A method for determining the relative ascorbate profile value of a test plant line compared to a reference plant line comprising the steps of a. determining the ascorbate profile value for a test plant line and for a reference plant line grown under similar conditions according to a method comprising for each of said test plant lines and said reference plant line the steps of (i) growing several seedlings of said plant line for a time sufficient to generate a population of seedlings wherein at least one plant part does not develop any further, wherein said plant part which does not develop any further is a cotyledon or an epicotyl or the first or second developing true leaf; (ii) harvesting said plant parts at said time where said at least one plant part does not develop any further and determining the weight of the individual plant parts and measuring the concentration of ascorbate in said individual plant parts; (iii) plotting the concentration of ascorbate versus the weight determined for each individual plant to obtain a collection of data points; (iv) performing regression analysis on the data points to obtain a linear regression curve; (v) determining the slope of the linear regression curve, which corresponds to the ascorbate profile value of the plant line; and b. dividing the ascorbate profile value of the test plant line by the ascorbate profile value of the reference plant line to obtain the relative ascorbate profile value. a. determining the ascorbate profile value for a test plant line and for a reference plant line grown under similar conditions according to a method comprising for each of said test plant lines and said reference plant line the steps of (i) growing several seedlings of said plant line for a time sufficient to generate a population of seedlings wherein at least one plant part does not develop any further, wherein said plant part which does not develop any further is a cotyledon or an epicotyl or the first or second developing true leaf; (ii) harvesting said plant parts at said time where said at least one plant part does not develop any further and determining the weight of the individual plant parts and measuring the concentration of ascorbate in said individual plant parts; (iii) plotting the concentration of ascorbate versus the weight determined for each individual plant to obtain a collection of data points; (iv) performing regression analysis on the data points to obtain a linear regression curve; (v) determining the slope of the linear regression curve, which corresponds to the ascorbate profile value of the plant line; and (i) growing several seedlings of said plant line for a time sufficient to generate a population of seedlings wherein at least one plant part does not develop any further, wherein said plant part which does not develop any further is a cotyledon or an epicotyl or the first or second developing true leaf; (ii) harvesting said plant parts at said time where said at least one plant part does not develop any further and determining the weight of the individual plant parts and measuring the concentration of ascorbate in said individual plant parts; (iii) plotting the concentration of ascorbate versus the weight determined for each individual plant to obtain a collection of data points; (iv) performing regression analysis on the data points to obtain a linear regression curve; (v) determining the slope of the linear regression curve, which corresponds to the ascorbate profile value of the plant line; and b. dividing the ascorbate profile value of the test plant line by the ascorbate profile value of the reference plant line to obtain the relative ascorbate profile value.