Artificial Domestication Enhances Bioactive Profiles and Antioxidant Capacity in Two Wild Asteraceae Plants

Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz. and Sonchus oleraceus L. are perennial herbaceous species with strong antioxidant capacities; however, these species have not been widely utilized as medicinal materials because their natural populations are limited, and manual harvesting is labor-intensive. In this study, we compared the yield, bioactive components (in leaves and roots), and antioxidant capacity of domesticated and wild populations of both species. Domesticated cultivation significantly increased the contents of ascorbic acid, total phenols, and flavonoids in T. mongolicum leaves, total phenols in T. mongolicum roots, and total phenols and flavonoids in S. oleraceus leaves. Domestication markedly enhanced antioxidant capacity (with the exception of S. oleraceus roots) and the free radical scavenging capacity in the leaves and roots of both wild vegetable species (with the exception of S. oleraceus roots). Domesticated cultivation also substantially improved yield, with T. mongolicum yield increasing by 12,850 kg/ha (fresh weight) and S. oleraceus yield increasing by 18,600 kg/ha (fresh weight). Correlation analysis showed that the free radical scavenging capacity of leaves in both species was significantly negatively correlated with the soluble sugar content, whereas the soluble sugar content in roots was significantly positively correlated with the soluble protein content. Overall, our findings will aid further studies of bioactive substances and antioxidant-related genes in T. mongolicum and S. oleraceus.