You may never have heard of the plant Brassica Oleracea锛� but you‘ve definitely eaten it.

浣犲彲鑳藉緸鏈伣瑾亷鑺辨ぐ鑿�锛屼絾浣犺偗瀹氬悆閬�銆�

Six vegetables you can find in any grocery store and which most people eat on a regular basis are actually all from this one plant. Over the last few thousand years锛� farmers have bred Brassica Oleracea into six “cultivars” that eventually became many of the vegetables we eat.

闆滆波搴楀父瑕嬬殑鍏ó钄彍锛屼汉鍊戜篃缍�(j墨ng)甯稿悆閫欏咕绋敩鑿�锛屼絾瀵�(sh铆)闅涗笂锛岄€欏叚绋敩鑿滈兘鏄竴绋敩鑿滅殑璁婄ó銆傞亷鍘诲咕鍗冨勾涓�锛岃静(n贸ng)姘戝煿鑲插嚭瑷卞鑺辨ぐ鑿滅殑璁婄ó锛屽苟鏈€绲傝璁婃垚浜嗘垜鍊戜粖澶╁悆鐨勮ū澶氳敩鑿溿€�

This one plant was selectively bred over hundreds of years to create dozens of wildly different vegetables. By selecting and breeding plants with bigger leaves锛� or larger buds锛� the different cultivars (also known as subspecies) were created.

骞剧櫨骞撮枔锛屼汉鍊戞湁閬告搰鐨勫皪閫欑ó妞嶇墿閫�(j矛n)琛屽煿鑲�锛屽苟鎴愬姛鍩硅偛鍑哄咕鍗佺ó涓嶅悓鐨勯噹鐢熻敩鑿�銆傞€氶亷閬告搰鍜屽煿鑲查偅浜涜憠瀛愯純澶�銆佽娊杓冨仴澹殑鍝佺ó锛屼汉鍊戝壍(chu脿ng)閫犲嚭瑷卞瑭叉鐗╃殑璁婄ó(涔熺ū涔嬬偤浜炵ó)銆�

Kale锛� collard greens锛� and Chinese broccoli were created by making the leaves of the ancestor plant‘s leaves bigger锛� and were the first brassica domesticated锛� sometime before 300 BCE. Collard greens were developed in Europe锛� while Chinese broccoli was domesticated in China.

閫氶亷浣垮緱鍓嶄汉鍩硅偛妞嶇墿鐨勮憠瀛愭洿澶�锛屾垜鍊戝煿鑲插嚭浜嗙窘琛ｇ敇钘�(l谩n)鍜岃姤钘�(l谩n);鍏厓鍓�300骞村乏鍙�锛屼汉鍊戝煿鑲插嚭浜嗙涓€鎵硅晸鑻�銆傜窘琛ｇ敇钘�(l谩n)鏄瓙娲蹭汉鍩硅偛鍑轰締鐨�锛岃€岃柡钘�(l谩n)鏄腑鍦嬩汉鍩硅偛鍑轰締鐨勩€�

Red锛� green and savoy cabbages were created from a kale cultivar (likely the European collard greens) in the 1200s by selecting for a large terminal bud — the growing end at the top of the plant. The leaves are tightly wound around a short锛� wide stem (the cabbage‘s core).

13涓栫磤(j矛)宸﹀彸锛岄€氶亷灏嶇窘琛ｇ敇钘�(l谩n)璁婄ó鐨勮娊閫�(j矛n)琛岄伕鎿囨€у煿鑲诧紝浜哄€戝煿鑲插嚭浜嗙磪鐞冪敇钘�(l谩n)銆佸嵎蹇冭彍鍜岃柀娌冧紛鐧借彍銆備粬鍊戠殑钁夊瓙绶婄穵鍦扮簭鍦ㄩ偅鍙堢煭鍙堝鐨勮帠涓�(鐧借彍蹇�)銆�

Brussels sprouts are like tiny cabbages锛� except they grow from the buds along the plant’s stem. They first hit the scene in the 1200s as well.

鐞冭娊鐢樿棈(l谩n)寰堝儚寰瀷鐨勫ぇ鐧借彍锛屼絾鏄悆鑺界敇钘�(l谩n)鐨勬灉瀵�(sh铆)娌胯憲鑾栫敓闀枫€傜悆鑺界敇钘�(l谩n)涔熸槸鍦�13涓栫磤(j矛)宸﹀彸棣栨鍑虹従(xi脿n)鐨�銆�

Kohlrabi was created by selecting for a thicker stalk in a kale plant around the 1400s.

閫氶亷灏嶈帠楂旇純绮楃殑缇借。鐢樿棈(l谩n)閫�(j矛n)琛岄伕鎿囧煿鑲诧紝浜哄€戝張鍦�15涓栫磤(j矛)宸﹀彸鍩硅偛鍑轰簡澶ч牠鑿�銆�

Broccoli was created from a kale predecessor in the 1500s by selecting for the larger flower clusters锛� which are then harvested before they bloom. Cauliflower was developed from one of hundreds of broccoli varieties.

閫氶亷灏嶈姳楂旇純澶х殑缇借。鐢樿棈(l谩n)閫�(j矛n)琛岄伕鎿囨€у煿鑲诧紝浜哄€戝張鍦�16涓栫磤(j矛)宸﹀彸鍩硅偛鍑轰簡瑗胯槶鑺�;閫欑ó妞嶇墿闁嬭姳鍓嶅氨鍙互閫�(j矛n)琛屾敹鍓蹭簡銆傝€岃姳鑿滃張鏄緸涓婄櫨绋タ铇姳璁婄ó涓煿鑲插嚭渚嗙殑銆�

The amazing evolution of Brassica Oleracea just goes to show锛� Humans have been tinkering with the genetics of our food for much longer than we‘ve been creating what are now known as genetically modified foods锛� or GMOs. These new lab techniques just let us do it in a more precise and directed way.

鑺辨ぐ鑿滅殑琛嶈畩姝峰彶璁撲汉椹氳锛屽緸涓笉闆ｇ櫦(f膩)鐝�(xi脿n)锛屼汉椤炴敼鍠勯鐗╁熀鍥犳墍鐢ㄧ殑鏅傞枔瑕侀暦浜庡壍(chu脿ng)閫犺綁(zhu菐n)鍩哄洜椋熺墿鐨勬檪闁撱€傞€欎簺鏂版妧琛�(sh霉)璁撴垜鍊戣兘澶犳洿鍔犵簿纰虹洿鎺ョ殑鍩硅偛妞嶇墿銆�