ISHS Acta Horticulturae 637: XXVI International Horticultural Congress: Advances in Vegetable Breeding
BACK TO THE FUTURE OF FOOD: PHYTONUTRIENTS AND QUALITY IN VEGETABLE CROPS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY |
| Author: | I.L. Goldman |
| Keywords: | Functional foods, vegetables, nutraceuticals, breeding, phytonutrient |
| Abstract:
Plants are the foundation for a significant part of human medicine and for many of the most widely used drugs. Many vegetable crops were originally domesticated for medicinal purposes prior to their current use as food. Folkloric transmission of plant-based cures represents a formidable reservoir of information for most human cultures. While such remedies are still widely practiced throughout the world, recent scientific developments ushered in a new era of synthetic medicine. During the 20th century, modern medical science introduced monomolecular drugs, many of which have achieved great success. However, along with this revolution has come a realization that many traditional plant-based remedies, which generally contain a wide variety of complex secondary compounds, have been forgotten or obscured. Beginning with the discovery of the vitamins in the early part of the 20th century, key elements of the health functionality of specific crop plants were elucidated. This led to a greater understanding of the importance of vegetable crops in the human diet. However, it was not until the 1950s that consumption patterns were tied to nutritional composition. Recently, strides have been made to improve our understanding of how plant secondary compounds influence human health. This trend will likely continue as consumers continue to desire health functionality in traditional crops. During the 20th century, vegetable breeders made large improvements in vegetable quality traits such as maturity, processing characteristics, postharvest longevity, nutritional content, and culinary quality. As breeders focused on quality, yields increased because of improvements in production practices such as fertilization, pest control, and irrigation. Vegetable breeding during the 21st century will continue its focus on quality traits, and capitalize on the growing demand for the unique health functionality of vegetable crops. The future of vegetable crops is in their past. | |
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