| dc.description.abstract | Wild rocket, scientifically known as Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC is a leafy green
plant from the Brassicaceae family. Native to the Medditerian region, today this perennial
plant is cultivated worldwide, owing to the distinctive pungent taste of its deeply lobed green
leaves. Beyond their culinary uses, the leaves of wild rocket exhibit potential for
pharmaceutical applications due to their rich bioactive compounds profile. These include
vitamins, pigments (chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids), phenolics, and glucosinolates (GLSs),
all exhibiting strong antioxidant and anti-cancer activities. This study aimed to evaluate the
effects of biofortification, employing biostimulant Kelpak and two distinct foliar fertilizers
(iron and potassium-enriched) in comparison to a control group, on the phenolic and
glucosinolate content in the leaves of wild rocket hybrid T&T F1. Using an ultra-highperformance
liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system, coupled with a quadrupole time-offlight
mass spectrometry (Q-ToF-MS), a total of twenty-three plant phenolics was quantified,
and the relative content of four glucosinolates was evaluated in 70% methanol extracts.
Concerning the overall content of phenolic compounds, treatment involving iron application
showed the highest levels at 3549.1 mg/kg of fresh weight (FW), while the control group
exhibited the lowest content (2171.4 mg/kg FW). Moreover, the most prominent phenolics
included quercetin-3,4'-di-O-hexoside-3'-O-(6"-sinapoyl)-hexoside (ranging from 527.2 to
651.8 mg/kg FW among groups) and 1,8-dipropoxyanthraquinone (278.3-558.5 mg/kg FW).
The control and iron-enriched samples exhibited the presence of kaempferol-3,7,4'-tri-Ohexoside
+ HCOOH and isorhamnetin-3-O-hexoside-4'-O-gentobioside, in addition to the
non-identified sinapic acid hydroxide in the Kelpak treated group. Additionally, the
determination of relative GLSs content of glucosativin, glucoerucin, neoglucobrassicin, and
DMB-GLS revealed that glucosativin was the dominant compound, with proportions ranging
from 79.8% (Kelpak treatments) to 89.1% (iron treatments). In conclusion, selected hybrid
biofortification treatments, notably through the use of iron foliar fertilizers, enhanced
phenolic and glucosinolate leaf content, highlighting its potential significance in nutrition and
medicine. | sr |
