Kohlrabi Reasearch Questions

What is Kohlrabi?

          Kohlrabi is a Cruciferous plant, that is a part of the nutrient packed Brassicaceae family. It is a vegetable that shares common characteristics with other vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower, who are also a part of the family. The Kohlrabi has two colours, green and purple, and it is shaped like a slightly flattened ball while a couple stalks come out of one of its sides. Kohlrabi is also a perennial vegetable, meaning it survives throughout the year and its seasons, and it can last for several more years after the first. It is very high in nutrition and is good for the immune system.

Superschmelz Kohlrabi

            Superschmelz Kohlrabi is a subspecies of the Cruciferous plant Kohlrabi. It is a giant version of the Kohlrabi and it can grow to massive sizes. The bulb of the plant can reach lengths of 10 inches, and it can reach weights over ten pounds. The makeup of the vegetable is the same as the original Kohlrabi, but the size and quality of it is very different. It is well known for its flavourful taste and tenderness.

Kohlrabi Taxonomy

1. Kingdom: Plantae

   Kohlrabi is a part of the Kingdom Plantae, which is the kingdom made up of self nourishing organisms that undergo photosynthesis and contain a special green pigment, chlorophyll, which allows photosynthesis to occur. Organisms within this kingdom are also almost always green in some way, and they have a cell wall surrounding every individual cell, which allows them to be strong and gives them shape.

2. Phylum: Anthophyta
   
       Kohlrabi is in the phylum known as Anthophyta. All organism within this phylum have the same body plan and structure and they are all also angiosperms, (flowering plants). The plants seeds are created within the ovaries of each organism.
3. Class: Eudicotyledones
   
       Kohlrabi is in a class with organisms known as Eudicotyledones. These organisms are flowering plants that have two cotyledons. Leaves with netlike veins which stem from one main vein are exclusive to this group. Eudicots are also the only organisms to have multiple flower parts, which usually varies between four and five.
4. Order: Brassicales
   
      Kohlrabi is a part of the Brassicales order. All members of this order are genetically, chemically and structurally similar to one another. They are also the only order that has organisms who produce Glucosinolate, which is mustard oil.
5. Family: Brassicaceae
   
      Kohlrabi is a member of the Brassicaceae family. Organisms in this family usually have four flower petals, and they form like a cross. These plants also have flower clusters located around them.
6. Genus: Brassica
   
       Kohlrabi is in the Brassica Genus. The organisms in this Genus are edible, and they are usually vegetables as well as plants. They are all related to mustard and cabbage plant, and they are Cruciferous, which means they have flowers that form in the shape of a cross
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7. Species: Brassica Oleracea    
   
      Kohlrabi is a part of the species known a Brassica Oleracea. This species includes all wild flower and they are all biennial, which means it takes two years for the organisms in this species to complete their full life cycle. These plants are rich in Vitamin C and other nutrients and they also form large fleshy and thick leaves, which grow nicely around the stem. They are also very specialized, and they have adapted so they can store a lot of water and nutrients when they are in tough environments. In their final year of life, they will also grow a spike, which then holds a yellow flower.

                                                           

Nutritional Value
  Per one serving  (135g)

• Calories: 37 .........................................................................................................(2%)
• Carbohydrates: 8.5 g ...........................................................................................(3%)
• Fibre: 5 g .............................................................................................................(19%)
• Fat: 0.1 g .............................................................................................................
• Sugar: 3.5 g ........................................................................................................
• Protein: 2.3 g .......................................................................................................(5%)
• Vitamin C: 84 mg .................................................................................................(140%)
• A lot of Water

Phototrophism

         

          Phototropism is the growth of a specific part of a plant towards, or in the direction of a light source. The whole organism does not move, it is just the certain part and this happens mainly in plants, but it can happen in other types of organism too. Positive Phototropism is when the part grows toward the light source, where as negative phototropism is when the part grows away from the light source.

 

 

Cotyledon and it's significance

          A cotyledon is a leaf of the embryo of a seed-bearing plant. Once a seed has germinated, the cotyledons become green. Cotyledons are significant because they store nutrients for the embryo. They are also important because they are the first part of the plant which breaks through the surface or ground of what it is growing in. Once it is exposed to light, it goes through the process of photosynthesis and starts to make glucose. This is very important to the plant, because this is how the plant gets its food and energy. There are two types of cotyledon plants. The dicotyledon has two cotyledons, and they are normally net veined The monocotyledon, which only has one cotyledon, has leaf veins that are parallel to each other.

The Kohlrabi has two cotyledons, so it is a dictoyledon.

Growth Parameters

• Size: 20-25 cm
• Light: Full Sun
• Soil: Well drained organic soil
• Temperature: Below 40 degrees/ cool temperatures
• Time: 40-75 days (depends on conditions)
• Humidity: Average (better with low humidity)

Sprouting Method

          Sprouting can be done in many ways using jars, cloths, trays, sprouting bags and many more. The method we have chosen to explain involves using cloths.
 

1.      Place Kohlrabi seeds on a tray lined with a wet cloth.

2.      Place a second wet cloth on top of the seeds to keep them moist. If necessary, sprinkle water on top of the cloth every 12 hours to keep the seeds hydrated as time passes.
         The process of soaking the seeds will speed up the germination rate and reduce growing time, once the Kohlrabi seeds are planted in the ground, by days or even weeks.

Seed Anatomy
 

 

Hypothesis

        The objective of the Kohlrabi Germination Experiment is to test and determine which of the following three temperatures is best for Kohlrabi seed growth: Room temperature, Heat Mat temperature and Refrigerator temperature. As a group, we believe that the Kohlrabi seeds that will show the fastest germination rate will be the Heat Mat seeds, with a temperature of 32 degrees Celsius.