Yield and quality analysis of Polygala fallax during different cultivating years

Abstract

In order to find out the optimum harvest time of Polygala fallax, the study analyzed the root morphology, biomass, medicinal components, nutritional components and mineral elements of P. fallax roots during the 1-5 cultivating years by national standards and other methods. The results were as follows: (1) The morphology and biomass of P. fallax roots increased slowly during the first two cultivating years, and increased rapidly during the 2-3 cultivating years, however the parameters tended to be flat during the 3-5 cultivating years. (2) The contents of different medicinal ingredients varied significantly within the cultivating years, crude polysaccharides reached to the peak in the first year, total saponins reached to the peak in the second year, and total flavonoids reached to the peak in the fourth year. (3) The mineral elements showed various behavior among cultivating years, the contents of Ca, Mg, Mn and Cu accumulated to the maximum in the third year, the content of Fe decreased with increasing cultivating years, and the content of Pb increased with increasing cultivating years. (4) Crude protein content increased first and then decreased, and the same change trends were observed in the contents of total ash and crude fat, both of which decreased as cultivating years increasing. (5) P. fallax reached a high yield in the third cultivating year, and most of the quality indicators in the roots of 4-5 year at the lowest value, and the third year was the ideal harvest period for P. fallax, which provided technical guidance for high-yield and good quality of P. fallax. The results of the study elucidate the dynamics accumulation of P. fallax during different cultivating years and reveal the optimum harvest time of P. fallax.

Keywords

• polygala fallax
• cultivating year
• biomass
• medicinal components
• nutritional components