V.V. Osipova
Oktemsky branch of the Yakut State Agricultural Academy, per. Moiseeva, 16, s. Oktemtsy, Khangalasskii r-n, Respublika Sakha (Yakutiya), 678011, Russian Federation
Summary. To reveal the mechanisms of adaptation of winter-hardy varieties of sickle alfalfa (Yakutskaya Zheltaya) and bastard alfalfa (Syulinskaya) to the extreme environmental conditions the qualitative and quantitative pigment composition of their leaves was studied in Yakutia on cryosolic taiga pale-yellow soils. Pigments were studied by photometric method in green leaves at mowing from June 20, 2001 to August 10, 2011 and in aftergrass from August 10, 2011 to September 30, 2001 every 10 days. The sum of lutein and zeaxanthin composed a larger part of carotenoids in alfalfa leaves, then there was violanxanthin and beta-carotene; the smaller part was presented by neoxanthin. The fodder mass of alfalfa, cut to the end of June, was characterized by the increased content of beta-carotene: in Yakutskaya Zheltaya – 495.32-603.13 mcg/g of dry weight, in Syulinskaya – 462.37-582.51 mcg/g; afterward, the value of this index reduced to 419.87 mcg/g. In alfalfa aftergrass the content of beta-carotene is higher than in plants before the first cutting. It reached the maximum values in the second decade of September: in Yakutskaya Zheltaya – 579.57 mcg/g, Syulinskaya – 532.9 mcg/g. The synthesis of carotenoids in leaves intensified in September at a lower temperature, which can be explained by the increase in a number of xanthophylls component. The fraction of the oxidized forms of carotenoids (xanthophylls) varied over cuttings for Yakutskaya Zheltaya cultivar within 65.94-68.87 %, for Syulinskaya variety – 65.11-70.86 %. In aftergrass their content was higher: 67.53-77.78 and 65.59-77.38 %, respectively. The content of xanthophylls in the green mass of plants of Yakutskaya Zheltaya cultivar before the first cutting was 1.94-2.21 times higher than the content of beta-carotene. For Syulinskaya variety this ratio was equal to 1.86-2.43 times. In aftergrass the difference amounted to 2.18-3.50 and 2.05-3.42 times, respectively.
Keywords: pigments, carotenoids, alfalfa, mowing, aftergrass, green leaves.
Author Details: V.V. Osipova, Cand. Sc. (Agr.), assoc. prof. (е-mail: Этот адрес электронной почты защищён от спам-ботов. У вас должен быть включен JavaScript для просмотра.).
For citation: Osipova V.V. Pigment Composition of Leaves of Alfalfa (Medicago falcata L., Medicago varia M.). Dostizheniya nauki i tekhniki APK. 2016. V.30. No. 11. Pp. 66-68 (in Russ.).