Dynamics of some physiological parameters in Silphium perfoliatum L. in pedo-climatic conditions from Western Romania

Abstract

Silphium perfoliatum L., or cup plant (Asterales: Asteraceae), is a native, herbaceous, prairie species cultivated to produce biomass, food, medicines, and animal feed in many countries. Its native range is the eastern United States (USA) from North Dakota to Arkansas and eastward, and Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Due to its high ecological plasticity, its ability to improve ecosystems (remediating degraded or polluted soils) and its multiple fields of use (energy biomass, industrial raw material, animal feed, etc.) the species has generated a special interest in cultivation in the last two decades. The research objectives consisted in the dynamic evaluation, for a period of five years of the bio productive capacity in correlation with the soil and climatic conditions specific for the western part of the country and to determine the impact of these conditions on the main physiological indices underlying the formation of biomass. The obtained results attest to the ability of S. perfoliatum plants to easily adapt to the conditions determined by drought and heat, managing to achieve high and stable biomass productions by forming a high leaf area and the biosynthesis of assimilating pigments in the foliar apparatus.