Effects of environmental factors on nitrate content of Chinese cabbage

To explore the influences of environmental conditions on Chinese cabbage nitrate accumulation, three Chinese cabbage varieties, with different nitrate enrichment abilities, were selected to be cultured in hydroponics in order to observe the differences of nitrate content among different genotypes of Chinese cabbage in different environmental conditions and to provide the references to depress the nitrate content of Chinese cabbage. The result showed that those environmental conditions, such as light, temperature, moisture, aeration conditions in hydroponics and salt stress, obviously influenced the nitrate content of Chinese cabbages of different genotypes. Among different genotypes, the nitrate content of the Chinese cabbage of high nitrate enrichment ability changed most with the changes of environments. While that of those varieties of low nitrate enrichment ability changed little. Therefore, the nitrate content of Chinese cabbage can be reduced by controlling environmental conditions and cultivating new breeds.