Variations of foliar pigments content at Abies alba and Nepeta pannonica species from three different areas of Bukovina, in growing and flowering phenophases

Abstract

Leaf pigments serve as indicators for photosynthetic activity of plants. Also, pigments content can provide valuable information concerning physiological status of plants and some biochemical processes. The present study had as starting point the hypothesis that pigments are quantitatively influenced by phenophase and location. The studied species are Abies alba and Nepeta pannonica, identified in local wild populations near bukovinian localities named Cacica, Gura Humorului and Câmpulung Moldovenesc, which have specific climatic, orographic and edaphic characteristics. For collecting of biological material, from Abies alba species, there was selected mature exemplars, about same age. From them, there were harvested annual growings, from the first level of branches, during growing and flowering phenophases, in 2017. Probes of Nepeta pannonica leaves have been picked up from the third foliar node, in the same phenophase, during the same year. Researches were performed on plants, using CCM - 900 PLUS device, and in laboratory, with Shimandzu UV - 1800 spectrophotometer. After data centralization, there has been observed that Abies alba from all these three areas cotains a greater amount of chlorophyll and flavonoids during flowering phenophase than during growing phenophase. Also, the pigments content is inversely proportional with altitude. Nepeta pannonica presents different variations concerning amount of these pigments. This thing is caused by senescence of leaves, unusual meteorological conditions and reduced light. Thus, it can be concluded that the connection between amount of foliar pigments and phenophase, respectively location, is more obvious at Abies alba than Nepeta pannonica.