PIGMENT CONTENT IN THE LEAVES OF ORNAMENTAL GRASSES IN THE STEPPE ZONE OF UKRAINE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/1998-6475.2026.60.5Keywords:
Miscanthus, Festuca, chlorophylls, carotenoids, droughtAbstract
The article presents the results of studies of the level of chlorophylls and carotenoids in the leaves of ornamental grasses (Festuca ovina L., Miskantus sinensis Anderss) in the steppe zone of Ukraine in response to arid growth conditions. It was found that the content of photosynthetic pigments in F. ovina and M. sinensis varied speciesspecifically throughout the season, depending on the vegetation phase and weather conditions. The amount of pigments in the leaves of both species was significantly affected by insufficient moisture levels. This is confirmed by high correlation coefficients, and the strength of the relationship increased over time. It has been shown that at the beginning of ontogenesis, the concentrations of chlorophylls a and b, as well as total carotenoids in the leaves of the studied ornamental grasses were similar. Compared to M. sinensis, F. ovina reacted more sharply to prolonged drought during the growing season. This was indicated by a significant decrease in the content of chlorophyll (from 1.3 times during the mass flowering phase and 2.5 times at the end of the growing season) and carotenoids (1.1 and 1.3 times less, relative to the beginning of the growing season) in its leaves, which were used to offset the negative effects of stress. As a result, the chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio was reduced by almost half, and the balance between the amount of light energy absorbed by pigments and its efficient use in photosynthetic reactions was disrupted. In M. sinensis plants, high temperatures and insufficient moisture during the mass flowering phase induced the onset of protective reactions in cells: a slight increase in chlorophyll a and b levels and a 1.12 times increase in the chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio. The prolonged effect of chronic drought until the end of the growing season (from June to October 2024) caused a 1.4 times decrease in chlorophyll content and a 1.3 times decrease in the chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio. The results showed that the adaptive responses of the main photosynthetic pigments in M. sinensis leaves depended on the duration of stress caused by abiotic factors, up to the appearance of oxidative stress symptoms.
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