ABSTRACT
Grown worldwide vegetable Brassica are an important and highly diversifi ed group of crops that are largely represented by Brassica oleracea and B. rapa species. In the western hemisphere, B. oleracea is the predominant species encompassing a number of valuable crops harvested for both their
1Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research Centre, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0X2, Canada. *Corresponding author: isobel.parkin@agr.gc.ca
vegetative and fl oral structures including cabbage, broccoli, caulifl ower, Brussels sprouts, etc. In Asia, B. rapa is the more commonly cultivated species owing to the great cultural and economic importance of Chinese cabbage. Generally, of less economic relevance are the B. rapa and B. napus cultivars that provide the root vegetable turnip and turnip greens and the vegetables mustards of B. juncea species.
