Accumulation of ash and photosynthetic pigments in the raw material of Astragalus

Abstract

Five Astragalus species (A. cicer, A. falcatus, A. galegiformis, A. glycyphyllos, and A. ponticus) grown at the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine were investigated. Plant raw material was collected at different ontogenetic stages, including budding, flowering, and fruiting. After that, the content of ash, calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and photosynthetic pigments was analyzed and statistically processed. The content of ash varied from 3.12 to 5.22 %, calcium – from 0.31 to 0.91 %, phosphorus – from 0.07 to 0.14 %, and nitrogen – from 1.93 to 2.48 % depending on the stage of growth. The content of chlorophyll a varied from 0.901 to 2.475 mg/g FW (fresh weight), chlorophyll b – from 0.190 to 0.676 mg/g FW, and carotenoids – from 0.496 to 1.129 mg/g FW. Thus, the accumulation of ash and its components in the raw material of the investigated species depended on the period of growth and certain species. Content of photosynthetic pigments correlated with the content of phosphorus (r = 0.887–0.999) and with plant increment (r = 0.756–0.998) for all investigated species. Obtained data can be applied to analyze productivity and during the cultivation of these plants.

Keywords

• Astragalus
• raw material
• ash content
• photosynthetic pigments
• correlation