Silphium trifoliatum L. - a new alternative cultivation herbal plant?
Title:
Silphium trifoliatum L. - a new alternative cultivation herbal plant?
Author:
Kowalski, Radosław
Appeared in:
Acta agriculturae Scandinavica. Section B, Soil and plant science
Paging:
Volume 57 (2007) nr. 2 pages 155-166
Year:
2007
Contents:
Observations upon the growth and development of Silphium trifoliatum during the first three years of cultivation are presented. Plant morphology, green biomass production, and dry matter content were evaluated. Studies revealed that S. trifoliatum is easy to cultivate and up to 28.8 t/ha of biomass dry weight, on average, could be achieved. Thus, the plant could be potentially utilized for various purposes. Determinations of secondary metabolite contents (essential oil, flavonoids, oleanosides, and phenolic acids) were carried out using leaves, inflorescences, and rhizomes of Silphium trifoliatum during the ontogenesis stage. It was found that the plant's rhizomes contained the highest level of essential oils (up to 0.46% v/w), and thus, they are the most promising raw material. Leaves contained the highest level of flavonoids (up to 0.90%). However, oleanosides were present in greatest abundance in leaves at the budding stage (6.02%). Inflorescences were characterized by the largest amounts of phenolic acids (up to 52.73 mg/100 g DM, in total). It was also found that caffeic acid was the dominant phenolic acid in S. trifoliatum. The optimum date of harvest was the period just before flowering.
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