceutical value, have attracted significant attention in the market. The novel foods production could be affected by solar radiation especially when it is carried out in greenhouse in several countries and along their latitudes. Our study aimed to investigate how solar radiation affects the growth of these plants by conducting a thorough analysis of their morphometric characteristics and biochemical profiles. Two different genotypes of commercial rocket, namely L. var. and var. , along with the Sicilian Black sprouting broccoli ( var. Plenck, Broccolo nero), were examined at different initial plant growth stages, sprouts, microgreens, and baby-leaves. The experimental trial was carried out in Sicily (Italy) utilizing black shade nets with varying levels of solar radiation (SR100, SR60, SR40). The harvested plantlets were analysed for their main morphometric traits, as sprout weight, hypocotyl length, cotyledon dimensions, in addition to the dimensions of the first true leaf for microgreens, and stem length for baby-leaves. Several biochemical parameters, such as total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and several antioxidant assays including DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) were determined. The total glucosinolate content, the sucrose, fructose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and total sugars amount were detected. We observed significant variations in the sugar content, particularly under reduced solar radiation and during the baby-leaves stage, characterized by decreased FOS levels and simultaneous increases in sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Moreover, antioxidant capacity showed a progressive enhancement from sprouts to baby-leaves. FRAP and DPPH capacity were significantly affected by the genotype. Interestingly, TFC was the most influenced by SR100, particularly in microgreens. This expanded knowledge base not only advances scientific understanding of these novel foods but also provides substantial adaptation to the different solar radiation conditions in different latitude of the world, permitting to individuate the genotypes more efficient in relation to the solar radiation available.

中文翻译：

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西兰花 (Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck) 和芝麻菜 (Eruca sativa L.) 在植物生长初期的光利用效率


太阳辐射（SR）是植物适应及其生长和发育的关键因素之一，对于几种园艺作物来说，它对于达到良好的产量和产品质量非常重要。在欧洲，从西西里岛到北角，SR 从 2189 千瓦时到 517 千瓦时不等。豆芽、微型蔬菜和婴儿叶因其高营养保健价值而被认为是新型食品，引起了市场的广泛关注。新型食品的生产可能会受到太阳辐射的影响，尤其是在一些国家及其纬度地区的温室中进行生产时。我们的研究旨在通过对植物的形态特征和生化特征进行彻底分析，研究太阳辐射如何影响这些植物的生长。商业火箭的两种不同基因型，即L. var。和变种。以及西西里黑发芽西兰花（var. Plenck、Broccolo nero）在植物不同的初始生长阶段、豆芽、小绿菜和幼叶进行了检查。该实验在意大利西西里岛进行，使用具有不同太阳辐射水平（SR100、SR60、SR40）的黑色遮阳网。分析收获的幼苗的主要形态特征，如芽重、下胚轴长度、子叶尺寸，以及小绿叶第一片真叶的尺寸和幼叶的茎长度。多种生化参数，例如总酚含量 (TPC)、总黄酮含量 (TFC) 以及多种抗氧化剂测定，包括 DPPH（2,2-二苯基-1-三硝基苯肼）、ORAC（氧自由基吸收能力）和 FRAP（三价铁）降低抗氧化能力）进行了测定。 检测总芥子油苷含量、蔗糖、果糖、低聚果糖（FOS）和总糖量。我们观察到糖含量的显着变化，特别是在太阳辐射减少和幼叶阶段，其特点是低聚果糖水平降低，同时蔗糖、葡萄糖和果糖水平增加。此外，从豆芽到嫩叶，抗氧化能力逐渐增强。 FRAP 和 DPPH 能力受基因型显着影响。有趣的是，TFC 受 SR100 的影响最大，特别是在微型蔬菜中。这一扩展的知识库不仅促进了对这些新奇食物的科学理解，而且还为世界不同纬度的不同太阳辐射条件提供了实质性的适应，使得能够根据可用的太阳辐射更有效地对基因型进行个体化。