Promising kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) populations from Black Sea region, Turkey

This study was carried out in the Black Sea region of Turkey between 2001 and 2004. The objective was to develop new kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) variety candidates for fresh consumption. In the first year, 127 kale populations were collected from different ecogeographical areas in this region. All populations of native kale geno-types were examined for morphological characteristics. From the following observations, 22 types were evaluated as superior using a weighting-based ranking method. All populations showed a range of 15.9-21.9 cm for leaf length, 10.4-13.2 cm for leaf width, and 0.26-0.35 mm for leaf thickness. Leaf colours of selected types were dark green and very dark green, except for 61AK01. In the majority of populations harvest time occurred at 102 days and was classed as early. Range of the leaf number/plant was between 4.0 and 12.1. 52CA07 had the highest the leaf number/plant. At the end of this research, 11 types were selected as being promising for further breeding efforts. The other genetic resources were taken for preservation as breeding materials at Turkey Seed Gene Bank in Izmir-Menemen.