Quality Parameters and Antioxidant Activity of Three Clover Species in Relation to the Livestock Diet

Products of metabolism that are directly involved in growth, development and reproduction and also secondary products of metabolism were studied in 16 natural populations of three species of the genus Trifolium (T. repens - four populations, T. alpestre - three populations, T. pannonicum - nine populations), collected from the central Balkans region, i.e. territory of Serbia. Statistical analysis showed the presence of variability in all species of the test material. The best quality of dry matter, estimated by the ratio of crude protein and crude fiber, was achieved in the populations of white clover. In this species, average protein content was 216.4 g kg(-1) while the average content of crude fiber was 222.4 g kg(-1). The highest average content of total phenols (77.9 mg GA g(-1)), flavonoids (159.7 mg Ru g(-1)) and antioxidant activity (70.2 mu g ml(-1)) was measured in populations of T. pannonicum by phytochemical analysis of aerial parts of plants. The content of secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity in other species were extremely low. Populations of T. pannonicum were notable for fodder quality and antioxidant activity: CS091 with 186.2 g kg(-1) of crude protein and antioxidant activity of 55 mu g ml(-1); RA123 with 175.6 g kg(-1) of crude protein and a high level of antioxidant activity of 44.8 mu g ml(-1). It can be concluded that the selection of these populations may lead to creation of different varieties of fodder crops that could give safe animal feed and would be suitable for growing under adverse conditions of mountainous climate

Breeding potential of morphological and phytochemical characteristics of landraces and autochthone varieties of Capsicum annuum L. in Republic of Serbia

By maintaining a large number of local pepper genotypes, it is possible to preserve a large number of desirable genes that can be used in different pepper selection programs. The aim of this study was to classify a part of the collection of 15 genotypes (11 populations and 4 varieties originating from autochthonous populations) of peppers originating from Republic of Serbia. Morphological characteristics (weight, length, width, pericarp thickness, color before fruit ripening, shape and number of fruit chambers) and 10 phytochemical parameters of the fruit (carbohydrates, essential oils, ash, cellulose, beta carotene, potassium, iron, vitamin C, total phenols, antioxidant activity) were studied. Using statistical multivariate techniques (PCA and Cluster analysis), the degree of variation between local populations was assessed and diversity was determined based on the morphological and nutritional characteristics of pepper fruits. Morphological traits were determined using two main components that accounted for 70.3% of the variability. These components accounted for 49.8% of the variation in nutritional traits. The ‘Čokotanka’ population would be suitable for individual selection and reduced divergence within the population, since it has 6 tested traits that resulted in high diversity index. Populations ‘Stojankina kletva’, ‘Lalić’ and ‘Strižanka’ would be suitable for recombination of genes to improve the properties of individual selection programs for this vegetable species

Quality Parameters and Antioxidant Activity of Three Clover Species in Relation to the Livestock Diet

Products of metabolism that are directly involved in growth, development and reproduction and also secondary products of metabolism were studied in 16 natural populations of three species of the genus Trifolium (T. repens – four populations, T. alpestre – three populations, T. pannonicum – nine populations), collected from the central Balkans region, i.e. territory of Serbia. Statistical analysis showed the presence of variability in all species of the test material. The best quality of dry matter, estimated by the ratio of crude protein and crude fiber, was achieved in the populations of white clover. In this species, average protein content was 216.4 g kg-1 while the average content of crude fiber was 222.4 g kg-1. The highest average content of total phenols (77.9 mg GA g-1), flavonoids (159.7 mg Ru g-1) and antioxidant activity (70.2 μg ml-1) was measured in populations of T. pannonicum by phytochemical analysis of aerial parts of plants. The content of secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity in other species were extremely low. Populations of T. pannonicum were notable for fodder quality and antioxidant activity: CS091 with 186.2 g kg-1 of crude protein and antioxidant activity of 55 μg ml-1; RA123 with 175.6 g kg-1 of crude protein and a high level of antioxidant activity of 44.8 μg ml-1. It can be concluded that the selection of these populations may lead to creation of different varieties of fodder crops that could give safe animal feed and would be suitable for growing under adverse conditions of mountainous climate