Abstract:
The topic of this research was to test a chemometric technique (Principal Components & Classification Analysis) to
reflect some characteristics of a real case: the influence of fertilization management on FRAP antioxidant activity in
summer of grassland perennial forages. An area of 25 m2 for each experimental trial was organised, with five
replications, in complete randomized blocks design. StatSoft – STATISTICA, version 10, performed the chemometric
matrix. Ten cases were included, nine of them with different fertilization management and one unfertilized. It was
applied fermented sheep manure and/or mineral fertilizers based on NPK since 2003. The active variables of PC&CA
were: the fertilization data, soil pH and the gravimetric percent of the spontaneous plants Calamagrostis epigejos
(Ce%), Festuca rupicola (Fr%), Trifolium repens (Tr%), Inula britannica (Ib%), Filipendula vulgaris (Fv%) and Rosa
canina (Rc%). The supplementary variable was the perennial feed FRAP antioxidant capacity. The coefficient for soil
pH and Trifolium repens (%) correlation was 0.8, while in Calamagrostis epigejos (%) and Festuca rupicola (%) cases
the coefficients were negatively: -0.6, respectively -0.8. Positive coefficients were obtained in summer for the
correlations between grassland perennial feed FRAP antioxidant activity and Inula britannica (%), respectively Rosa
canina (%). Principal Components & Classification Analysis can reflect as a mirror the perennial forage FRAP
antioxidant activity at low pH, as grassland functional feed for animal, depending on fertilization management.
