The effect of plant age on the chemical composition of fresh and ensiled <i>Agave salmiana</i> leaves

Abstract

In the first study dry matter (DM), organic matter, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and soluble carbohydrate (SC) concentrations were determined in whole leaves and the upper and lower sections of whole leaves of the Agave salmiana (Otto ex. Salm-Dyck) plant. The pH and saponin concentration were measured in aqueous extracts from these leaves. The leaves were collected from plants at the young (ca. 12 years old), bud (ca. 14 years old) and mature (ca. 16 years old) stages of growth. The CP level of young Agave (48 g/kg DM) leaves was higher than in leaves from the bud (38 g/kg DM) and mature (43 g/kg DM) stages, and higher in the upper (51 g/kg DM) than in the lower (35 g/kg DM) leaf sections. The leaves at the bud stage contained lower NDF (189 g/kg DM) but higher SC (358 g/kg DM) levels than those of mature (272 g NDF, 247 g SC/kg DM) and young (273 g NDF, 189 g SC) plants. The saponin content of leaves was higher in the mature (11.1 g/kg DM) than in the bud stage (7.5 g/kg DM). In the second study the chemical composition of whole leaves from young, bud and mature micro-ensilaged (3.5 kg as fed) Agave was determined over a 36 weeks fermentation period. Agave silage had acceptable chemical characteristics. As time of fermentation increased, a linear decrease in DM and saponin concentration, a linear increase in NDF and lactic acid levels and a quadratic increase of pH values and ammonia-N concentrations were recorded. Both fresh and ensilaged leaves of the mature and the bud stages were the most desirable maturity stages of Agave to be utilised as feed for ruminants.

Micropropagation of Agave salmiana: Means to Production of Antioxidant and Bioactive Principles

“…The total saponin content in IN and EN plants was 7- and 6-times higher in comparison to that reported by Pinos-Rodríguez et al (2008) for 16-year-old plants of A. salmiana (11.1 mg/g dw); however, WT plants from the north of Mexico had a 5-times lower saponin content. The content of saponins is higher in young plants compared with mature or old plants (Francis et al, 2002).…”

“…Previous studies have shown that the amount of total carbohydrates in Agave sp. increases with the age of the plant (Pinos-Rodríguez et al, 2008) and that these carbohydrates are commonly accumulated as fructans (Arrizon et al, 2010). However, no significant difference in the amount of soluble sugars extracted as fructose and glucose has been reported because these sugars are used by the plant immediately, either for the formation of fructans or for synthesis of sucrose as a transport sugar (Michel-Cuello et al, 2008).…”

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“…The moisture content of the agave leaves was 86.08 % ± 0.15. This value was close to the one reported for mature agave (89.5 %) without sap extraction (Pinos-Rodríguez et al, 2008). The reduced loss of moisture might be explained by the inherent ability of the plant to retain water (Linton & Nobel, 2001).…”

Phytochemical composition, biological potential and enzyme inhibition activity of Scandix pecten-veneris L.

“…However, the values in all cases were lower than those reported by Simopoulos (2004). These differences could be due to geographical location, plants age, or soil composition as these factors have a great impact on the nutrient contents, phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and biological potential of plants (Pinos-Rodríguez et al, 2008;Khattak and Rahman, 2015).…”