Table 2.
Characters studied and scoring methods used for the morphological field examinations
| Descriptor | Scoring method |
|---|---|
| Seed colour | White/cream (1), yellow (2), brown (3), black (4) |
| Seedling cotyledon shape | Narrow elliptic (1), broad elliptic to circular (2) |
| Seedling anthocyanin content | Absent (1), present (9) |
| Outer leaf colour | Yellow green (1), green (2), grey green (3), blue green (4), red green (5) |
| Outer leaf colour intensity | Light (3), medium (5), dark (7) |
| Leaf anthocyanin content | Absent (0), weak (3), medium (5), strong (7) |
| Leaf anthocyanin distribution | Absent (0), localised (1), entire (2) |
| Leaf anthocyanin pattern | Absent (0), diffused (1), in spots (2), diffused and in spots (3) |
| Leaf shape | Narrow elliptic (1), elliptic (2), Broad elliptic (3), circular (4), transverse broad elliptic (5), transverse elliptic (6), obovate (7), broad obtrullate (8), triangular (9) |
| Leaf division | 0 (1), 1/3 (3), 1/2 (5), 2/3 (7) |
| Leaf margin undulation | Scale ranging from low (1) to high (9) |
| Leaf venation | Not flabellate (1), flabellate (2) |
| Leaf incision of rosette leaves | Not incised (1), pinnatilobed—1/3 (2), pinnatifid—1/2 (3), pinnatipart—2/3 (4), pinnatisect—>2/3 (5) |
| Leaf incision of cauline leaves | Not incised (1), pinnatilobed—1/3 (2), pinnatifid—1/2 (3), pinnatipart—2/3 (4), pinnatisect—>2/3 (5) |
| Leaf blistering | Scale ranging from low (1) to high (9) |
| Tipburn sensitivity | Scale ranging from low (1) to high (9) |
| Spines on stem | Absent (0), few (3), moderate (5), many (7) |
| Spines on leaf midrib | Absent (0), few (3), moderate (5), many (7) |
| Head height | Scale ranging from low (1) to high (9) |
| Head shape | Absent (0), elliptic (1), broad elliptic (2), circular (3), transverse elliptic (4) |
| Head leaves overlap | No overlap (1), half overlap (5), complete overlap (9) |
| Heart formation | Absent (0), slight (3), moderate (5), well developed (7) |
| Plant diameter | Scale ranging from low (1) to high (9) |
| Side shoot formation tendency | Scale ranging from low (1) to high (9) |
| Bolting time | Number of days between the date of sowing and the date on which 50% of the plants started bolting |
| Flowering time | Number of days between the date of sowing and the date of appearance of the first flower head |
| Flower anthocyanin content | Absent (0), present (1) |