SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC QUANTIFICATION OF GREEN PIGMENTS AND TOTAL CAROTENOIDS FROM MISTLETOE GROWN ON DIFFERENT HOST TREES

Abstract

Mistletoe (Viscum album subsp. album) is native from Europe and is a hemiparasitic plant that lives on different host trees. This plant depends for water and mineral nutrition on its host trees, but is able to have own photosynthesis to produce organic substances. The main objective was to quantify the chlorophyll a and b, and total carotenoids from leaves of mistletoe that are growed up on four different host trees (apricot, sallow, hawthorn and sweetbrier) in two different periods (December, 2017 and April, 2018). The mistletoe samples have been harvested on December (2017) and April (2018) from the North-East of Romania near Mișca, Bihor county. The photosynthetic pigments were measured by spectrophotometric method using ethanol as solvent. The differences between the levels of green pigments from leaves of mistletoe growing of different host trees and different seasons were noticed. Leaves of mistletoe harvested on winter showed the highest content in photosynthetic pigments compared with leaves harvested on spring. The composition and contents of photosynthetic pigments appear to be important for the determination of physiological characteristics of Viscum album subsp. album growing of different host trees.

Keywords

• Viscum album subsp. album
• chlorophylls
• Prunus armeniaca
• Salix L.
• Crataegus monogyna
• Rosa canina