Abstract

BAKKER, M.L; FERRAGINE, M.D.C  and  BIGLIARDI, M. Alcanos en cultivares comerciales de festuca alta [Lolium arundinacea (Schreb.) Darbysh.] como indicador de su consumo por bovinos. RIA. Rev. investig. agropecu. [online]. 2017, vol.43, n.2, pp.123-127. ISSN 1669-2314.

The n-alkanes are lineal chain hydrocarbons that compose the wax of plant cuticles and participate in numerous vital functions. The relative content of odd-alkanes with different carbon chain length (alkane pattern) varies between species, cultivars and plant parts, allowing their use as natural markers of diet composition in herbivory studies. The content of individual odd-chain n-alkanes from C23 through C35 was analysed in 12 commercial cultivars (cvs) of tall fescue [Lolium arundinacea (Schreb.) Darbysh.], 10 continentals and 2 mediterraneans (“Arizona” and “Flecha”). Total content (mg/kg DM) of odd-alkanes was, in increasing order, “Arizona” (369), “FesCon3”, FesCon2”, “AxL”, “FesCon4”, “Royal Q 100”, “Flecha” (600 to 750) and “Taita”, “FesCon1”, “Malma”, “GFL 200”, “GFL 201” (800 to 850). Most abundant n-alkanes in continental cvs were C31 (51±3 %), C29 (25±2 %) and C33 (14±2 %), but mediterraneans differed markedly from continentals and also between them, “Arizona” had less C29 (20 %) and more C33 (29 %) while “Flecha” had more C29 (43 %) and less C33 (5 %). The cvs “Arizona” and “Flecha” had the most different alkane patterns, which would allow the use of the alkane method to estimate the proportion of these cvs in the diet of grazing animals.

Keywords : Alkanes; Diet; Tall fescue.