Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Nutritional analysis of six forest species grown in two different edaphological conditions in a Mediterranean environment: II. Do pigments serve as a non-destructive diagnostic method?

Author(s):

Begoña Blasco ¹, María M. Rubio-Wilhelmi ¹, Eva Sánchez-Rodríguez ¹, Francisco Serrano ², Juan M. Ruiz ¹, Jose L. Rosua ², Luis Romero ^1*

Recieved Date: 2010-07-12, Accepted Date: 2010-10-24

Abstract:

The species studied were Quercus rotundifolia, Juniperus oxycedrus, Retama sphaerocarpa, Cistus albidus, Phlomis lychnitis and Daphne gnidium, which were grown in two different soils that differed in pH 6.0 (Llano de la Perdiz) and 8.0 (Sierra Elvira), both zones in Granada (Spain) and under analogous environmental conditions ¹. The chlorophyll content in its different forms showed that in the Llano de la Perdiz C. albidus presented a greater content than did Q. rotundifolia. Comparable behaviour was found in the area of Sierra Elvira. In the case of the carotenoids, Q. rotundifolia presented the lowest values in both zones. For lycopene, great differences were found between species but not between zones. The lowest content was found in J. oxycedrus and Q. rotundifolia, and the highest one was registered by C. albidus and R. sphaerocarpa, with a content of 40% more than the others. In the case of anthocyanins, Q. rotundifolia and P. lychnitis were notable for their low content in Llano de la Perdiz. This same phenomenon was repeated in Sierra Elvira. This clearly indicates a direct relationship between the chlorophyll level and the nutrient content, as well as the relationship of the environmental conditions with respect to the content of non-photosynthetic pigments. The high content of pigments, photosynthetic or not, in these plants makes them capable of resisting such extreme environmental conditions in which they grow.

Keywords:

Forest species, Mediterranean environment, pigments

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2010
Volume: 8
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 1297-1299

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