Color Characteristics of Broccoli and Cauliflower Leaves Based on the Colorimeter Parameters

doi:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0029

Acta Horticulturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (4): 872-882.doi: 10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-0029

• Genetic & Breeding·Germplasm Resources·Molecular Biology • Previous Articles Next Articles

Color Characteristics of Broccoli and Cauliflower Leaves Based on the Colorimeter Parameters

ZHANG Yiying¹^,², ZHANG Yu¹^,², CHU Yunxia¹^,², CHEN Hairong¹^,², DENG Shan¹^,², LI Aiai³, ZHAO Hong¹^,², LIU Kun¹^,², HAN Ruixi³^,^**(), REN Li¹^,²^,^**()

¹ Institute for Agri-Food Standards and Testing Technology，Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences，Shanghai 201403，China
² Shanghai Sub-Center for Plant New Variety Tests，Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs，Shanghai 201415，China
³ Development Center of Science and Technology，Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs，Beijing 100176，China

Received:2024-03-22 Revised:2024-12-03 Online:2025-05-08 Published:2025-04-25
Contact: HAN Ruixi, REN Li

Abstract

Abstract:

The visual assessment of leaf color by the human eye presents inherent challenges and inaccuracies. To explore the feasibility of quantitative and digital definition of leaf color，this study collected and calculated leaf color parameters（L^*，a^*，b^*，C^*，H^* and E^*）from 56 broccoli（Brassica oleracea var. italica）germplasm resources and 74 cauliflower（Brassica oleracea var. botrytis）germplasm resources by using the colorimeter. These six parameters with leaf color-related traits of broccoli and cauliflower were further investigated. The results showed that the values of the color parameters measured by the colorimeter could effectively reflect the difference between blue-green，green，and gray-green of broccoli leaves and the intensity of cauliflower leaf colors. The values of the color parameters a^* and b^* were essential for identifying broccoli and cauliflower leaf colors. In addition，cuticular waxes on leaf surface also affect the identification of leaf color. The more cuticular waxes resulted in a smaller b^* value，corresponding to the more blue-green leaf color. Moreover，the L^* value could be used to distinguish leaf between broccoli and cauliflower. This study suggests the color parameters measured by the colorimeter can reflect the relevant characteristics of broccoli and cauliflower leaf color，which could avoid the subjectivity and inaccuracy of the color sensory judgment，providing an important reference for the digital description and quantitative analysis of broccoli and cauliflower leaf color and related traits.

Key words: broccoli, cauliflower, leaf color, colorimeter, color parameters

ZHANG Yiying, ZHANG Yu, CHU Yunxia, CHEN Hairong, DENG Shan, LI Aiai, ZHAO Hong, LIU Kun, HAN Ruixi, REN Li. Color Characteristics of Broccoli and Cauliflower Leaves Based on the Colorimeter Parameters[J]. Acta Horticulturae Sinica, 2025, 52(4): 872-882.

Figures/Tables 9

References 22

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作物 Crop	性状 Trait	表型代码 Phenotype code
作物 Crop	性状 Trait	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
青花菜 Broccoli	叶片颜色 Leaf color（LC）	绿色 Green	灰绿色 Grey green	蓝绿色 Blue green	—	—	—	—	—	—
青花菜 Broccoli	叶面蜡粉Cuticular waxes on leaf surface（CWLS）	无或极少 Very weak	极少到少 Very weak to weak	少 Weak	少到中 Weak to medium	中 Medium	中到多 Medium to strong	多 Strong	多到极多 Strong to very strong	极多 Very strong
花椰菜 Cauliflower	叶片颜色 Leaf color（LC）	绿色 Green	灰绿色 Grey green	蓝绿色 Blue green	—	—	—	—	—	—
	叶片颜色深浅 Leaf color intensity （LCI）	极浅 Very light	极浅到浅 Very light to light	浅 Light	浅到中 Light to medium	中 Medium	中到深 Medium to dark	深 Dark	深到极深 Dark to very dark	极深 Very dark
	叶面蜡粉Cuticular waxes on leaf surface（CWLS）	无或极少 Very weak	极少到少 Very weak to weak	少 Weak	少到中 Weak to medium	中 Medium	中到多 Medium to strong	多 Strong	多到极多 Strong to very strong	极多 Very strong

作物 Crop	性状 Trait	表型代码 Phenotype code
作物 Crop	性状 Trait	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
青花菜 Broccoli	叶片颜色 Leaf color（LC）	绿色 Green	灰绿色 Grey green	蓝绿色 Blue green	—	—	—	—	—	—
青花菜 Broccoli	叶面蜡粉Cuticular waxes on leaf surface（CWLS）	无或极少 Very weak	极少到少 Very weak to weak	少 Weak	少到中 Weak to medium	中 Medium	中到多 Medium to strong	多 Strong	多到极多 Strong to very strong	极多 Very strong
花椰菜 Cauliflower	叶片颜色 Leaf color（LC）	绿色 Green	灰绿色 Grey green	蓝绿色 Blue green	—	—	—	—	—	—
	叶片颜色深浅 Leaf color intensity （LCI）	极浅 Very light	极浅到浅 Very light to light	浅 Light	浅到中 Light to medium	中 Medium	中到深 Medium to dark	深 Dark	深到极深 Dark to very dark	极深 Very dark
	叶面蜡粉Cuticular waxes on leaf surface（CWLS）	无或极少 Very weak	极少到少 Very weak to weak	少 Weak	少到中 Weak to medium	中 Medium	中到多 Medium to strong	多 Strong	多到极多 Strong to very strong	极多 Very strong

作物 Crop	颜色参数 Parameter	品种内变异Intra-cultivars variation			品种间变异Inter-cultivars variation
作物 Crop	颜色参数 Parameter	CV/%	CV < 10%品种数 Number of cultivars of CV < 10%	符合率/% Coincidence	极小值 Min	极大值 Max	极差 Max-Min	均值 ± 标准差 Mean value ± Standard deviation	CV/%
青花菜 Broccoli	L^*	0.96 ~ 8.25	56	100.00	33.108	41.320	8.212	36.85 ± 1.98	5.38
	a^*	0.97 ~ 14.51	41	73.20	-7.672	-4.298	3.374	-6.22 ± 0.85	13.58
	b^*	8.20 ~ 188.03	3	5.36	0.636	7.658	7.022	4.59 ± 1.78	38.72
	C^*	2.36 ~ 19.21	21	37.50	4.345	10.625	6.280	7.81 ± 1.62	20.76
	H^*	2.21 ~ 226.99	28	50.00	-0.829	-0.139	0.690	-0.60 ± 0.17	27.75
	E^*	0.76 ~ 8.36	56	100.00	34.382	42.289	7.907	37.71 ± 1.88	4.97
花椰菜 Cauliflower	L^*	1.01 ~ 9.55	74	100.00	26.376	33.976	7.600	30.21 ± 1.43	4.73
	a^*	2.17 ~ 16.02	50	67.57	-7.298	-4.138	3.160	-5.71 ± 0.68	11.95
	b^*	3.01 ~ 32.49	23	31.08	3.144	8.704	5.560	5.59 ± 1.19	21.34
	C^*	1.92 ~ 20.34	35	47.30	5.267	11.359	6.092	8.00 ± 1.30	16.25
	H^*	0.83 ~ 19.02	63	85.14	-0.877	-0.621	0.256	-0.77 ± 0.06	7.60
	E^*	1.16 ~ 9.54	74	100.00	27.100	35.334	8.234	31.28 ± 1.58	5.07

作物 Crop	颜色参数 Parameter	品种内变异Intra-cultivars variation			品种间变异Inter-cultivars variation
作物 Crop	颜色参数 Parameter	CV/%	CV < 10%品种数 Number of cultivars of CV < 10%	符合率/% Coincidence	极小值 Min	极大值 Max	极差 Max-Min	均值 ± 标准差 Mean value ± Standard deviation	CV/%
青花菜 Broccoli	L^*	0.96 ~ 8.25	56	100.00	33.108	41.320	8.212	36.85 ± 1.98	5.38
	a^*	0.97 ~ 14.51	41	73.20	-7.672	-4.298	3.374	-6.22 ± 0.85	13.58
	b^*	8.20 ~ 188.03	3	5.36	0.636	7.658	7.022	4.59 ± 1.78	38.72
	C^*	2.36 ~ 19.21	21	37.50	4.345	10.625	6.280	7.81 ± 1.62	20.76
	H^*	2.21 ~ 226.99	28	50.00	-0.829	-0.139	0.690	-0.60 ± 0.17	27.75
	E^*	0.76 ~ 8.36	56	100.00	34.382	42.289	7.907	37.71 ± 1.88	4.97
花椰菜 Cauliflower	L^*	1.01 ~ 9.55	74	100.00	26.376	33.976	7.600	30.21 ± 1.43	4.73
	a^*	2.17 ~ 16.02	50	67.57	-7.298	-4.138	3.160	-5.71 ± 0.68	11.95
	b^*	3.01 ~ 32.49	23	31.08	3.144	8.704	5.560	5.59 ± 1.19	21.34
	C^*	1.92 ~ 20.34	35	47.30	5.267	11.359	6.092	8.00 ± 1.30	16.25
	H^*	0.83 ~ 19.02	63	85.14	-0.877	-0.621	0.256	-0.77 ± 0.06	7.60
	E^*	1.16 ~ 9.54	74	100.00	27.100	35.334	8.234	31.28 ± 1.58	5.07

	L^*	a^*	b^*	C^*	H^*	E^*	叶色Leaf color	蜡粉Cuticular waxes
L^*	1.000
a^*	0.188	1.000
b^*	-0.341^*	-0.935^**	1.000
C^*	-0.278^*	-0.976^**	0.986^**	1.000
H^*	0.391^**	0.836^**	-0.955^**	-0.899^**	1.000
E^*	0.986^**	0.028	-0.185	-0.116	0.257	1.000
叶色Leaf color	0.263	0.643^**	-0.639^**	-0.644^**	0.616^**	0.164	1.000
蜡粉Cuticular waxes	0.357^**	0.485^**	-0.554^**	-0.538^**	0.529^**	0.278^*	0.398^**	1.000

Color Characteristics of Broccoli and Cauliflower Leaves Based on the Colorimeter Parameters

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	L^*	a^*	b^*	C^*	H^*	E^*	叶色 Leaf color	叶色深浅Leaf color intensity	蜡粉 Cuticular waxes
L^*	1.000
a^*	-0.574^**	1.000
b^*	0.479^**	-0.931^**	1.000
C^*	0.523^**	-0.973^**	0.990^**	1.000
H^*	-0.301^**	0.699^**	-0.901^**	-0.836^**	1.000
E^*	0.983^**	-0.708^**	0.628^**	0.669^**	-0.437^**	1.000
叶色Leaf color	0.051	0.217	-0.215	-0.219	0.196	-0.001	1.000
叶色深浅Leaf color intensity	-0.556^**	0.552^**	-0.613^**	-0.601^**	0.565^**	-0.612^**	-0.060	1.000
蜡粉Cuticular waxes	-0.041	0.179	-0.315^**	-0.268^*	0.401^**	-0.093	0.177	0.270^*	1.000

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