The Variation Of Saponins Content In Medicago Sativa L. And Its Heritability

Medicago sativa L. is widely distributing in the world, and is recognizied as the high yied and high quality forage and is praised as "the queen of forage". For years, with the development of stockbreeding, the requirement of high quality forage extended. To settle the matter of protein feedingstuff, the planting erea of alfalfa is increasing fastly in the south erea. Hower, the saponins content which is the secondary metabolites of alfalfa is too high to restrain monogastric animals growth, and make rumenance swell. In another aspect, it was reported that the saponins had the officinal activity in decreasing the blood cholesterol and antiathroslerosis. The saponins can be extracted from alfalfa to be a new-model feedingstuff additive. There were few reports about the variance of sapponins in alfalfa and no report about the heritability of saponins. In this study, we carried firstly out the research of determining the content of saponins, optimizing the method of ultrasonic extraction, and contents of saponins in different cutting peried, breeding peried and different parts of the plants, and heritability of alfalfa saponins was estimated.The research results might help to offer the basis to carry out the new techinics of effective planting, utilizing and among breeding some saponins content in alfalfa. The main results were shown as follows:1. The measuration of saponins of alfalfa was confirmed.The Hederagenins was used as standard, and the saponins content was measured through UV-visible spectrophotometer. It was shown that the maximal absorbing wavelength was 544nm, standed curve equation was Y=0.0262X+0.0007, and the average recover rate was100.162%, RSD 1.75.2. The technical condition to extract the sponins through altrasonic extraction was optimized.Using orthogonal table L9 (3~4). the four main factors which affect the extraction were selected: the methanol concentration, the rate of solid to liquid, the time of ultrasonic extraction, and the degree of ultrasonic extraction.Three levels were designed as orthogonal experiment per factor. The results showed that there were marked significance among the four factors which influence the saponins conetent (P<0.01) . The optimal technical condition were that: methanol 70%. solid:liquid 1: 15, 2times ultrasonic extraction, and 30min per time.3. The difference of saponins content in different cutting peried.The results indicated that the total saponins among different stubble were marked significant (P <0.01) . The order of total saponins content was: the third stubble >the forth stubble>the first stubble >the second stubble. The interaction of saponins content between different stubbles and breeds were shown marked significant (P<0.01) .4. The difference of saponins content in different breeding period.The results showed that the total saponins among different procreating phase were marked...