Analytical studies on the carbohydrates of grasses and clovers. VIII.—Changes in carbohydrate composition during the growth of perennial rye-grass

✍ Scribed by D. J. Mackenzie; Clare B. Wylam

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1957
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 635 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5142
• DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.2740080107

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Analyses of the carbohydrates in the leaf and stem of perennial rye‐grass were carried out during uninterrupted growth from May to November. Although there were individual variations in the amounts of glucose, fructose and sucrose present, no major seasonal trends in these sugars were evident. The plant accumulated in the stem a reserve of fructosan which reached a maximum of 21% of the dry matter before it diminished in the autumn. There was a gradual increase in the percentages of cell‐wall polysaccharides. The relation between fructosan accumulation and synthesis of cell‐wall material during the growth of the plant is discussed.

The autumn aftermath growth was analysed and its composition compared with that of the first growth.